What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger

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Borrowing from Friedrich Nietzsche's statement, "That which does not kill us makes us stronger," Kelly Clarkson unleashes an up-tempo empowerment anthem for recovering from bad relationships. Everyone endures a bad breakup at some point in their life, and a pick me up song like "Stronger," written by Jorgen Elofsson, David Gamson, and Ali Tamposi helps listeners pick up the pieces of a broken heart and move on to bigger and better things. Breakups can be extremely difficult, and they can be amicable; no matter what, no one really wants to go through them. The loss of a relationship can bring on intense heartache and stress. After being down for some time, it takes trying to look for the positives of the loneliness, instead of sadness and grief. When the positives are found, the feelings of happiness will overcome.
"Stronger" kicks off with an almost bitter statement, "You know the bed feels warmer sleeping here alone," but there is no pitiful wallowing (Elofsson, 2011). The usage of the word "you" is dominant throughout the song lyrics. It is never implied this person is a guy, but cultural expectation defaults the listeners to thinking it probably is. The beginning verse, "You know the bed feels warmer, sleeping here alone," shows that the use of "you" is an important aspect of the song's content. The songwriters want to make a clear statement showing that the direction of "Stronger" is toward a guy who has left his girlfriend.
The first verse begins to explain about the girl's freedom she now feels after her boyfriend leaves her. Without him, she feels the bed warmer. This is contrary to the beliefs to many in that cuddling under a blanket with someone is much warmer than being alone. She also could sleep soundly and "dream in...

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...tage in their life.
This song is an excellent example of the empowerment women and men may need occasionally. When someone is faced with a painful situation, people basically show two kinds of reaction: giving up or struggling. Those who decide to give up will usually keep complaining and blaming others for the situation they face. In contrast, those who decide to struggle, even though initially show almost the same reactions as the first group of people, they will finally choose to look at the good side of the situation they face. The process of being down, looking for the positives, and avoiding negative thoughts or feelings may be difficult but could ultimately result in the greatest gift of all, happiness.

Works Cited

Elofsson, J., Gamson, D., Tamposi, A. (2011). Stronger (What doesn’t kill you). [Recorded by Clarkson, K.] On Stronger [CD]. Los Angeles: RCA.

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