Welcome to a special Christmas edition of Music Friday when we bring you great songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, Kelly Clarkson asks Santa for high-end jewels in the 2013 holiday favorite "4 Carats."
In this tune penned by Clarkson and three collaborators, the "Original American Idol" makes a plea to Santa on Christmas Eve. She says she's been good all year and that she deserves a "shiny" gift. But, for Clarkson, no ordinary gift will do.
In the catchy refrain, she sings, "Like diamond ring / Just a little something from Tiffany's / Or a big ruby / You know red has always looked good on me."
Clarkson promises to keep it a secret if Saint Nick agrees to makes her "Christmas Eve 4 carats, please."
Later in the song, as the clock strikes 2 in the morning, Clarkson is concerned that Santa may have forgotten her. Still she coos about fancy yellow diamonds: "Mm, something sparkly / Yellow canaries / Ooh yea yea / Mm, I'm waiting patiently / Santa don't forget me / Ooh don't forget me!"
Clarkson told Billboard magazine that "4 Carats" was inspired by Eartha Kitt's "Santa Baby" (1953) and Madonna's "Material Girl" (1984). The end result was a mashup of the two. Music critics generally praised the song for its memorable pop hook and bouncy melody.
"4 Carats" appeared as the 12th track on Clarkson's wildly popular Wrapped in Red Christmas album, which was certified platinum after selling more than one million copies. The album peaked at #3 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart and the single reached #30 on Billboard's Holiday Digital Songs chart.
In 2013, Clarkson made jewelry-industry news when she was stymied in her bid to claim the 200-year-old turquoise ring once owned by famed British novelist Jane Austen.
Clarkson — an avid Austen fan — had won the ring in 2012 at a Sotheby’s auction in London, having outbid a cadre of competitors, including the Jane Austen’s House Museum. Clarkson’s winning bid was $235,000 — more than five times the auction house’s high estimate. But instead of allowing Clarkson to take the ring back to the U.S., British authorities unexpectedly declared the ring a “national treasure” and temporarily blocked its export. If a British patron could match Clarkson’s winning bid, the singer would have to forfeit the ring so it could stay in the U.K.
Seizing the opportunity to get back into the game, Jane Austen’s House Museum launched an aggressive fundraising appeal through its website and Facebook page. Donations from around the world flooded into the “Bring the Ring Home” campaign, and within a month the museum had an infusion of $253,000 — more than enough to match Clarkson’s bid.
As a consolation, Clarkson's husband (then fiancé Brandon Blackstock) had a replica made for her.
Born in Ft. Worth, Texas, in 1982, Kelly Brianne Clarkson rose to fame in 2002 after winning the inaugural season of American Idol. In a career spanning 14 years, Clarkson has sold 25 million albums and 36 million singles worldwide, making her the best-selling American Idol contestant to date.
We know you will enjoy the audio track of Clarkson's "4 Carats." The lyrics are below if you'd like to sing along...
"4 Carats"
Written by Kelly Clarkson, Cathy Dennis, Livvi Franc and Gregory Kurstin. Performed by Kelly Clarkson.
The door's unlocked
And you don't even have to knock
Or you can use the fireplace
I'll be waiting either way
You come and go
And no one is supposed to know
But ever since you caught my stare
You know I know that you are real
Well Santa I've been thinking
And I'm just in needin' one thing
You to bring me, something shiny
Like diamond ring
Just a little something from Tiffany's
Or a big ruby
You know red has always looked good on me
I won't tell (I wont't tell) anyone
Anyone
I've been good all year long
Oh Santa make my Christmas Eve
4 carats please
Oh oh
Oh
It's getting late
I know you have your rounds to make
But I've been waiting up for you
And now the clock has just struck 2
I'm looking out my windows
Looking for a red nose
My heart's sinking
Don't forget me
Oh my diamond ring
Just a little something from Tiffany's
Or a big ruby
You know red has always looked good on me
I won't tell (I wont't tell) anyone
Anyone
I've been good all year long
Oh Santa make my Christmas Eve
4 carats please
Oh oh
Oh oh
Mm, something sparkly
Yellow canaries
Ooh yea yea
Mm, I'm waiting patiently
Santa don't forget me
Ooh don't forget me!
Oh my diamond ring
Just a little something from Tiffany's
Or a big ruby
You know red has always looked good on me
I won't tell (I wont't tell) anyone)
Anyone
I've been good all year long
Oh Santa make my Christmas Eve
4 carats please
Oh oh
Oh oh
Oh oh
Oh oh
Credit: Wrapped in Red album cover via RCA Records. Kelly Clarkson by Kathy Reesey [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.
