Thankful (Kelly Clarkson album)

Thankful is the debut studio album by American singer Kelly Clarkson, released in the United States by RCA Records on April 15, 2003. "Miss Independent" was its first single, followed by "Low" and "The Trouble with Love Is". Initially, the album had been scheduled to be released in November 2002, however, Clarkson's demanding schedule and difficulty finding tracks that suited her taste and image forced the album to be delayed several times.[3] By the time the album was released, over six months had elapsed since "A Moment Like This" had reached number one.

Thankful
Studio album by
Kelly Clarkson
ReleasedApril 15, 2003 (2003-04-15)
Recorded2002–2003
Genre
Length45:31
Label
Producer
Kelly Clarkson chronology
Thankful
(2003)		 Breakaway
(2004)
Singles from Thankful
  1. "Miss Independent"
    Released: April 10, 2003
  2. "Low"
    Released: August 3, 2003
  3. "The Trouble with Love Is"
    Released: November 10, 2003

The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 selling 297,000 copies. "Miss Independent" went on to be a top ten hit in the United States. Thankful has sold 2,800,000 copies in the United States, receiving a 2× platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[4] In Canada, Thankful was certified platinum for 100,000 copies shipped by the Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA).[5]

Background

Two songs originally on the album, "Trace of Gold" and "Today for Me", written by Stephanie Saraco, were replaced just before the album release by "Anytime" and "A Moment Like This". Early released versions of the CD still show the original tracks on players that read the data from the CD itself (such as Windows Media Player). The two songs have yet to be heard by the general public. Copies of Thankful sold during its first year of release contained a computer program that could be loaded, and used with the internet for artist updates and music videos. The program ceased to function when her official RCA website was launched. Thankful included four cover tracks, "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" originally by Aretha Franklin, "Some Kind of Miracle" originally sung by Puff Johnson, "Anytime" by Mary Griffin and "Just Missed the Train" by Trine Rein. "Just Missed the Train" was previously covered by Danielle Brisebois and Carly Smithson (then Carly Hennessy), who worked on much of her album with Brisebois.

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic62/100[6]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
E! OnlineB[7]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[8]
The Guardian[9]
Q[7]
Rolling Stone[10]
Slant Magazine[11]
USA Today[12]

Critical response for Thankful was generally positive. On Metacritic, a website that compiles various reviews, the album received a score of 62, indicating generally favorable reviews.[7] Entertainment Weekly noted that "Clarkson glides through octaves with the masterful control of someone who's been doing this for decades".[8] Rolling Stone gave the album three out of five stars, praising Clarkson's talent and vocal abilities, while criticizing the album for feeling manufactured. They note that "[her] high notes are sweet and pillowy, her growl is bone-shaking and sexy, and her midrange is amazingly confident for a pop posy whose career is tied for eternity to the whims of her American Idol overlords".[10]

On the other hand, Q gave the album a very negative review, stating that the album "has her trilling like Mariah Carey on fluffy R&B tunes."[7]

Commercial performance

Release of the album was preceded by the single "Miss Independent", which became a top 10 Billboard Hot 100 hit and a number one top 40 smash. In thanks to the success of the single, as well as buzz from her American Idol win (Clarkson also appeared several times on the show's second season to promote Thankful), the album sold well in the United States. It managed to debut at number one on the Billboard 200 with 297,000 copies sold. The album sold over 1 million copies in six weeks.[13] According to Nielsen SoundScan, Thankful has sold 2,800,000 copies to date in the US.[4] Further single releases "Low" and "The Trouble with Love Is" did not replicate the success of the first single. "Just Missed the Train" and "You Thought Wrong" had been planned for possible single releases, but after the underperformance of "Low" and "The Trouble with Love Is", they were canceled.[14]

Track listing
Thankful – Standard edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."The Trouble with Love Is"
  • Rogers
  • Sturken
3:41
2."Miss Independent"
Lawrence3:34
3."Low"Jimmy HarryClif Magness3:28
4."Some Kind of Miracle"Diane Warren
  • Steve Ferrera
  • Lawrence
3:38
5."What's Up Lonely"
  • Rogers
  • Sturken
  • Stephanie Saraco
  • Rogers
  • Sturken
4:08
6."Just Missed the Train"
Magness4:10
7."Beautiful Disaster"
Wilder4:10
8."You Thought Wrong" (featuring Tamyra Gray)
3:50
9."Thankful"
  • Clarkson
  • Edmonds
  • Mason
  • Thomas
  • The Underdogs
  • Babyface
3:00
10."Anytime"
  • Biancaniello
  • Watters
4:05
11."A Moment Like This" (new mix – bonus track)
  • Ferrera
  • Steve Mac
3:48
12."Before Your Love" (new mix – bonus track)
  • Child
  • Dennis
3:59
Thankful – Japanese edition (bonus track)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
13."(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman"
2:36

Personnel

Charts and certifications

Certifications
Certifications and sales for Thankful
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[25] Gold 35,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[26] Platinum 100,000^
Japan (RIAJ)[27] Gold 100,000^
Norway (IFPI Norway)[28] Gold 20,000*
United Kingdom (BPI)[29] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[30] 2× Platinum 2,800,000[4]

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history
Release history and formats for Thankful
Region Date Label Format
Canada[31] April 15, 2003 Sony BMG CD
United States
Europe July 7, 2003 Sony BMG
Japan[32] July 23, 2003
Australia September 15, 2003
Brazil December 18, 2006

References
  1. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Thankful - Kelly Clarkson". AllMusic.
  2. Wood, Michael (January 25, 2005). "Identity Crisis". The Village Voice. Archived from the original on February 22, 2014. Retrieved December 14, 2022.
  3. "For The Record: Quick News On Kelly Clarkson And Justin Guarini, Eve, D12, Ben Lee, Sheryl Crow & More". December 13, 2002. Retrieved 2008-02-24.
  4. "Ask Billboard: Kelly Clarkson's Career Sales & 'Wild Thoughts' About Rihanna". Billboard.
  5. Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA): Gold & Platinum - January 2004 Archived 2010-03-25 at the Wayback Machine
  6. "Reviews for Thankful by Kelly Clarkson - Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
  7. "Critic Rviews for Thankful". Metacritic. Retrieved 2008-02-24.
  8. Goldblatt, Henry (April 25, 2003). "Thankful Review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2008-02-24.
  9. Sullivan, Caroline (August 28, 2003). "Kelly Clarkson: Thankful". The Guardian. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  10. Berger, Arion (April 22, 2003). "Thankful". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  11. Cinquemani, Sal (April 17, 2003). "Kelly Clarkson: Thankful". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  12. Gardner, Elysa (April 14, 2003). "Clarkson's 'Thankful' much obliged to many". USA Today.
  13. Gundersen, Edna (2007-08-10). "Clarkson slipping into a sales slump". USA Today. Retrieved 2008-02-24.
  14. "Kelly Clarkson Hits The Roof For New Clip, Plans DVD". MTV. 2003-11-06. Retrieved 2008-02-24.
  15. "KELLY CLARKSON - THANKFUL". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2012-03-10.
  16. "Thankful - Kelly Clarkson - Canadian Albums chart". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 2012-03-10.
  17. "KELLY CLARKSON - THANKFUL". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2012-03-10.
  18. "KELLY CLARKSON - THANKFUL (ALBUM) - irish-charts.com". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2012-03-10.
  19. "サンクフル" (in Japanese). ORICON. Archived from the original on January 23, 2023. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
  20. "KELLY CLARKSON - THANKFUL". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2012-03-10.
  21. "Archive Chart- Kelly Clarkson - Thankful". The Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2012-03-10.
  22. "Thankful - Kelly Clarkson - Billboard 200". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 2012-03-10.
  23. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2003". Billboard. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
  24. "Top 50 Global Best Selling Albums for 2003" (PDF). International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 17, 2008. Retrieved February 1, 2023.
  25. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2004 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.
  26. "Canadian album certifications – Kelly Clarkson – Thankful". Music Canada.
  27. "Japanese album certifications – Kelly Clarkson – Thankful" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Select 2008年5月 on the drop-down menu
  28. "Norwegian album certifications – Kelly Clarkson – Thankful" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway.
  29. "British album certifications – Kelly Clarkson – Thankful". British Phonographic Industry.
  30. "American album certifications – Kelly Clarkson – Thankful". Recording Industry Association of America.
  31. "Kelly Clarkson - Thankful (CD, Album) at Discogs". Discogs. April 15, 2003. Retrieved September 3, 2016.
  32. "Kelly Clarkson - Thankful (CD, Album) at Discogs". Discogs. July 23, 2003. Retrieved September 3, 2016.
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