Who knew that deep down, Kelly Clarkson, the original American Idol, was a hipster in the making? Even she must be surprised by the path taken by ''Since U Been Gone,'' a single from her sophomore album, last year's ''Breakaway'' (RCA). Produced by Max Martin, the Swede responsible for much of the boy-band pop of five years ago, ''Since U Been Gone'' reached No.2 on the Billboard singles chart and was a staple on MTV and VH1. More surprisingly, it reached the ears of some tastemaking listeners. First the agit-punker Ted Leo recorded a strikingly earnest unplugged version of the song, meshing it with the bridge from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' ''Maps.'' And last week, the video for the Kidz Bop version of the song was released online.
The Kidz Bop albums feature singalong versions of pop hits performed by the anonymous Kidz Bop Kids; the forthcoming ''Kidz Bop 8'' will reportedly cover artists like U2 and Franz Ferdinand in addition to Ms. Clarkson. The ''Since U Been Gone'' video was produced by Wormseye Films, maker of clips for trendy bands like Stellastarr and the Five O'Clock Heroes; its involvement seems like a sly nod to the song's cross-under fan base. The audio slips between the original, sung by Ms. Clarkson in husky, sultry alto, and the Kidz Bop revue, with their atonal shout-singing. And the clip is a neat mix of art and pop. At home with her brother, and then in front of an audience of riotous 7-year-olds, a blissfully happy young girl lip-synchs the lyrics. Ms. Clarkson's anthem about learning from a failed relationship doesn't quite make a seamless transition to the lunch-box set, but the chorus -- ''Since you been gone/I can breathe for the first time'' -- works as a rebuke to overbearing parents. When the Kidz Bop girl is seen onstage, she's backed by an animal band: alligator, walrus and dancing, guitar-shredding tiger. It's a nod, perhaps, to the Flaming Lips. Or to Frosted Flakes. JON CARAMANICA