Kelly Clarkson says that during the hard time of her divorce, she had feelings of guilt and shame. She wanted to find a solution, but she couldn’t figure out what her feelings were. But she did find that with Garth Brooks’s famous song “The Dance.”
The song just happened to come up on her playlist right when she needed it. This song about the end of a relationship by Garth Brooks came out in 1990 and has become one of his most famous songs.
When Garth came on Kelly’s talk show in 2020, Kelly had the chance to tell him how much “The Dance” means to her and how it helped her get through a very hard time in her life, her divorce from ex-husband Brandon Blackstock.
She told him at the time, “I couldn’t quite put my finger on how I felt. Well, you don’t want to crap on it, I said. Like you don’t want to say that it didn’t count or matter, but you don’t know what to say because it didn’t go the way you wanted.
So, I was listening to my list of songs, and when “The Dance” came on, I was like, “No, that’s the thing. “‘That’s all.'”
Clarkson also said she was inspired by “The Dance” to write a song for her ninth studio album. The 39-year-old star sang the song’s tag, “Even though my heart is broken, it was worth the dance anyway,” which is not yet available.
Because of this, it was only right that Kelly came on stage to sing for Garth when he was recently honored at the 43rd Kennedy Center Honors. He was surprised when she sang “The Dance” in her own way. At the 43rd annual Kennedy Center Honors in Washington, D.C., it was Kelly Clarkson herself who serenaded Garth Brooks with his 1990 country No. 1 hit.
Brooks was the ninth country musician to be honored at the event. He and his wife, Trisha Yearwood, were so moved by Kelly Clarkson’s performance that they were almost crying.
Clarkson told Entertainment Tonight that she was “nervous” when she sang “The Dance” at the Kennedy Center Honors in front of Brooks. She said, “I was texting Trisha Yearwood before the show, and when I got on stage and saw them, it was like all of a sudden I was the sweatiest person on the planet.”
But the 59-year-old country singer liked how she played the song with a full band. She also says, “It’s so beautiful. That woman is a song’s true friend. She’s great.”
Brooks was honored at the 43rd Kennedy Center Honors, along with Debbie Allen, Joan Baez, Dick Van Dyke, and Midori. The second time, Gloria Estefan was the host. Clarkson wasn’t the only performer to pay tribute to the honorees. Derek Hough, Vanessa Hudgens, Pentatonix, Gladys Knight, Emmylou Harris, Jimmie Allen, and Yo-Yo Ma all did as well.
On June 6, at 8 p.m. ET, CBS showed the 2021 Kennedy Center Honors. It was also shown online through Paramount+. You can also see a clip of Kelly Clarkson’s performance on YouTube, where it has been shared by many channels and has been seen by millions of people.