Kelly Clarkson covered Metallica’s “Sad but True” during the “Kellyoke” segment of her daytime talk show The Kelly Clarkson Show on Monday (May 6th).
Hailing from “The Black Album,” the song is one of the more brooding and intense singles from the seminal LP — and somewhat of a startling choice for Clarkson. She could have easily tapped the rousing hit “Enter Sandman” or the ballad “Nothing Else Matters,” which are perhaps more in her wheelhouse.
Instead, Kelly took on the challenge of adapting “Sad but True” to her style, injecting it with her soulful vocal delivery while exploring the full breadth of her impressive range.
Her performance grows in intensity with the arrangement, her voice hitting its highest register for the chorus: “You know it’s sad but true!” It’s pure “Kellyoke” in that Clarkson doesn’t really affect her voice to sing the song; however, her backing band locks into the heavy groove and keeps things sufficiently metal for the many Metallica fans who will no doubt see this clip.
The cover serves to remind us that Metallica have resumed their “M72” world tour. The metal legends are playing their “No Repeat Weekend” two-night format in each city on the itinerary, with a new North American leg beginning August 2nd and 4th in Foxborough, Massachusetts (get tickets here).
Watch Kelly Clarkson cover Metallica’s “Sad but True” below.