I don’t watch Kelly Clarkson’s show, so I can’t say this with any authority, but I assume she doesn’t wade into geopolitics very often.

But on February 25, 2022, the day after Russia invaded Ukraine, she chose as her Kellyoke song the English-language version of Nena’s ’99 Luftballons,’ an anti-war song written during an escalation of Cold War tension.

In a tight two minutes, she nails the poignant bookends and jams out in the middle section, at one point belting a high note for eight seconds.