Before I introduce the No. 21 song on my Top 25 for 2007 list, I should offer a mea culpa. This track is merely the third-best rock song of the year.

I'm having a hard time differentiating between pop and rock on this list, and Kelly Clarkson's "Never Again," which was a bomb of a single from a bomb of an album in what was an awful professional year for American Idol's original star, is very much a rock song.

Sure, it's also pop, but as I wrote on Monday night, it's not like the music industry really differentiates much anymore. However, as I combed through my list, there are at least five more songs that could be considered "rock," but oddly enough, the most "rock" of these come from pop artists, while the more established "rock" artists on this list offered songs with more of a "pop" flavor.

Confused?

Thought so.

And you can bet that Clive Davis was confused when Clarkson offered "Never Again," an angry song about a jilted lover, as the first single from her new CD. Why did she abandon her soft pop roots? How could she be accepted in this new rock role by her Idol fans?

A colleague of mine put it best when he noted that if THIS song had been recorded by Pat Benatar back in the day, it absolutely would have been considered cool. Furthermore, I'd add that if you match this sucker up against Alanis' 1990s offering, "You Oughta Know," which I think is a classic, it stacks up well.

With that said, Clarkson is not meant to be a rock star. Once an artist's persona is established, without transformational talent such as what Sting has, for example, this switching of styles just doesn't work very well in the marketplace. Kelly's customers expect soft, Disney-esque pop with a tinge of white-girl soul.

While I'd submit that Clarkson actually did herself proud with this track, I'd also admit that I can understand this pop cultural dissonance, this problem that her core fan base has with this track.

However, quality is quality, and I assure you that if you crank this song while driving 80 mph up I-35, it won't do ya' wrong.

See others:

No. 25 - Everyday America - Sugarland

No. 24 - Le Disko - Shiny Toy Guns

No. 23 - Famous In A Small Town - Miranda Lambert

No. 22 - Colorful - Rocco DeLuca & The Burden