My December
My December is the third studio album by American singer Kelly Clarkson. The album was released on June 22, 2007, through RCA Records. Clarkson confirmed the name of the album in her journal on her fanclub website on February 27, 2007.
This article is about the album by Kelly Clarkson. For the song by Linkin Park, see Hybrid Theory.My December
Since its release, My December has shipped one million copies in the United States and has been certified platinum. It was also certified platinum in Canada. The album was voted as the fifth best album of 2007 by the readers of Billboard.[3] It ranked at number 53 on the Australian year-end albums chart.[4] The album was heavily reviewed by critics, who noted the album's stronger rock influence when compared with Clarkson's previous album Breakaway (2004).[5]
Background[edit]
Development[edit]
Clarkson began writing and composing songs for My December during her international The Breakaway Tour. In an interview, Clarkson was quoted:[6]
Singles[edit]
"Never Again" was released as the first worldwide single from My December. Clarkson confirmed its release on her official website on April 4, 2007[38] and debuted the song on Los Angeles' 102.7 KIIS-FM's radio show On-Air with Ryan Seacrest on April 13, 2007. The song was released on the iTunes Store on April 20, 2007 and was made permanently available for sale on April 24, 2007. It debuted and peaked at number eight on the Billboard Hot 100, but unlike her previous singles, it encountered radio resistance. Despite its poor radio airplay, the song logged an impressive number of over 100,000 paid digital downloads in its first week on the charts.[39] As of May 2010, the song has sold over one million digital downloads.
Clarkson confirmed "Sober" as the second single from My December on her journal in the Official Kelly Clarkson Fan Club. The song was released to airwaves on June 6, 2007. Industry experts stated that "Sober" was a crucial single for Clarkson, as the lead single from My December, "Never Again", charted well due to strong digital downloads but encountered radio airplay resistance in a number of US markets, especially when compared to the radio success of all five of her singles from her previous album Breakaway. "Never Again" had been descending in radio airplay after failing to break the top 20 on the Pop format, and therefore was one reason why "Sober" was released so soon after "Never Again" (just over five weeks later, and three weeks before the release of the album). Whether radio accepted "Sober" was considered key in determining the sales potential of My December. After the failure of the song (Clarkson's least successful single in the US to date), sales of the My December album in the US largely ceased, and no further US singles from the album were released.
However, in an interview with Nashville radio station 107.5 The River, Clarkson said that she released "Sober" so early because she wanted to show the diversity of music in My December. In July 2007, "Sober" was a highlight of Clarkson's five-song set at Live Earth at Giants Stadium, with the audience audibly applauding her vocal line during the song's climax near the end. It has also been considered as a fan favorite from the album. "Sober" did have a featured spot in Clarkson's My December Tour, being played at the start of the encores and receiving a strong audience response. No music video was made for the song.
"One Minute" managed to gain airplay in Australia, which led the label to officially release it as the second single there. A CD single was released on September 22, 2007.[40] However, it ultimately failed to make a major dent in Australia, debuting at number 36 on the charts before quickly exiting. "Don't Waste Your Time" was released as the third and final single. It was released in several European countries via iTunes in fall of 2007. It was released as a CD single in Germany in December 2007. It was also released in Australia in February 2008. A music video was released to promote the song and combined real-life images and computer-animated graphics.
Legacy[edit]
A 2016 article from Sputnikmusic described My December as "the most logical progression for Kelly's career"; noting the album's genre-hopping between pop, pop punk, alternative rock, hard rock, soul, R&B, and folk without one genre sounding out of place, and further noting that "it would be really interesting to see if she ever makes an album like My December again".[53] A 2017 article from AXS commemorating the ten-year anniversary of My December stated that "My December was an album Clarkson made for herself and taught her more about not only herself but when to stand up for what she believes in. "It's my face, it's my time," she said of the record. During the feud, other artists jumped to her defense including Daryl Hall of Hall & Oates who also had a conflict with Davis during their run. To date, it still remains a favorite of fans."[54]
Commercial performance[edit]
My December, in its debut, not only was one of the best selling albums of the week, but sold faster than Clarkson's previous album, Breakaway (which peaked at number three on the US Billboard 200 albums chart).[55] The album debuted at number two in the United States with sales of approximately 291,000 copies — a mere 6,000 copies less than Clarkson's debut hit Thankful sold in its first week. It came behind Hannah Montana 2: Meet Miley Cyrus, which sold about 326,000 copies that week.[56]
The album also debuted at number two in the United Kingdom, selling 40,509 copies in its first week. The album eventually fell to number nine in its second week, and number twenty in its third week.[57]
My December was certified platinum in the United States by the RIAA on the December 12, 2007.[58] The album made it to number 66 on the US albums year-end-chart of 2007,[59] while Clarkson herself was the sixty-third top selling artist of the year in the United States.[60]
The album debuted and peaked at number four on the Australian ARIA Charts, falling off the Top 20 in five weeks. It fell off the charts after eighteen weeks.[61]
As of September 2017, the album has sold 858,000 copies in the United States.[62]
Orchestra on "Sober" and "Be Still"
Studios