Music Friday: Kelly Clarkson Describes Herself as 'A Diamond From Black Dust'

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you popular songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, Kelly Clarkson reveals her vulnerable side and wonders out loud if her boyfriend can embrace her flaws in the 2012 hit, “Dark Side.”

In this soaring synth-pop ballad, songwriters Alexander Geringas and Michael Busbee touch on the diamond’s origin story to illustrate Clarkson’s true potential.

Specifically, they reference how carbon has the ability, over time, to transform into a precious diamond. Clarkson argues that even though she’s not “picture perfect” and has an ominous “dark side,” she is still a gem at her core.

The 2002 American Idol winner sings, “Like a diamond / From black dust / It’s hard to know what can become if you give up / So don’t give up on me.”

Clarkson told New York radio station Z100 that she liked “Dark Side” because “it’s a sweet-sounding song, but with a dark lyric, and I like that.”

In reviewing "Dark Side," Kat George of VH1 said, “This is what we love best about Kelly... acknowledging the pitfalls of her personality, Kelly invites us all to be imperfect without letting us (or herself) be any less perfectly lovable.”

“Dark Side” was released as the third single from Clarkson’s Grammy-award winning album, Stronger. The song topped the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs chart and peaked at #42 on the Billboard Hot 100. Overall, it charted in 13 countries.

A year after the release of “Dark Side,” Clarkson made jewelry-industry news when she was stymied in her bid to claim the 200-year-old turquoise ring once owned by famed British novelist Jane Austen. Clarkson had won the ring in 2012 at a Sotheby’s auction in London.

Clarkson’s winning bid of $235,000 was more than five times the auction house’s high estimate. But instead of allowing Clarkson to take the ring back to the US, British authorities unexpectedly declared the ring a “national treasure” and blocked its export. If a British patron could match Clarkson’s winning bid, the singer would have to forfeit the ring so it could stay in the UK.

Jane Austen’s House Museum launched an aggressive fundraising appeal through its website and Facebook page. Donations from around the world flooded into the “Bring the Ring Home” campaign, generating an infusion of $253,000 — more than enough to match Clarkson’s bid.

Born in Ft. Worth, TX, in 1982, Kelly Brianne Clarkson rose to fame in 2002 after winning the inaugural season of American Idol. Since then, Clarkson has sold more than 25 million albums and 45 million singles worldwide. She also has the distinction of becoming the first artist in history to top each of Billboard's pop, adult contemporary, adult pop, country and dance charts.

Clarkson's daytime talk show on NBC, The Kelly Clarkson Show, has been airing since September of 2019. During the past four years, the show has earned 13 Daytime Emmy Awards. Clarkson was named "Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show Host" in 2020, 2021 and 2022.

Please check out the official video of Clarkson's “Dark Side.” The lyrics are below if you’d like to sing along…

“Dark Side”
Written by Alexander Geringas and Michael Busbee. Performed by Kelly Clarkson.

There’s a place that I know
It’s not pretty there and few have ever gone
If I show it to you now
Will it make you run away

Or will you stay
Even if it hurts
Even if I try to push you out
Will you return?
And remind me who I really am
Please remind me who I really am

Everybody’s got a dark side
Do you love me?
Can you love mine?
Nobody’s a picture perfect
But we’re worth it
You know that we’re worth it
Will you love me?
Even with my dark side?

Like a diamond
From black dust
It’s hard to know what can become if you give up
So don’t give up on me
Please remind me who I really am

Everybody’s got a dark side
Do you love me?
Can you love mine?
Nobody’s a picture perfect
But we’re worth it
You know that we’re worth it
Will you love me?
Even with my dark side?

Don’t run away
Don’t run away
Just tell me that you will stay
Promise me you will stay
Don’t run away
Don’t run away
Just promise me you will stay
Promise me you will stay

Will you love me?
Ohh, everybody’s got a dark side
Do you love me?
Can you love mine?
Nobody’s a picture perfect
But we’re worth it
You know that we’re worth it
Will you love me?
Even with my dark side?

Don’t run away
Don’t run away
Promise you'll stay

Credit: Photo by vagueonthehow from Tadcaster, York, England, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Leap Day 2024: Is It Time to Plan Your Role-Reversal Marriage Proposal?

Ladies, it's never too early to start planning for a Leap Day role-reversal marriage proposal. Yes, if you've been waiting far too long for your significant other to pop the question, Thursday, February 29, 2024, is your day.

The concept of women proposing to men on Leap Day is rooted in 5th century Ireland, where St. Brigid of Kildare forged a deal with St. Patrick to permit women to propose to men on a single day once every four years. In Ireland, Leap Day is also called Bachelor’s Day.

This scenario was the basis for the 2010 romantic comedy, Leap Year. Amy Adams plays the part of Anna, who is frustrated when another anniversary passes without a marriage proposal from her boyfriend. When she learns about the Irish tradition that allows women to pop the question on Leap Day, she rushes to Dublin to track down the boyfriend at a convention just in time to deliver a marriage proposal on February 29.

Although the tradition started in Ireland, it has slowly migrated throughout that region and around the world. Irish monks introduced the concept to Scotland, which passed a law in 1288 that allowed women to propose on Leap Day. If the man refused the proposal, he would have to pay a fine, ranging from a kiss, to a silk dress or a pair of gloves. In upper-class circles, the fine for a proposal denial was 12 pairs of gloves. Presumably, the gloves would hide the shame of not wearing an engagement ring.

In England, the day February 29 held no legal status, so people believed that traditional customs held no status on that day either. Hence, women were free to reverse the unfair custom that permitted only men to propose marriage.

Surveys have shown that both men and women are increasing open to the idea of role reversal when it comes to popping the question.

In 2015, a survey of 500 men by Glamour found that 70% of men would be “psyched” if their female partner popped the question.

Pinterest revealed in December 2018 that searches on its site for the phrase “women proposing to men” had skyrocketed 336% compared to 2017.

As reported by Yahoo Life, the UK-based website "Guides for Brides" found that 27% of women responding to a recent survey would like to, or have already, proposed to their male partner.

Their reasons for initiating the proposal included the following:
-- 39% Not believing the notion that only men can pop the question
-- 17% Finding it empowering
-- 14% Being "fed up" of waiting for a proposal from their other half

The same survey noted that 73% of the male partners said they would accept the proposal, while 15% said they would refuse.

The reasons for turning down a proposal included the following:
-- 28% Wanting to stick to tradition
-- 26% Believing it’s the man’s responsibility to propose
-- 14% Not being ready to get married

Credit: Image by BigStockPhoto.com.

Angola's Newest Diamond Mine Projected to Produce 600+ Million Carats

More than 600 million carats of diamonds over a lifespan of 60 years. That's the production estimate for Angola's new Luele mining project — one of the world's largest based on anticipated performance.

Sitting atop a kimberlite pipe in Angola's northeastern Lunda Sul Province, the Luele diamond deposit was discovered back in 2013, but officially began operations last week.

"This is the only major new diamond mine in the world that will commence production this decade," independent diamond analyst Paul Zimnisky told Reuters.

Angola has a reputation of supplying some of the world's finest diamonds. Among the most notable are the 170-carat "Lulo Rose," the largest pink diamond discovered anywhere in the world over the past 300 years, and the 404.20-carat white diamond named “4 de Fevereiro.” Both were mined by Lucapa Diamond Company at its Lulo alluvial diamond mine in Angola.

The Luele mine — formerly known as Luaxe — is billed as one of the largest discoveries in the diamond industry in more than half a century. During its pilot phase, Angola's state-controlled diamond miner, Catoca, extracted five million carats from the 600-meter-deep deposit. The site should reach full capacity by 2025.

The Luele mine is just 20 km from the already-successful Catoca mine, the world’s fourth largest, with an annual production capacity of 10 million carats.

According to published reports, the Luele mine is expected to double Angola's production, making it the world’s third-largest diamond producer, behind only the Russian Federation and Botswana. Catoca has a 50.5% stake in the Luele mining project.

Credit: Image of Catoca mine by Gsmart-ao, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.