Tokio Hotel vs. Kelly Clarkson | Head 2 Head 🗣️

On the 3rd edition of Head 2 Head, Tokio Hotel and Kelly Clarkson (Ft. John Legend) duke it over their respective performances of “Run, Run, Run.”

Welcome to Head 2 Head! On Head 2 Head, we pit at least two musicians singing the same song together, comparing and contrasting their performances.  Then, after much deliberation, we deliver a verdict of which performance was the best, or at least, subjectively, which performance moved us more.  For our third head-to-head, the source material is the 🎙 Tokio Hotel gem, 🎵 “Run, Run, Run”. The X artists going head-to-head are Tokio Hotel (!) and 🎙 Kelly Clarkson featuring 🎙 John Legend. So, without further ado, let the Head 2 Head commence!

Additional Background

So, for the very first time in Head 2 Head, we have the musician who recorded the original versus a formidable remake.  Let’s go baby!

1. Tokio Hotel, “Run, Run, Run”

💿Kings of Suburbia • 🏷 De-Code • 📅 2014

“Run Run Run” is one of those songs, speaking as a composer, I wished I’d written.  This is a gorgeous, stripped ballad in the hands of the German rock collective, which appears as the third track on their 2014 album, 💿 Kings of Surburbia. 🎙 Bill Kaulitz, the front man of Tokio Hotel, provides incredibly authentic, emotional vocals.  No, that doesn’t mean that we get gospel histrionics, but it does mean that from start to finish, it’s easy to completely buy into what Kaulitz is serving up.  The lyrics are compelling, while the music is haunting.  Pretty awesome songwriting team!

The original run three-and-a-half-minutes in duration.  That’s a perfect length if I do say so myself.  As aforementioned, this is a stripped ballad, hence why piano serves as the key accompaniment.  Bill provides the only vocals, using some vocal layering to fill out the record and amplify the emotion.  The best part, of course, is the chorus, with the best chorus being where Kaulitz truly ‘rises to the occasion.’  Hard to imagine this version could possibly be topped, right?

2. Kelly Clarkson, “Run Run Run”

Ft. John Legend

💿 Piece by Piece • 🏷 RCA• 📅 2015

🏆 Grammy-winners Kelly Clarkson and John Legend transform “Run, Run, Run” into a duet – that deserves some credit for sure!  On Clarkson’s 2015 album, 💿 Piece by Piece, “Run Run Run” arrives as the sixth track, following the 🎵 title track and another rousing gem, 🎵 “I Had A Dream”.  Though this is a cover, in many ways, you might not know it, particularly if you’re unfamiliar with the original.  You know what that means? There’s hope for Clarkson and John Legend to ‘come out on top’ in this Head 2 Head!

Compared to the three-and-a-half-minute duration of the original, in the hands of Clarkson and Legend, the song lasts a minute longer.  Is that an advantage? Read on and find out, of course! With two ‘world class’ vocalists, there’s just no way that this performance wouldn’t be lit 🔥.  The vocal harmonies that appear on the chorus, sung exclusively by Clarkson following her first verse are chilling. Legend arrives singing the second verse, with that distinct, soulful voice – quite the contrast to both Clarkson and Bill Kaulitz.  Soon enough, during the course of that verse, the record becomes the ‘duet’ as promised.  When that duet materializes, the intensity increases, while us as the listeners just listen in awe hearing the vocal chemistry between Clarkson and Legend.

Long blurb and I’m not done yet! “Run, Run, Run” is percussion-less for about the first three minutes (like the original), before these mammoth drums take the record to the next level.   There aren’t new lyrics mind you, but there’s an added section where Clarkson and Legend sort of riff – vibe out over the awesome source material. This ‘vibe’ section makes this rendition is ‘grander’ than the original or at least more dramatic in its own way. Even as “Run, Run, Run” reaches quite a fever pitch, they bring things back down to close things out, which is a thoughtful, finesse touch.

The Verdict 👨🏿‍⚖️ 

So, do I favor the original by Tokio Hotel or the remake by Kelly Clarkson and John Legend?  In this particular case, it’s honestly a matter of preference as both versions are rad – totally dope. That said, personally, I actually heard the remake by Clarkson and Legend first, so they get the edge. I like how the duo manages to exhbit the same poise that Bill Kaulitz does throughout much of the original while also expanding the scope dynamically. Truly, Kelly and John make this awesome record into their own, easily distinguishing it from a brilliant original by Tokio Hotel.

Tokio Hotel vs. Kelly Clarkson: Head 2 Head 🗣️ No. 3 [📷: Brent Faulkner, De-Code , The Musical Hype, RCA, Valentin Tikhonov from Pixabay]