After spending 12 weeks in the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100, the Kings Of Leon‘s “Use Somebody” has dropped down to #13. The song peaked at #4 on the list in early September and is the band’s biggest hit to date, hitting the top spot on the Pop Songs/Mainstream Top 40, Adult Top 40, Alternative Songs, and Triple A (Adult Album Alternative) charts.

So now that Kings Of Leon has enjoyed a spectacular run with their original tune, I think it’s time for Brooke White to consider releasing her take on “Use Somebody” as a proper single. The song is the sole cover on the American Idol Season 7 contestant’s album, High Hopes & Heartbreak, released this summer. During a live webcast to promote the album, she explained why she’d chosen to give it a whirl:

“When I was putting together this record [High Hopes & Heartbreak], I was thinking about songs that I wanted to cover,” White says. “I knew when I heard that song [“Use Somebody”] that I gotta sing that song. That song is amazing … I thought it was such a well-written song and was so cool, and transposed on the piano I think gives it a different feel, and that’s what you want to do, make something your own.”

And indeed she does. Unlike the Kings Of Leon production, there are no crashing klieg lights in White’s version, but her tender take on “Use Somebody” still delivers the same crushing, nakedly emotional plea:

Brooke White isn’t the only female singer smitten with “Use Somebody.” Kelly Clarkson has included the song in her recent concert sets, mashing the Kings Of Leon tune with some Alanis Morissette (“That I Would Be Good”). I’ve got tickets to Clarkson’s Chicago stop on Tuesday night, and have high hopes that I’m gonna get to hear her soulful take live.

Purchase Brooke White – “Use Somebody” (Kings Of Leon cover) via iTunes, Amazon MP3.