Kelly Clarkson – "Already Gone"

Sounds Like: Beyoncé – "Halo"

The problem with hot writers and producers is that nobody’s immune to the inspiration-draining power of an impending deadline. Once you prove your place in pop’s behind-the-scenes higher echelon, everyone wants a piece of that paper you’re scribbling on. But there are only so many unique hooks you can chuck out in order to bring your clients to the tops of the charts.  One of the most scandalous moments in the pop factory occurred back in 2009, when OneRepublic’s go-to-hitmaker Ryan Tedder was asked to pen power ballads for both Beyoncé and Kelly Clarkson.

Thematically, the two songs couldn’t have been more different — Beyoncé’s one was a haunting love letter while Clarkson’s song was equally beautiful post scriptum to dying romance — yet musically, they were basically the same song. “Halo” came out earlier and upon hearing it, Clarkson was very vocal about trying to get “Already Gone” off her album, yet her label not only made the singer include it but demanded it to be released as a single, too. Ryan Tedder called two songs “entirely different,” which raises a very important question: How is this man allowed to work in the music industry in the first place?