Kelly Clarkson’s Bon Jovi Surprise After Blaze of Glory: Video

Throughout her music career of over two decades (and counting), Kelly Clarkson has proven that she can sing anything. Well — almost anything. The Grammy Award-winning artist had a bit of a struggle recently during rehearsals for her cover of Bon Jovi’s 1990 hit Blaze of Glory, which she performed during the “Kellyoke” segment of her talk show, The Kelly Clarkson Show. Jon Bon Jovi was Clarkson’s guest for the episode, and before he sat down to talk with her about 40 years of his band, creating new music as well as a documentary, viewers were treated to a peek at the sweet and hilarious interaction the music legends had earlier in the day.

Jon Bon Jovi surprised Kelly Clarkson after she tried to sing ‘Blaze of Glory’

After Clarkson opened up an episode of The Kelly Clarkson Show this week with her own rendition of Blaze of Glory, she got candid with the audience about her experience with the tune, which was written for the film Young Guns II and won the 1991 Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song.

“That is the song that almost killed me,” Clarkson said with a smile after she finished her performance. “Not even ‘cause I can’t sing it. I just can’t read. I grew up on that song, I know that song, but in rehearsal, I messed it up, like, a gazillion times. Not even ‘cause I wasn’t hitting the notes, I just couldn’t read. I just kept saying the wrong words. It got so ridiculous, I had to let it go like Elsa just for a minute and then I had someone come rescue me. That’s right.”

Watch the video below, where Clarkson stumbles over the lyrics a few times while practicing Blaze of Glory with her band, and has to stop and start over. She becomes increasingly frustrated and even lets out a scream into the microphone. The video then cuts to a clip where, while unknowingly chatting with a crew member, an announcer proclaims, “Look who it is: Jon Bon Jovi!” and the Grammy-winning Bon Jovi frontman comes onto the stage with his arms wide open for Clarkson, who falls to the ground and tells him, “I can’t get the words right!”

Kelly Clarkson put her own spin on Bon Jovi’s ‘Blaze of Glory’

In true professional singer style, Clarkson persevered and eventually got the lyrics right as she nailed the rock classic in her signature powerful style.

Kelly Clarkson’s conversation with Jon Bon Jovi was meaningful

Bon Jovi joined Clarkson for an interview and, in discussing her silly slip-ups, assured her “it’s a lot of words,” about his song. “It’s not a lot of words. You’re being kind. It’s a normal amount of words, I just couldn’t say the right words. I don’t know why. I need more coffee,” Clarkson responded.

During the interview, Clarkson asked Bon Jovi about what he’s been up to over the last few years during which he hasn’t been on tour. Bon Jovi shared that he was writing and recording a new record with his band, archiving the last 40 years of Bon Jovi for the new documentary Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story. The four-part docuseries offers viewers backstage access to the life and times of the band, from epic highs to lows that called into question the future of the group. This includes a vocal surgery Bon Jovi himself was required to have, which he said was part of the reason he wasn’t going to be able to join Clarkson in belting out Blaze of Glory. The “soul-searching” journey of that surgery, which is part of the footage shown in the documentary, occurred over a year ago, so the singer is now on the path to recovery, he said.

“It is a return to joy because I’m coming through the surgery,” Bon Jovi said of his band’s latest album Forever. “You’re feeling that the light is at the end of the tunnel, and I’m writing songs from a different place as we are all together, as things are going so well in my own personal life, I felt like this was an opportune time to turn the tide and write a joyful record.”

Watch the full interview here!