Kelly Clarkson Reminds Us Of “Pleasantville” In The Uplifting Music Video For “People Like Us”

30 May, 2013 craig Articles, Front Page

Kelly Clarkson "People Like Us" 19/RCA Records

Kelly Clarkson is back with another fist pumping, feet stomping, and uplifting anthem for her fans! This time she has delivered it in the form in her latest single, “People Like Us” The tune reunites Kelly with Los Angeles producer Greg Kurstin who was behind some of her latest hits. Kurstin was the man behind the boards when producing her 2011 hits “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)”, and “Dark Side.” Most recently he has also become known for producing a majority of P!nks’s latest album, The Truth About Love, including the first two singles, “Blow Me (One Last Kiss)” and “Try.” Greg and Kelly reunited 6 months after the release of the Stronger album. They intended to get the jump on the production process for new material for a new album, in an effort to help balance Kelly’s busy schedule with some days off in the future. One of those songs ended up being “People Like Us,” which was used on one of Kelly’s recent released albums, her greatest hits album. The single is the third original song included on the compilation. It follows the other originals, “Catch My Breath”, and “Don’t Rush” with Vince Gill.

The music video for “People Like Us” was filmed on April 9, 2013, at Mission Street Lab in South Pasadena, California. The video takes place in an entirely black and white environment. Clarkson and a group of other people are dressed as scientists and they are seen observing a “misfit” little girl in the video who is seen in full color. It is clear as the full color girl being observed is feeling like an outcast in this black and white world, so Kelly approaches the girl to console her. She then reveals to the girl that she is a person in “color” as well, when she allows her to rub her hand across one side of her face, showing that there is color hidden behind her black and white surface. This allows the two of them to connect, and also shows serves as a visual metaphor for the video and song’s overall message. It shows us that on the surface we all blend in to the masses on a daily basis, appearing one way on the surface, but below that surface we all have times where our feelings on the inside make us feel like misfits for one reason or another.

That message is taken deeper when she and the girl then escape the lab to find themselves in new “in color” community, showing that everyone has others out there like them, and we all have moments when we are lonely looking for support. These visuals and the song’s lyrics indicate why the song has developed a big following in the gay community as an inspirational anthem. The video which only first premiered on VEVO on May 28^th is receiving universal praise by various media outlets. It has already been compared to famous films like 1998’s Pleasantville, and 1939’s The Wizard Of Oz.

Emily Blake of MTV wrote that “Clarkson reminds her fans that differences really are what makes the world colorful.” We couldn’t agree more. Considering that the song was originally only meant to be a bonus song to promote her greatest hits package, it certainly has begun to take on a life of its own. See what everyone is talking about below!

Kelly Clarkson

“People Like Us”

From Greatest Hits; Chapter One

19/RCA Records