Kelly Clarkson Denies Ripping 'Heartbeat Song' from Jimmy Eat World's 'The Middle'

But, in true Clarkson fashion, she brushed the sentiment off, saying that there was no bad blood between herself and Jimmy Eat World and that "there are only so many chords" in a new interview with Rolling Stone.

"I didn't write the song, I just sang it. But I didn't catch that. Nobody behind the scenes did. What's funny is that I was a huge fan of that Jimmy Eat World album! We actually thought our song sounded like the Postal Service - that was our big concern," Clarkson said. "I thought it was really cool of Jimmy Eat World to say, 'Hey, no harm, no foul' [about the incident]"

Compare "Heartbeat Song" and "The Middle" below:

After seeing how easy it was to accidentally knick a riff or two from an existing song, Clarkson expressed sympathy for Pharrell Williams, who recently lost a lawsuit to the Marvin Gaye estate over his 2013 hit "Blurred Lines" with Robin Thicke for sounding too similar to "Got to Give It Up."

"I felt so bad for Pharrell when he got sued - he's a huge fan or Marvin Gaye, and you know he didn't mean to rip him off," she said. "And he's the sweetest guy ever. It sucks."

Tags

Kelly Clarkson, Jimmy Eat World