Skyscraper (song)
"Skyscraper" is a song recorded by American singer Demi Lovato for her third studio album Unbroken (2011). It was released on July 12, 2011 by Hollywood Records, as the lead single from the album. The song was written by Toby Gad, Lindy Robbins and by the Estonian singer Kerli and produced by Gad. American singer Jordin Sparks sang background vocals on the track. It was inspired by a picture of the apocalypse, in which the world was in ruins and among collapsed buildings, one skyscraper was still standing. When the song was recorded, Lovato was very emotional which triggered outbursts and caused her to start crying. On November 1, 2010, Lovato entered a treatment facility to deal with her personal struggles. Lovato was later diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
This article is about the single by Demi Lovato. For the song by David Lee Roth, see Skyscraper (album)."Skyscraper"
"Rascacielo" (Spanish version of "Skyscraper")
July 12, 2011
2010
Strawberrybee Studios (Los Angeles, CA)
3:42
Toby Gad
After completing treatment on January 28, 2011, Lovato re-recorded the song, but kept the original recording as Lovato felt it was "symbolic" to her. This ballad speaks of staying strong and believing in oneself. These two ideals strongly represent the journey Lovato went through the previous year, which speaks through Lovato's breathy and quivering vocals throughout the song. The song opens with a lonely piano and as soon accompanied by heavy percussion. A Spanish version of the song, alternatively titled "Rascacielo" was released on August 16.[1]
"Skyscraper" debuted at number ten on the Billboard Hot 100, spending a total of 15 weeks on the chart. The song became Lovato's highest-charting single since "This Is Me" which peaked at number nine in July 2008. "Skyscraper" sold 176,000 paid digital downloads in the first week of release in the United States, setting a sales record for Lovato. Internationally, the song reached the top 20 in Canada, New Zealand, Denmark, the Republic of Ireland, and the United Kingdom. The song has sold over 1.6 million digital downloads in The United States and has been certified platinum by the RIAA.[2][3]
Background[edit]
"Skyscraper" was written by Toby Gad, Lindy Robbins and Estonian singer Kerli Kõiv and produced by Gad.[4] Kõiv said they wrote the song while drawing inspiration from a picture of the apocalypse.[5] In an interview with Seventeen, Kõiv elaborated on the picture, stating, "The world was in ruins and in the middle of all the collapsed buildings was one skyscraper still standing tall. It was slightly raining and the first rays of sun were starting to shine through thick clouds of smoke. I was actually feeling amazing when I wrote it. It came from a really empowered place."[5] Kõiv revealed that the song is also personal to her, stating, "I come from a very small place in Eastern Europe so my whole life has kind of been one big fight to live my dream against all odds. But I think it's hard to be a human in general — we all have our own struggles and things to overcome."[5] When asked what she wants girls to feel when they hear the song, Kerli said, "I think the lyrics say it already. You can hit the lowest low and face the darkest dark, but you can always get back up and get in the light."[5] Kõiv recorded a demo version of the song before Gad offered the song to Lovato.[5][6] Lovato wanted to record the song because the singer felt a "huge emotional attachment to it" and believed both Lovato and her fans could relate to it.[6][7] Lovato explained the rest of Unbroken is "a lot lighter and more fun" and they chose to release "Skyscraper" as the first single from the album because they wanted to show "something very inspirational" that represents the difficult journey Lovato had been on.[7]
American singer Jordin Sparks provided backing vocals on the song. Lovato said that she kept Sparks' vocals because "it adds a lot to the song".[6] Lovato stated, "I think she may have recorded it once maybe and I don't really know what the situation was, but I know she did the background vocals and they were lovely".[6]
Release[edit]
Lovato revealed the cover artwork and release date of "Skyscraper" on her Twitter account on July 5, 2011.[12] Following the announcement, "Skyscraper" became a trending topic on the site.[12] On July 12, 2011, in an interview of On Air with Ryan Seacrest, Lovato was called in to talk about the track.[13] The same day, the song was made available for digital download on the iTunes Store in the United States, although originally planned to be released on July 14, 2011.[12][14]
The song reached the top ten on the iTunes chart within an hour, and it summited the chart later in the afternoon.[15] The song was serviced for mainstream radio airplay on July 26, 2011.[16] Soon after, Lovato recorded a Spanish version of the track, named "Rascacielo".[17] It was released on the Mexican iTunes store on August 16, 2011.[18]
After the song was released, many celebrities voiced their support of "Skyscraper" on Twitter. In response, Lovato stated "There has been so much positive feedback, it's been so incredible. I hear that people like Katy Perry and Kelly Clarkson respect my music and are even tweeting about it on their own time. I mean, it's just been so amazing and I've been so thankful and grateful. It's just so exciting for me, because these are people I look up to myself and then hearing that they're tweeting about me; it's like a dream come true."[7] According to The Hollywood Reporter, other celebrities such as The Veronicas, Selena Gomez, Lucy Hale, Kim Kardashian, Jordin Sparks, Ashley Tisdale and Pete Wentz, among others also contributed to the praise.[19]
Jordin Sparks, who provided backing vocals on the track, posted a video of herself singing the song on her website.[20] Lovato called Sparks' take "beautiful".[20]
Composition[edit]
"Skyscraper" is a pop ballad in which Lovato showcases breathy, quivering and powerful vocals.[14] In the first verse, Lovato is only accompanied by a lonely, pulsing piano as Lovato sings, "Skies are crying, I am watching catching teardrops in my hands/ Only silence, as it's ending, like we never had a chance". As the song progresses, the piano is accompanied by heavy percussion and breathy backing vocals.[14] In the chorus, Lovato sings, "You can take everything I have/ You can break everything I am/ Like I'm made of glass, like I'm made of paper/ Go on and try and tear me down/ I will be rising from the ground like a skyscraper". In the second verse, Lovato "begins to find more strength".
The song has a simple musical structure. According to the sheet music published on Musicnotes.com by EMI Music Publishing, the song is set in common time with a metronome of 104 beats per minute. It is composed in the key of G major with Lovato's vocal range spanning from the low note of G3 to the high note of G5.[21]
Lyrically, the song represents staying strong and believing in yourself.[22] According to Lovato, the song's lyrics symbolize her personal journey from where she used to be to "the happy healthy person she is today."[13] The song deals with the difficulties Lovato had been through the past year and overcoming the obstacles she faced. With the song, Lovato hopes that "people are able to relate to it and realize that they are able to rise above and overcome any obstacle, no matter the circumstances and shine like a skyscraper".[23]
Critical reception[edit]
Jason Lipshutz of Billboard spoke positively about the song, especially praising Lovato's powerful vocal range.[14] Grady Smith of Entertainment Weekly called the song "pretty inspiring," and he wrote that "Lovato’s raspy, crying-out vocal sounds gorgeous".[24] Monica Herrera of Rolling Stone praised the song, describing it as a "tear-jerker ballad".[25] Billboard and American Songwriter ranked the song number five and number nine, respectively, on their lists of the 10 greatest Demi Lovato songs.[26][27]
Chart performance[edit]
In the United States, "Skyscraper" debuted at its peak of number ten on the Billboard Hot 100. It sold 176,000 paid digital downloads during the first week of release, becoming Lovato's highest first-week sales, as well as the singer's highest-peaking single in the country since "This Is Me" which reached number nine in August 2008.[28] It remained as Lovato's highest first-week sales of her career up until the release of Heart Attack" by Lovato in 2013.[28]
In Canada, "Skyscraper" debuted at number 18 on the Canadian Hot 100.[29] As of August 1, 2011, the song entered the New Zealand Singles Chart at number nine—making it her highest debut and peaking single there at the time.[30] On August 7, 2011, "Skyscraper" debuted on the Australian Singles Chart at number ninety-two, and it reached its peak of forty-five the following week.[31][32]
"Skyscraper" entered the UK Singles Chart at number thirty-two on March 4, 2012. It sold 11,460 copies, marking Lovato's highest charting song in the UK at the time and the singer's third top forty entry there.[33] On September 29, 2013, over a year after the original release date, the song re-entered at a new peak of number thirteen. It has since reached number seven on October 7, 2013, earning Lovato her second UK top ten single.[34]
Live performances[edit]
On August 18, 2011, Lovato made the first performance of the song on The Do Something Awards on VH1, the singer's first live performance since she had left the Jonas Brothers Live in Concert Tour to enter the treatment facility.[41]
On August 24, 2011, Lovato performed the song on America's Got Talent. Then, the singer performed the song on The ALMA Awards in Santa Monica on September 11, 2011, the day of the tenth anniversary of the September 11 attacks in 2001. Lovato performed the song in English, while she performed in Spanish, at the second verse of the song.[42] On September 18, 2011, Lovato performed the song on Good Morning America[43][44] The song was also performed on The Ellen Degeneres Show on September 20, 2011.[45] On September 27, 2011, the singer performed the song on "Dancing with the Stars".[46] In March 2018 and 2020, Lovato performed the song on the March for Our Lives and the iHeart Living Room Concert for America. The song also appeared on Today and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.
Lovato performed the track during five headlining concert tours: A Special Night with Demi Lovato, The Neon Lights Tour, the Demi World Tour, the Future Now Tour, and the Tell Me You Love Me World Tour.
Recording and management
Personnel
Credits adapted from Unbroken liner notes.[47]
"Skyscraper"
16 December 2013
2013
3:40
- Graham Stack
- Matt Furmidge
September 15, 2023