While acclaimed singer-songwriter Edwin McCain has been steadily making music for 30 years, he'll always be known as the man behind "I'll Be," one of the most enduring love songs of the '90s. So it shouldn't have been a huge surprise when Kelly Clarkson decided to cover the hit tune as part of her super-popular Kellyoke series — but McCain still seemed unprepared for the honor in a recent video.
McCain, 55, took to TikTok this week to share a clip of himself watching Clarkson belt out the 1998 hit on her eponymous talk show on Wednesday, June 4. The beloved musician beamed and nodded with appreciation throughout as Clarkson hit every note with ease, waving his arms and pumping his fist.
"I can't believe Kelly sang my song!" he wrote in the text overlay.
@theedwinmccain#duet with @Kelly Clarkson Show #kellyoke #friendshipisfreedom #genx #sober #Lucky
♬ original sound - Kelly Clarkson ShowFans in the comments were thrilled to see Clarkson pay her respects to the classic song, but many preferred the original.
"Edwin, I love Kelly but no one sings this song like you," one person wrote, with another declaring, "Sometimes I think you forgot how iconic YOU are too."
"Kelly sings it well, but it doesn't have the rush of memories that flow with your original version. You can't replace a moment in time with a newer version," somebody explained, as someone else raved, "You created a timeless, beautiful piece of art. How cool it must be to have your work still so appreciated."
"I think y'all should do a duet," suggested yet another fan.
In an interview with People earlier this year, McCain opened up about how "I'll Be" changed his career — and his life.
"That song's a miracle, really. It's such an incredible thing to have happened," he said.
"The timing of that song was perfect, and just the fact that it's still going strong almost 30 years later is really, as a songwriter, as a singer, you can only be that lucky to have a song," McCain continued, adding, "That song's sort of been my ticket to Planet Earth. I can basically go anywhere and people are like, 'Hey, let's go hear that guy that sings that song.' And then now I have about an hour-and-a-half to convince him of all this other music. I have a lot of reverence for it, because it has done so much for so many. I honor that song every night when I play it. My life would be considerably different without that song."
Related: Iconic 2000s Rocker, 50, Has Fans Saying the Same Thing in Unexpected Video
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