Song of the Week: 'Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You),' Kelly Clarkson
The hottest songwriter in America at the moment isnt Lady Gaga, or Dr. Luke, or Bruce Springsteen.
Its German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche.
Im joking, a little. But Nietzsche, who died more than a century ago, has supplied the world with a catchphrase that contemporary recording artists cant get enough of.
In "Twilight of the Idols," his 1888 condemnation of conventional morality, Nietzsche suggested that which does not kill us makes us stronger. Nietzsche may have been referring to the 18th-century German novelist Goethe, who once wrote something very similar. Nietzsche and Goethe might have been surprised to learn that in our own century, popular recording artists would spin gold from the maxim. Kanye West built the chorus of "Stronger" around the philosophers words. And now Kelly Clarkson an Idol nowhere near her twilight has brought a little Nietzsche to the top of the Billboard charts.
Clarksons "Stronger (What Doesnt Kill You)," the No. 1 song in the country, does not credit the brilliant mind behind the concepts of the Will to Power and the bermensch as a co-writer. But her refrain consists of his words.
Those inclined to decry the Twitter-ization of the classics would do well to revisit their copies of "Beyond Good and Evil." Nietzsche loved aphorisms pithy statements meant to distill the essence of his thought into a single line. The philosopher certainly could write at great length when the spirit moved him, but also could sum up complicated concepts in passages of astonishing brevity. He remains one of the most readable, and enjoyable, of the major continental philosophers (really, try him!), and almost all of his writing has been translated into Engl! ish. In other words, Nietzsches aphorisms are retweets waiting to happen.
Clarkson may never have heard of Nietzsche. It is possible that Swedish song doctor Jrgen Elofsson, former Scritti Politti pianist David Gamson, frequent "American Idol" content supplier Ali Tamposi and pop producer Greg Kurstin all credited as writers on "Stronger (What Doesnt Kill You)" pulled the quote straight from Wests chart-topper. West, on the other hand, definitely knows Nietzsche. He cited the philosopher in legal proceedings last year after another rapper who built a lyric around the "Twilight of the Idols" quote had the audacity to sue him for plagiarism.
It is not difficult to see why the maxim would appeal to American entertainers. Perseverance through adversity is a major theme of contemporary pop songwriting. Stars love to sing and rap about all theyve overcome; theyve made it through the wilderness, theyre still standing, they will survive, etc. Nietzsches quote packs muscle into the boast not only has the artist taken the worst of what the world can dish out, but shes turned it to her advantage. This has particular appeal in hip-hop, where shining in the face of jealous haters is a favorite activity. Rappers love to believe they can absorb beatings without permanent psychological scars.
For Clarkson, the quote means that a boyfriend who has ditched her hasnt got the last laugh. Over a repeating bass synthesizer pattern reminiscent of the one from "My Life Would Suck Without You," her last No. 1 single, Clarkson explains to him that his mistreatment has backfired.
That Nietzsches maxim continues to echo through pop culture will probably strike cynics as a fluke, but I think its a promising sign for the future of applied philosophy. A century ago, he wrote something punchy that summarized one of his central concepts, and audiences continue to draw inspiration from those words. Not bad for a cranky misanthrope who famously convinced himself that God was dead.
Songs of the Day are posted M! on.-Thu. at 3 p.m. Song of the Week, which will focus on contemporary chart hits, will be posted on Friday. For past Songs of the Day, click here