Clay's first CD, Measure of a Man (Number One, Top 200), went triple platinum selling more than 613,000 copies in its first week. Including singles like "Invisible", "The Way," "I Will Carry You" and the Neil Sedaka cover "Solitaire," it was the subject of conflicting reviews. Billboard Magazine called it the best pop album of 2003. Many fans and some critics recognized and admired the pure pop sound ("so pure it floats") and top-notch production values while others heard only a manufactured sound, noting that the singer hadn't earned his musical chops but "merely" sang his way to the hearts of millions on television, a perceived unjust leap-frogging of "the true path of the true artist."
Aiken fronted a country band, Just By Chance, pre-Idol and recorded 3 demo CDs. As a young man he was a member of the Raleigh Boy's Choir and was in numerous musical productions in North Carolina Theater.
The National Inclusion Project (formerly the Bubel/Aiken Foundation) was launched in 2003, supporting the integration of children with disabilities into the life environment of their non-disabled peers. In November 2004, Clay was appointed as a National Ambassador for UNICEF, with a mission to help ensure that children everywhere are afforded a primary education.
In November 2004, Clay released Merry Christmas With Love (Number One, Top 200). His first Christmas album, it went platinum, won 2 Billboard Music Awards and spurred a yearly holiday tour and a follow-up EP, All Is Well - Songs for Christmas. 2004 was also the year Clay made #2 on the New York Times Best Seller List with his "inspirational memoir" titled Learning to Sing: Hearing the Music in Your Life.
His next studio album, 2006's A Thousand Different Ways (Number Two, Top 200), was, through the direction of mega-producer Clive Davis, largely a covers CD. Ten of the fourteen cuts being well known melodic pop songs ranging from Richard Marx, Bryan Adams, Dolly Parton, Mister Mister, and Elton John. Two other songs, available only on digital versions of the album, are "If You Don't Know Me By Now" (through K-Mart.com) and "Lover All Alone" (through iTunes and co-written by Aiken himself). Many fans have wondered about the relative exclusion of the latter song, left languishing from the song list present on the physical CD, as its intimate emotional material and Aiken's own writing handiwork produce a spellbinding effect.
In May of 2008 Aiken released On My Way Here (Number Four, Top 200), his first album of original material since his 2003 chart-topping debut Measure of A Man. While searching for songs for this album, he fell in love with a song written by OneRepublic front man Ryan "Alias" Tedder called "On My Way Here." The message of the lyrics -- how the lessons we learn while growing up shape us into who we become as adults -- struck such a deep chord with Clay that it wound up inspiring the theme (and title) of his new collection. In addition to enlisting Grammy-Award winning British songwriter and producer Kipper, On My Way Here also included the talented musicians of none other then the Steely Dan band.
A fifth album, The Very Best of Clay Aiken, was released at the end of March 2009 on Sony's Legacy Recordings Playlist Series.
To date, Aiken has headlined 8 tours., one of them co-headlining with Kelly Clarkson.
Aiken made his Broadway debut playing the role of Sir Robin in Monty Python's Spamalot in January 2008. His first run ended in May. He rejoined the cast as Sir Robin in September and remained through January 4, 2009.
In August of 2008 Clay became a father to Parker Foster Aiken with producer Jaymes Foster, the sister of record producer David Foster.
Clay will release a brand new album, titled "Tried and True", on June 1, 2010 on the Decca Records label.
Clay also has made numerous TV appearances, guest-starring on everything from Scrubs to Days of Our Lives to the season finale of the popular show 30 Rock. He has earned a place on such talk-shows as Jimmy Kimmel Live, The Tonight Show, Late Night With David Letterman, Tyra Banks, Rachel Ray, Ellen and has cooked with both Martha Stewart and Paula Deen.
Though clearly, based on his television and concert appeal, a performing artist whose live presentations show consummate showmanship, bringing surprising dynamism to studio songs, Aiken has had to endure a persistent hammering from entertainment critics and a tenacious (not to say malevolent) interest on the part of some in the media relating to questions about his personal life.
Always full of surprises, fans look forward to the continued ways in which this multi-talented artist expresses himself and uses his voice in ways that will expand his appeal in and beyond the US.
Everything I Do
Clay Aiken Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
What you mean to me
Search your heart, search your soul
And when you find me there you'll search no more
Don't tell me it's not worth tryin' for
You can't tell me it's not worth dyin' for
You know it's true
Everything I do, I do it for you
Look into my heart, you will find
There's nothin' there to hide
Take me as I am, take my life
I would give it all I would sacrifice
Don't tell me it's not worth fightin' for
I can't help it there's nothin' I want more
Ya know it's true
Everything I do, I do it for you
There's no love, like your love
And no other, could give more love
There's nowhere, unless you're there
All the time, all the way
Don't tell me it's not worth tryin' for
I can't help it there's nothin' I want more
I would fight for you, I'd lie for you
Walk the wire for you, Ya I'd die for you
Ya know it's true
Everything I do, I do it for you
The lyrics of "Everything I Do" by Clay Aiken speak of intense devotion and love for someone special. The song is about complete surrender and sacrifice for the one they love. The singer urges the listener to search their heart and soul to see how much they truly mean to him. The lyrics emphasize the strength of the love, the singer feeling that he would give up his whole life and everything he has for the person he loves.
The chorus repeats the theme of the song, expresses how everything that the singer does is for the person he loves. The song’s message is that true love requires sacrifice and effort, and sometimes it necessitates going out of one’s comfort zone. The singer emphasizes the importance of his feelings and the fact that he would do everything to strengthen the relationship. At the heart of the song is the idea that the person he loves is everything to the singer, and he would go to great lengths to make them happy.
Line by Line Meaning
Look into my eyes, you will see
By looking into my eyes, you will see how much you mean to me.
What you mean to me
The value you hold in my life.
Search your heart, search your soul
Deeply introspect and look within your heart and soul.
And when you find me there you'll search no more
Once you find me in your heart and soul, you won't need to search for anything else.
Don't tell me it's not worth tryin' for
Trying to be with you is worth everything to me.
You can't tell me it's not worth dyin' for
I am willing to die for you because you mean everything to me.
You know it's true
You are aware that my love for you is genuine and sincere.
Everything I do, I do it for you
All my actions and decisions are directed towards you because I love you deeply.
Look into my heart, you will find
If you look into my heart, you will find my true feelings.
There's nothin' there to hide
I am not hiding anything from you, I am completely open.
Take me as I am, take my life
Accept me as I am and grant me your love and affection in return.
I would give it all I would sacrifice
I am willing to give everything I have and make any sacrifice for you.
There's no love, like your love
The love you give me is incomparable to any other.
And no other, could give more love
Nobody else can love me as much as you do.
There's nowhere, unless you're there
I can't imagine being anywhere without you.
All the time, all the way
I want to be with you all the time and in every aspect.
I would fight for you, I'd lie for you
I am willing to fight and even lie for you to ensure your happiness.
Walk the wire for you, Ya I'd die for you
I am willing to take huge risks and even die for you because of my love.
Ya know it's true
You are aware that what I am saying is honest and true.
Everything I do, I do it for you
All my motivations and actions are exclusively aimed towards you because I love you deeply.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Fintage House Publishing
Written by: Bryan Adams, Michael Arnold Kamen, Robert John Lange
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Laura 1984
Love his voice, his showmanship, his low voice tones, his look, personality,!!!!!!
Benjoe Laforteza
Wow! One of my favorite artists, Clay Aiken. You're great. One of the best renditions of this song. I love it.
Amanda Stroup
I love this song. This song is awesome. Bryan Adams would be shocked that Clay Aiken is singing it.
Pandu Cimung
Bryan adams
Nell Lugo
Magnificent voice. Magnificent! God bless you Clay. No no..you are Blessed.
C. Oz
This version gave me goosebumps.
Kitty Wisdom
Thank you for posting this performance. Beautiful.
Kala Jones
I so love the way you sing physically internally and externally
ꜱᴋᴀᴛᴇ & ᴡᴀᴛᴄʜ
Clay really needs to make a comeback already
Niki Sanjaya
Clay looks more handsome than ever and year by year still look young. Beside of that his consistency of vocal is never get any doubt of it