Fighter (song)
Encyclopedia
"Fighter" is a song recorded by American recording artist Christina Aguilera
. The song was written by Aguilera and Scott Storch
, and produced by Storch for Aguilera's fourth studio album, Stripped
. The song was released on June 3, 2003 as the third single. The song peaked at number twenty on the Billboard Hot 100
, where it became Aguilera's ninth U.S.
top-twenty single. "Fighter" also reached number three in the United Kingdom
and Canada
, and number five in Australia
and the Netherlands
.
and produced by Storch. It features Dave Navarro
on guitar.
In her first single to bear elements of rock music, a seemingly dissatisfied Aguilera seems to bemoan and scream of a man who apparently did her wrong. However, in a surprising twist, she does not want to complain or insult him; in fact, she wants to thank him. "Fighter" became the official anthem for the 2003 NBA Playoffs
and was heard during the NBA Finals commercials. An official video was even shot for the NBA Finals featuring Aguilera doing choreography with her dancers on a basketball court.
. In it, she is wearing a black velvet
kimono
, with a pale complexion, and long black hair, resembling that of someone who follows gothic fashion
. Three pins are lodged in her back, making her hunch. Initially, she is trapped in a glass box, and her kimono is billowing like a balloon. Three gothic ballerinas eat fruit and then collapse. Aguilera then breaks free from the box by pounding on it until it breaks. Aguilera tosses aside her kimono after furiously removing the pins on her back and throwing them away. A tattered, white, moth-covered dress is revealed, symbolising her metaphoric evolution from a larva
to a pupa
. In addition, her hair becomes white, and moth
s fly on to her. Near the end, Aguilera wears an Elvira
-type spider dress, again proclaiming that she is a fighter. At the very end of the video, she kicks the TV camera. This video shows the metamorphosis of Aguilera's slow, yet steady progression of her inner-strength, from being heartbroken, to becoming unbreakable. "Fighter" was also a success on TRL
, debuting at number 6 on April 9, 2003 and hitting number one sixteen times while retiring at number 6, spending fifty days on the countdown. Also, the video debuts Aguilera's look with black hair instead of the blonde hair with black stripes in it shown in the "Dirrty
" and "Beautiful
" .
UK Maxi-CD
UK & Ireland , Single
UK Vinyl, 12", Promo
, reaching the Top 20 of Billboard Hot 100
, came in standing position in 40, moved to 23 the following week and went up more positions next week, to position 20, which was for a month before dropping the chart.
International, the song received even more success, reaching the Top 5 in the United Kingdom
and Canada
, while growing up in the top 20 of most European countries, has reached # 5 in Australia
, and # 14 in New Zealand
.
The single has sold over 3,540,000 copies worldwide. In 2006 Fighter was certified Gold by the RIAA for selling over 500,000 digital downloads.
!Country
!Position
|-
|Australia
|align="center"|74
|-
|Switzerland
|align="center"|77
|-
|UK
|align="center"|99
Christina Aguilera
Christina María Aguilera is an American recording artist and actress. Aguilera first appeared on national television in 1990 as a contestant on the Star Search program, and went on to star in Disney Channel's television series The Mickey Mouse Club from 1993–1994...
. The song was written by Aguilera and Scott Storch
Scott Storch
Scott Storch is an American record producer. He produces a variety of music, particularly hip hop, reggaeton, and R&B. His label, Storch Music Company responsible for signing Brooke Hogan and Nox...
, and produced by Storch for Aguilera's fourth studio album, Stripped
Stripped (Christina Aguilera album)
Stripped is the fourth studio album by American pop recording artist Christina Aguilera. It was released on October 26, 2002. It reached the top two of the album charts in both the United States and United Kingdom and features two UK number-one hits: "Dirrty" which gained criticism and controversy...
. The song was released on June 3, 2003 as the third single. The song peaked at number twenty on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, where it became Aguilera's ninth U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
top-twenty single. "Fighter" also reached number three in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, and number five in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
.
Background and composition
"Fighter" was written by Aguilera and Scott StorchScott Storch
Scott Storch is an American record producer. He produces a variety of music, particularly hip hop, reggaeton, and R&B. His label, Storch Music Company responsible for signing Brooke Hogan and Nox...
and produced by Storch. It features Dave Navarro
Dave Navarro
David Michael "Dave" Navarro is an American guitarist who plays in the alternative rock band Jane's Addiction and cover band Camp Freddy. He has also played with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Panic Channel, and many others.- Early life :...
on guitar.
In her first single to bear elements of rock music, a seemingly dissatisfied Aguilera seems to bemoan and scream of a man who apparently did her wrong. However, in a surprising twist, she does not want to complain or insult him; in fact, she wants to thank him. "Fighter" became the official anthem for the 2003 NBA Playoffs
2003 NBA Playoffs
The 2003 NBA playoffs was the postseason of the National Basketball Association's 2002-03 NBA season. This postseason was notable for being the first time all series were conducted in a best-of-7 format. It was also the only time in playoff history that no team was swept in a first-round series....
and was heard during the NBA Finals commercials. An official video was even shot for the NBA Finals featuring Aguilera doing choreography with her dancers on a basketball court.
Music video
The music video was directed by Floria SigismondiFloria Sigismondi
Floria Sigismondi is an Italian, naturalised Canadian, photographer and director.Apart from her art exhibitions, she is best known for writing and directing The Runaways, starring Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning...
. In it, she is wearing a black velvet
Velvet
Velvet is a type of woven tufted fabric in which the cut threads are evenly distributed,with a short dense pile, giving it a distinctive feel.The word 'velvety' is used as an adjective to mean -"smooth like velvet".-Composition:...
kimono
Kimono
The is a Japanese traditional garment worn by men, women and children. The word "kimono", which literally means a "thing to wear" , has come to denote these full-length robes...
, with a pale complexion, and long black hair, resembling that of someone who follows gothic fashion
Gothic fashion
Gothic fashion is a clothing style worn by members of the Goth subculture; a dark, sometimes morbid, eroticized fashion and style of dress. Typical Gothic fashion includes dyed black hair, black lips and black clothes. Both male and female goths wear dark eyeliner and dark fingernails. Styles are...
. Three pins are lodged in her back, making her hunch. Initially, she is trapped in a glass box, and her kimono is billowing like a balloon. Three gothic ballerinas eat fruit and then collapse. Aguilera then breaks free from the box by pounding on it until it breaks. Aguilera tosses aside her kimono after furiously removing the pins on her back and throwing them away. A tattered, white, moth-covered dress is revealed, symbolising her metaphoric evolution from a larva
Larva
A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...
to a pupa
Pupa
A pupa is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation. The pupal stage is found only in holometabolous insects, those that undergo a complete metamorphosis, going through four life stages; embryo, larva, pupa and imago...
. In addition, her hair becomes white, and moth
Moth
A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...
s fly on to her. Near the end, Aguilera wears an Elvira
Cassandra Peterson
Cassandra Peterson is an American actress best known for her on-screen horror hostess character Elvira, Mistress of the Dark. She gained fame on Los Angeles television station KHJ wearing a black, gothic, cleavage-enhancing gown as host of Movie Macabre, a weekly horror movie presentation...
-type spider dress, again proclaiming that she is a fighter. At the very end of the video, she kicks the TV camera. This video shows the metamorphosis of Aguilera's slow, yet steady progression of her inner-strength, from being heartbroken, to becoming unbreakable. "Fighter" was also a success on TRL
Total Request Live
Total Request Live is a television series on MTV that featured popular music videos. TRL was MTV's prime outlet for music videos as the network continues to concentrate on reality-based programming. In addition to music videos, TRL featured daily guests...
, debuting at number 6 on April 9, 2003 and hitting number one sixteen times while retiring at number 6, spending fifty days on the countdown. Also, the video debuts Aguilera's look with black hair instead of the blonde hair with black stripes in it shown in the "Dirrty
Dirrty
"Dirrty" is a song performed by American singer Christina Aguilera featuring rapper Reggie "Redman" Noble. The song was written by Aguilera and Redman along with Jasper Cameron, Balewa Muhammad, and Rockwilder for Aguilera's fourth studio album Stripped...
" and "Beautiful
Beautiful (Christina Aguilera song)
"Beautiful" is a song written by Linda Perry and recorded by American singer Christina Aguilera for Aguilera's fourth studio album, Stripped...
" .
Formats and track listings
CD Maxi-CD- "Fighter" [Album Version] — 4:05
- "Fighter" [Freelance Hellraiser "Thug Pop" Extended Edit] — 5:11
- "Beautiful" [Valentin Club Remix] — 5:51
- "Fighter" [Video]
UK Maxi-CD
- Fighter [Original Version] 4:09
- Fighter [Freelance Hellraiser Thug Pop Mix] 5:13
- Beautiful [Valentin Mix] 5:55
UK & Ireland , Single
- Fighter [Video] 4:15
- Fighter 4:13
- Beautiful [Valentin Club Mix] 6:00
UK Vinyl, 12", Promo
- Fighter [Freelance Hellraiser Full Club Remix]
- Fighter [Freelance Hellraiser Radio Mix]
- Fighter [Freelance Hellraiser Full Dub]
Remixes
- Instrumental (Unreleased In-House Promo)
- Bad Mamajama Club Mix / Hani Club Remix 6:10
- Bad Mamajama Radio Mix / Hani Radio Remix 3:31
- Freelance HellraiserThe Freelance HellraiserRoy Kerr, aka The Freelance Hellraiser, is one of the creators of the UK bootleg scene.He gained fame with a mash-up called "A Stroke of Genius", which combined an instrumental edit of The Strokes' track "Hard To Explain" with Christina Aguilera's pop hit "Genie in a Bottle"...
Thug Pop Mix — 5:13 - Freelance Hellraiser Full Club Remix
- Freelance Hellraiser Radio Edit
- Freelance Hellraiser Full Dub
- Friburn & Urik Dub — 10:13
Charts
"Fighter" was a moderate success in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, reaching the Top 20 of Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, came in standing position in 40, moved to 23 the following week and went up more positions next week, to position 20, which was for a month before dropping the chart.
International, the song received even more success, reaching the Top 5 in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, while growing up in the top 20 of most European countries, has reached # 5 in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, and # 14 in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
.
The single has sold over 3,540,000 copies worldwide. In 2006 Fighter was certified Gold by the RIAA for selling over 500,000 digital downloads.
| Chart (2003) | Peak position |
|---|
Certifications
}}Year-end charts
{|class="wikitable sortable"!Country
!Position
|-
|Australia
|align="center"|74
|-
|Switzerland
|align="center"|77
|-
|UK
|align="center"|99