Next week, Kelly Clarkson releases Greatest Hits – Chapter 1, which does a near-thorough job of collecting her singles since being crowned the winner of American Idol Season 1 in 2002, plus three new songs recorded for the occasion.

With five studio albums to Clarkson’s credit — Thankful (2003), Breakaway (2004), My December (2007), All I Ever Wanted (2009), and Stronger (2011) — Greatest Hits – Chapter 1 might have been expanded to a double-disc set if additional songs from those efforts had been released as singles. Choosing one contender from each, here are five album tracks that were potential hits.

“You Thought Wrong” (featuring Tamyra Gray) (from 2003’s Thankful)

“Miss Independent,” the first single from her 2003 debut, Thankful, scored Clarkson her second top 10 hit (Idol coronation anthem, “A Moment Like This,” had spent two weeks at #1). But after follow-up singles “Low” and “The Trouble With Love” failed to reach the top 40, that was that for Thankful.

Clarkson teamed up with Idol fourth-place finisher Tamyra Gray on “You Thought Wrong,” and while the song isn’t “The Boy Is Mine Pt. 2” — they’re not battling each other, but presenting a united front — the result is just as juicy as that classic pop diva-off. These two ladies are not to be trifled with. Sonically, “You Thought Wrong” is “Dirty Diana” infused with some En Vogue attitude. Surprisingly tough for a song co-written and produced by Babyface.

“Gone” (from 2004’s Breakaway)

Of the five singles released from Clarkson’s sophomore album, Breakaway, only “Walk Away” failed to reach the top 10, peaking at #12. “Walk Away” did have the best music video of the bunch, however.

Breakaway boasted an embarrassment of pop riches, and Clarkson’s label, RCA, really should have dipped in for single number six. “Gone,” written by Kara DioGuardi and produced by John Shanks, has all the makings of another Clarkson smash, a solid pop-rock production (the stop-start guitar, the filtered drum loop as the chorus kicks in) in which she pointedly tells some loser ex that she’s now Miss Independent.

The sticker that was affixed to Breakaway’s plastic wrap (yes, I keep them) actually lists “Gone” as one of the album’s “future classics” alongside “Since U Been Gone,” “Because Of You,” and “Behind These Hazel Eyes,” so Clarkson’s label clearly believed it had hit potential. Why they didn’t go ahead with “Gone” before moving on is a mystery and a miss.

“Don’t Waste Your Time” (from 2007’s My December)

Oh, My December, eternally clouded by Clarkson’s public tussle with label boss Clive Davis over its release. He had a fair point, that the darker-sounding My December wasn’t nearly as radio-friendly as her previous two albums (more alt-rock than commercial pop), but there were still some hits to be had. Instead, RCA basically ceased promotion of My December after first single, “Never Again,” forever relegating second single, “Sober,” to stunted-smash status (the ballad bubbled under the Billboard Hot 100 at #110).

My selection of “Don’t Waste Your Time,” which follows “Sober” on My December, is a bit of a cheat, since the song was released as a single in Europe (excluding the UK) and Australia. There’s even a gorgeous music video, directed by Roman White, that hardly anyone saw. “Don’t Waste Your Time” never got a fair shot because RCA decided it was over (over!) for My December. I can’t be the only one anticipating the tell-all autobiography that’s surely in Clarkson’s future.

“I Want You” (from 2009’s All I Ever Wanted)

On All I Ever Wanted, Clarkson embraced pop once again, though it’s worth remembering that she originally planned to title the album Masquerade (again, I eagerly anticipate her future autobiography). Four singles from All I Ever Wanted were released in the U.S., “My Life Would Suck Without You,” “Already Gone,” “I Do Not Hook Up,” and the fantastic Spoon-infused title track (which otherwise would have been my pick here).

I’m inclined to go with “Cry,” but the country-tinged ballad was released as a single in Germany and Australia and I already semi-cheated by choosing “Don’t Waste Your Time.” Instead, I’m going with my oddball favorite from All I Ever Wanted, “I Want You.”  Clarkson’s ’60s-style throwback in the tradition of Madonna’s “True Blue” might have done well as a spring-into-summer single, especially paired with a super-fun music video to capture the song’s retro feel. I still think the ‘yeah-yeah-yeah‘ backing vocals toward the end sound an awful lot like Duffy.

“You Love Me” (from 2011’s Stronger)

With the title track and second single from Stronger taking off as it did, spending three non-consecutive weeks at #1, the album’s third single, “Dark Side,” couldn’t quite escape its shadow. Radio wasn’t ready to move on, and the song peaked at a disappointing #42. Now with the release of two singles from Greatest Hits – Chapter 1 (“Catch My Breath” and “Don’t Rush”), plus a third waiting in the wings (“People Like Us”), we won’t be hearing from Stronger any longer.

Though “Let Me Down” and “I Forgive You” have their charms, my favorite of Stronger‘s should-have-been singles is “You Love Me.” With shades of Pat Benatar and ‘Til Tuesday, the ’80s-fueled production gently chugs along in the verses before breaking big in the chorus, allowing Clarkson ample room to exorcise her heartbreak using the full range of her impressive vocal talents.

Wanna fight over my five? Let me know which album tracks from the Mighty KC you think should have been singles.

Pre-order Kelly Clarkson – Greatest Hits – Chapter 1 via iTunes, Amazon MP3.