The sonic similarities between Kelly Clarkson’s “Already Gone” and Beyoncé’s “Halo” have been the talk of the Interweb today, though I’m not sure what all the fuss is all about. Or at least why it’s just now surfacing. I suspected some recycling back in March when reviewing Clarkson’s then-new album, All I Ever Wanted, noting songwriter Ryan Tedder’s hand in crafting both “Already Gone” and “Halo,” and calling the tunes “kissing cousins.”

But now “Already Gone” has been released as a single, complete with video, and I guess that makes it news:

Clarkson herself has gone on record in a Canadian radio interview about the comparisons to “Halo,” saying she was caught a bit off guard and stumped as to how Tedder allowed this to transpire:

“We wrote about six songs together, four or five of them made the album. It was all fine and dandy. I’d never heard of a song called ‘Halo.’ [Beyoncé’s] album came out when my album was already being printed. No one’s gonna be sittin’ at home, thinking ‘Man, Ryan Tedder gave Beyoncé and Kelly the same track to write to.’ No, they’re just gonna be saying I ripped someone off. I called Ryan and said, ‘I don’t understand. Why would you do that?'”

To her credit, Clarkson told her label she didn’t want “Already Gone” out as a single, because Beyoncé had already been there, done that with “Halo.”

“In the end, they’re releasing it without my consent. It sucks, but it’s one of those things I have no control over. I already made my album. At this point, the record company can do whatever they want with it. It’s kind of a shitty situation, but… You know, you learn.”

Personally, I think Clarkson’s label would be wise to have her re-record “Already Gone,” using the understated arrangement she performed on Letterman a couple of weeks ago. Because stripping the song of Tedder’s bombastic production, especially in the wake of “Halo,” could only better its chart chances.

Purchase Kelly Clarkson – “Already Gone” via iTunes, Amazon MP3.