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Miss independent
Miss self-sufficient
Miss keep your distance
Miss unafraid
Miss out of my way
Miss don't let a man interfere, no
Miss on her own
Miss almost grown
Miss never let a man help her off her throne
So, by keeping her heart protected
She'd never ever feel rejected
Little miss apprehensive
Said ooh, she fell in love
[Chorus]
What is the feelin' takin' over?
Thinkin' no one could open my door
Surprise, It's time
To feel what's real
What happened to Miss Independent?
No more the need to be defensive
Goodbye, old you
When love is true
Miss guarded heart
Miss play it smart
Miss if you want to use that line you better not start, no
But she miscalculated
She didn't want to end up jaded
And this miss decided not to miss out on true love
So, by changing her misconceptions
She went in a new direction
And found inside she felt a connection
She fell in love.
[Chorus]
When Miss Independence walked away
No time for love that came her way
She looked in the mirror and thought today
What happened to miss no longer afraid?
It took some time for her to see
How beautiful love could truly be
No more talk of why can't that be me
I'm so glad I finally see
[Chorus]
Miss self-sufficient
Miss keep your distance
Miss unafraid
Miss out of my way
Miss don't let a man interfere, no
Miss on her own
Miss almost grown
Miss never let a man help her off her throne
So, by keeping her heart protected
She'd never ever feel rejected
Little miss apprehensive
Said ooh, she fell in love
[Chorus]
What is the feelin' takin' over?
Thinkin' no one could open my door
Surprise, It's time
To feel what's real
What happened to Miss Independent?
No more the need to be defensive
Goodbye, old you
When love is true
Miss guarded heart
Miss play it smart
Miss if you want to use that line you better not start, no
But she miscalculated
She didn't want to end up jaded
And this miss decided not to miss out on true love
So, by changing her misconceptions
She went in a new direction
And found inside she felt a connection
She fell in love.
[Chorus]
When Miss Independence walked away
No time for love that came her way
She looked in the mirror and thought today
What happened to miss no longer afraid?
It took some time for her to see
How beautiful love could truly be
No more talk of why can't that be me
I'm so glad I finally see
[Chorus]
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In this song, Clarkson sings about a girl who avoids rejection by not letting any man get too close. She takes care of herself without anyone's help and is proud of her independence, but it takes its toll emotionally. Finally, she finds love and realizes how much better life can be with another person there for support.
Clarkson was the first winner of the American Idol competition, which she won in 2002. This was her second single, after "A Moment Like This," a ballad that received a great deal of support from American Idol, where Clarkson performed it. "Miss Independent" was a huge boost for Clarkson, as it established her as a legitimate singer and songwriter outside of the American Idol machine. It served as a template for future Clarkson hits like "Since U Been Gone" and "Walk Away," where lyrically, she sings about being tough in relationships and musically, she explodes into the chorus from relatively quiet verses.
In an interview with the TV show Access Hollywood, Clarkson admitted that she did not know Aguilera wrote this song until after it was on the album. At the time, Clarkson was still defining her image, and her look appeared influenced by Aguilera, especially when Clarkson got a nose ring.
:3
I think it's about a girl who doesn't let things stop her, and is independent and doesn't like having people help her. Then she falls in love with someone, and after realizing it, her not caring what people think of her stops, and she wants him to love her. She used to be unafraid of simple things like rejection, but now that she's in love with this man, she doesn't want him to reject her.
Pretty good song, in my opinion.
:3
To me the lyrics describe a tomboy who's starting to like boys, but she's trying to fight off the crushes she's getting.
Even though the lyrics say it's somone who doesn't want to date because they don't want to get dumped.
The beat is awesome, the vocals are lovely. I mean, it's Kelly Clarkson. She does have an amazing voice. Even if you hate her, you just have to admit it.
Anyway, great song. The meaning's pretty straight-foward. I agree with misbot.