You'll shed tears hearing Kelly Clarkson cover this iconic George Michael song

Superstar vocalist Kelly Clarkson delivered her own version of George Michael's classic Careless Whisper on her NBC talk daytime talkshow

Kelly Clarkson
(Image credit: NBC / Contributor)

The always hilarious and super-talented Kelly Clarkson chose to pay homage to the late George Michael on her own daytime talk show, The Kelly Clarkson Show, on NBC this week.

Kelly, who recently wowed fans with her tribute to Dolly Parton at ACMs performance, delivered her own take on the renowned 1984 song Careless Whisper during her daily Kellyoke segment.

The 40-year-old Grammy-winning artist and beloved show host wore a flowy floral dress while showing off her vocals. To the delight of the song's fans, Kelly stayed pretty true to the original—albeit choosing to sing to an acoustic guitar over Michael's recognizable sax sounds. She performed alongside her band, Y'all.

A mere scroll through the comments section of the YouTube clip of Kelly's performance makes it clear that the singer's fans absolutely loved her rendition of the certified platinum hit by the Wham! artist who unfortunately passed of heart disease at the age of 53 back in 2016.


"I'm never gonna...listen to this song the same again. Chills the whole time," one YouTube user commented.

“Love her version. George Michael must be looking down from heaven saying 'Awesome job Kelly,'" another wrote.

“George would be so proud. 💔 Can you imagine a duet with the two of them? ❤️," yet another user noted on YouTube.

Other outstanding comments include, “This is amazing could be a #1 country single,” "Love Kelly's version more than George Michael's original!" and “Kelly ALWAYS pulls you into whatever song she sings. Her storytelling makes you want to stop whatever you're doing and just sit down and listen to what she is talking about in the song she is singing. She brings life into every single song she sings no matter what genre she's doing." We couldn't agree more.

As regular watchers of her show know, this actually isn’t Kelly’s first take on a Wham! hit. In the past, she has covered Last Christmas and Faith, for example. 

But Kelly’s covers of other artists’ songs have also resonated with her audience members, and fans in general, throughout the years. Who can forget her nearly perfect performance of Dolly Parton's beautiful Jolene, for example? Her haunting versions of Uninvited by Alanis Morissette and Stevie Nicks' Edge of Seventeen have also become instant classics.

Here’s to hoping Kelly will continue to release new music while also offering her take on some of our already favorite tracks.

Anna Rahmanan

Anna Rahmanan is a New York-based writer and editor who covers culture, entertainment, food, fashion and travel news. Anna’s words have appeared on Time Out New York, the Huffington Post, Fortune, Forbes, Us Weekly, Bon Appetit and Brooklyn Magazine, among other outlets.