All I Ever Wanted is the fourth studio album by American singer Kelly Clarkson, released on March 6, 2009, by RCA Records. After the controversies that surrounded her previous studio album, My December (2007), which was seen as much darker than her two previous albums, Clarkson went on to record a more pop-oriented album. In order to do so, she worked with previous collaborators Max Martin, Dr. Luke, (with whom she had worked on her 2004 second album, Breakaway), Sam Watters and Louis Biancaniello (with whom she had worked on her 2003 debut album Thankful), and new collaborators, Ryan Tedder, Howard Benson and Dre & Vidal.

Originally entitled Masquerade, its title was changed due to the similarities to those of other albums released at the same time, such as Pink's Funhouse (2008) and Britney Spears's Circus (2008). All I Ever Wanted was considered lighter and less angry than her previous effort, though it also features pop rock and pop punk-inspired songs, as well as dance and soul. Its cartoon-colored artwork was criticized by reviewers and Clarkson herself for using too much Photoshop. All I Ever Wanted mainly deals with themes of romantic relationships, dignity, independence and emotional truthfulness.

The album received generally favorable reviews from most music critics, who praised her approach with mainstream music, without losing her identity and personality. Her vocals were also praised, but a few critics called the album "hackneyed" and "overworked". The album was also a success, debuting at number-one on the US Billboard 200 chart, becoming her second to do so, and peaking inside the top-ten in more than ten countries. It was certified platinum in Australia and Canada, and gold in Ireland and the United Kingdom. The album was nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album at the 52nd Grammy Awards.

Three singles were released from the album worldwide: "My Life Would Suck Without You" was the lead single and became Clarkson's second number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100 and also the biggest leap to number one on the same chart; it also topped the charts of Canada and the United Kingdom. Its second single, "I Do Not Hook Up", fared well, though it was moderate in some countries, while the third, "Already Gone", was more successful but faced controversies due to its similarity to Beyoncé's "Halo"; both co-written and produced by Tedder. The album's title track was released as a radio single only in the U.S., while "Cry" was released only in selected territories. To promote the album, Clarkson embarked on the All I Ever Wanted Summer Fair Tour and the All I Ever Wanted Tour, between 2009 and 2010.

Background and recording After her successful second studio album, Breakaway (2004), which gave her two Grammy Awards as well as other awards, four successful singles and over ten million copies sold, Clarkson felt pressure from her label to duplicate the album's success while recording her third studio album, My December (2007). The album was marked by many conflicts with her label, RCA Records, and the head of Sony Music, Clive Davis, who was dissatisfied with the album's darker tone and asked her to scrap the album in favor of making a more commercial one. Clarkson declined to do it and the album's date was pushed back several times. Eventually, My December was released amidst the controversies, and while receiving generally favorable reviews from music critics and debuting on the Billboard 200 chart with expressive sales, it only produced one successful single, "Never Again", and its promotion was dubbed "confused" due to its controversies.

After promoting the album with the "My December Tour" (2007–2008), and later embarking on a co-headlining tour with Reba McEntire, Clarkson, who was with a new manager, felt confident again in the studio and started writing a new album. In October 2008, she posted on her blog she had finished the album and was very excited about it. Clarkson also told the same month, she was working with a new collaborator, Ryan Tedder, claiming that the recording sessions with him "went really well". She also explained that Clive Davis introduced them to each other in a label meeting, and later they ended up writing five or six songs. Tedder explained to Digital Spy that the songs featured "big choruses" and "heavy drum programming" and were influenced by nineties electro-rockers Garbage. She also worked for the first time with Howard Benson, claiming she was a big fan of him and his production with many artists such as Daughtry, stating that she loved the way he produced and how he captured how she sounds live.

Clarkson also worked with previous producers, such as Sam Watters and Louis Biancaniello, whom produced the song "Anytime" on her debut album, Thankful (2003), as well as Max Martin and Dr. Luke, the producers behind Clarkson's signature song "Since U Been Gone" and "Behind These Hazel Eyes" on Breakaway (2004). Dr. Luke was interviewed by Entertainment Weekly and said: "After "Since U Been Gone", we wrote all these songs for Kelly. This one, ["My Life Would Suck Without You"], which I think is the first single — we had the chorus a while ago and added the verse more recently." He further added: "She sings a song in two hours and kills it. You're just like, 'Holy sh–.' She has powerful lungs. She's like the Lance Armstrong of vocal cords." She also worked again with songwriter Kara DioGuardi, who co-wrote several tracks on Breakaway, and received two songs co-written by Katy Perry. Perry claimed she worked on her debut album for five years and recorded so many songs for it that both songs didn't make it to the album, then Clarkson heard them, liked them, and recorded them.

Music Production and sound

All I Ever Wanted is considered a pop and pop rock album, with influences of dance, rock and soul music. Sonically different than her previous album, My December (2007), the album also features pop punk influences that are reminiscent from her third album. James Montgomery of MTV News noted that the album has "unabashed pop, big crunchy guitar chords and tear-tinged ballads," while Evan Sawdey of PopMatters noted that "[t]hough some of the post-breakup bitterness of My December still lingers here, All I Ever Wanted remains a remarkably upbeat record." Maura of Idolator called it a "pop redemption" [...] "a fun collection of pop tracks", with Slant Magazines Jonathan Keefe dubbing it "Clarkson's version of Now That's What I Call Music! 29." Michael Cragg of MusicOMH summarized the album as a "musical partner" to Clarkson's second album, Breakaway, "in terms of the sound and the sheer commercial appeal."

The first track, "My Life Would Suck Without You", was considered an explicit sequel to "Since U Been Gone", having a mainstream dance/guitar-pop sound, with thumping synths and guitar riffs. "I Do Not Hook Up" was named a "punchy, spunky pop stormer", while "Long Shot" was dubbed a "string-infused rocker"; both songs were originally demos from Katy Perry. "Don't Let Me Stop You" was called an "arena rocker track" and compared to her single "Behind These Hazel Eyes", due to the use of the same chord progression. Clarkson defined "If I Can't Have You", a dance and synthpop song, as "very like Eurythmics meets The Killers" in a sexy vibe, while "I Want You" was labeled a "pure pop", "girl group" song, with vocal stutters, fluid harps, and a dry kick-drum beat. The album's title track and "Whyyawannabringmedown" are two covers from the band Aranda's debut album; the first was considered a soul-rock-funk song, with its disco bass heavily compared to Spoon's song "I Turn My Camera On", while the latter was named a "bubblegum punk" song.

The power ballad "Save You" was written by Aimée Proal with Ryan Tedder for her now-disbanded group Gone 'Til November, who recorded its demo and Tedder pitched the song to Clarkson's label. It features an experimental bridge that was inspired by Mozart. "If No One Will Listen" is a cover of Keri Noble's song from her debut album Fearless, "Cry" was defined by Clarkson as a "waltz" ballad influenced by country music, and "Already Gone" was considered a "kick drum-driven" ballad and it was largely compared to Beyoncé's "Halo"; both produced by Tedder. "Impossible" was called a "piano-riddled rocker", while "Ready" was named a "breezy, carefree pop" song.

Lyrical content Lyrically, All I Ever Wanted talks generally about romantic relationships— the good, the bad and the dysfunctional —with Clarkson defining it as "pretty personal". Ann Powers of Los Angeles Times noted that the album "provides her faithful female fans with a solid group of anthems and introspective moments expressing dignity, independence and emotional truthfulness." "My Life Would Suck Without You" "describes two people who've committed to each other even though their relationship has some rough edges", while "I Do Not Hook Up" has Clarkson informing "would-be suitors that [she]'s looking for a lasting commitment, not a casual fling." "Cry" talks about betrayal, with the singer writing about a friendship that went wrong, while wondering, "Is it over yet? Can I open my eyes?," meanwhile "Don't Let Me Stop You" has Clarkson "demonstrat[ing] self-respect and emotional resiliency even when things aren't working out." "All I Ever Wanted" deals with "Clarkson's conflicted feelings", while "Already Gone" is about coming to terms with a relationship that was destined for failure. "If I Can't Have You" playfully talks about Clarkson finding what she's looking for, while "Save You" is about a person's lamentation and desire to save someone from a self-destructive behaviour after a loss. "Whyyawannabringmedown" finds Clarkson singing, "I'm not your love monkey, so be takin' back all of the lies you sold," "Long Shot" "acknowledges the risk involved with a new romantic endeavor", and with "Impossible" she admits: "I will stumble and I'll make my own mistakes, yeah/But I won't worry 'bout it anymore." "I Want You" finds the singer "swooning over a hot-tempered, noncommunicative guy," who is "such a mess with an attitude," and "If No One Will Listen" ends with Clarkson "encouraging a struggling friend, [herself or anyone else], to relinquish pent-up fears."

Title and artwork On January 2, 2009, The Wall Street Journal published an article about the upcoming albums of 2009, and Clarkson's fourth studio album was among them. At the time, RCA general manager Tom Corson claimed she was "in a period where she wants to take on the pop world again." [...] "She's ready, and she's got all the right support." The newspaper also revealed its working title, Masquerade. However, Clarkson changed it to All I Ever Wanted, since she felt the title was too similar to other pop albums released near the time of her album, such as Britney Spears' Circus (2008) and P!nk's Funhouse (2008). Its cartoon-colored, airbrushed cover art was revealed on January 9, 2009. As Rolling Stones Daniel Kreps described, "the cover depicts a shiny, happy Clarkson, one ready to step out of the shadows of the brooding My December and reclaim her pop throne." Kreps opined that the cover resembles another "comeback album"—Spears's Circus. The cover faced some controversy due to the heavy usage of Photoshop. Clarkson herself commented, "We decided the cover of the album and just in case you haven't seen it I'll post it! It's very colorful and they have definitely Photoshopped the crap out of me—but I don't care, haha! Whoever she is, she looks great, ha!."

Singles