Skyscraper (song)
Encyclopedia
"Skyscraper" is a song performed by American recording artist Demi Lovato
. It was written by Toby Gad
, Lindy Robbins
and Kerli Kõiv and produced by Gad for Lovato's third studio album, Unbroken
(2011). The song was inspired by a picture of the apocalypse
, in which the world was in ruins, and among collapsed buildings, one skyscraper was still standing. Kerli originally recorded "Skyscraper" and Gad offered it to Lovato, who wanted to record it as she felt that both she and her fans could relate to it. When recording it in 2010, Lovato was very emotional which triggered outbursts and caused her to start crying. Later the same year, she entered a treatment facility to deal with her personal struggles. After finishing it in early 2011, she re-recorded the song, but kept the original recording as she felt that it was "symbolic" to her. "Skyscraper" was released on July 12, 2011 via Hollywood Records
as the first single from Unbroken. According to Lovato, the song represents the journey she had been on the previous year.
Musically, "Skyscraper" is a ballad and the lyrics speak of staying strong and believing in yourself. The track opens with a lonely piano that is soon accompanied by heavy percussion. Lovato showcases breathy and quivering vocals throughout the song. "Skyscraper" received positive reviews from critics, with the majority of them praising Lovato's vocals and the inspirational lyrics. Upon its release, it was also met with praise from celebrities on the microblogging site Twitter
. The song debuted at number ten on the Billboard Hot 100
, becoming Lovato's highest-peaking single on the chart since "This Is Me
" peaked at number nine in August 2008. "Skyscraper" sold 176,000 paid digital downloads in its first week of release in the United States, setting a sales record for Lovato. Internationally, the song reached the top twenty in Canada and New Zealand. In August 2011, the song was awarded with Summer Song at the Teen Choice Awards
. The song has sold over 500,000 digital copies and was officially certified gold on September 28, 2011.
The song's accompanying music video was directed by Mark Pellington
and shot in the Bonneville Salt Flats for twelve hours. Lovato performed "Skyscraper" for the first time at the Do Something Awards on August 18, 2011.
, Lindy Robbins
and Estonian singer Kerli Kõiv, and produced by Gad. Kerli said that they wrote the song while drawing inspiration from a picture of the apocalypse
. In an interview with Seventeen
she 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." Kerli 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." 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." Kerli recorded a demo version of the song before Gad offered it to Lovato. Lovato wanted to record the song because she felt a "huge emotional attachment to it" and believed both she and her fans could relate to it. She 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 she had been on.
Kerli praised Lovato's take on the song, stating that she "really conveys the emotion". Kerli went on to say, "I always say that songs are messages and artists are messengers, and at this point in time there is no better messenger for this song than Demi. Her courage to go out and tell the whole world about everything she's been through the past year is beyond inspiring." American singer Jordin Sparks
provided backing vocals on the song. Lovato said that they kept her vocals because "it adds a lot to the song". 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 so they kept them."
account on July 5, 2011. Following the announcement, "Skyscraper" became a trending topic on the site. The song premiered on Tuesday July 12, 2011 on the morning radio show On Air with Ryan Seacrest
. Lovato also called in to talk about the track. On the same morning, the single was made available for digital download
on the iTunes Store
in the United States, although originally planned to be released on July 14. The song reached the top ten on the iTunes chart within an hour, and the summit of the chart later in the afternoon. The single was serviced for mainstream
radio airplay on July 26, 2011. Lovato recorded a Spanish version of the track, named "Rascacielo". It was released on the Mexican iTunes store on August 16, 2011.
Upon its release, many celebrities voiced their support of "Skyscraper" on Twitter. According to The Hollywood Reporter
, those celebrities included Kelly Clarkson
, Selena Gomez
, Lucy Hale
, Kim Kardashian
, Katy Perry
, Jordin Sparks
, Ashley Tisdale
and Pete Wentz, among others. In response to the celebrity reactions, 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." Jordin Sparks, who provided backing vocals on the track, posted a video of herself singing the song on her website. Lovato called Sparks' take "beautiful".
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 note of G3 to the note of G5. Lyrically, the song is about staying strong and believing in yourself. 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." The song deals with the difficulties she 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."
rated "Skyscraper" four and half out of five stars. He praised Lovato's breathy vocals, the instrumentation and inspirational lyrics. He said that Lovato's choice of collaboration with Kerli and Toby Gad make the song memorable, stating that the song "sports the simultaneously fragile but resilient feel of collaborator Kerli's work while being guided with the surefire mainstream pop hand of veteran Toby Gad. Here Demi Lovato looks serious about being not only a Disney teen idol but also a true pop artist." Lamb concluded his review, "“Skyscraper” is a complete change of pace from the current dominance of upbeat party tunes on the pop music landscape. Jason Lipshutz of Billboard
was positive on the song, especially praising Lovato's powerful vocal range. Grady Smith of Entertainment Weekly
called the song "pretty inspiring" and wrote that "Lovato’s raspy, crying-out vocal sounds gorgeous". The song won Summer Song at the 2011 Teen Choice Awards
.
, selling 176,000 downloads during its first week of release. This charting made the song Lovato's highest-peaking single since "This is Me" reached number nine in August 2008. The song also debuted at number two on the Hot Digital Songs
chart. The song also debuted at number eighteen on the Canadian Hot 100
. On the issue dated August 1, 2011, the song entered the New Zealand Singles Chart at number nine. On the issue dated August 7, 2011, it debuted on the Australian Singles Chart at number ninety-two. The next week, it reached its peak of forty-five.
. Lovato's management sent her different video treatments for the song, including one from Pellington. Lovato based her decision on choosing his idea due to him being "really respected as a director". She said, "he had a great way of really interpreting the song into a video and I was just really thankful that he did such a great job. But he is such an incredible artist and he really knew how to interpret that into a incredible video." The video was shot in the middle of the Bonneville Salt Flats desert and Lovato and Pellington took a private plane to the location. She wanted to keep the video shoot "really intimate, because it needed to be for the song". The shoot, which took twelve hours, was "both physically and mentally tough" for Lovato, as she would "break down and cry" between takes because of the song being so personal to her. On set, Lovato and Pellington were accompanied by the hair and make-up artists and Lovato's management. Due to there not being many people involved, Lovato felt that it was "pretty easy to get to that emotional place" that was needed for the song. She wanted to give the video an "emotionally raw feel", stating, "That video was an emotional release for me, like therapy... I kept crying, I was so emotionally invested...That's when I realized, that's what music videos are all about." The video represents her personal struggles in the past years, including her former eating disorder and cutting
, and that she finally sought medical attention.
The video begins with Lovato walking towards the camera on a desert road in Boneville Salt Flats while wearing a long white dress. A close-up shot of Lovato's face serves as the main portion throughout the first verse. As the first chorus begins, a glass heart enclosed in a glass box is shown with fog surrounding it. The video soon cuts back to Lovato as she continues to walk down the road. In the second verse, a black fabric surrounds her, which represents the "toxicity" that took over her mind in the past and made her suffer inside. She is then seen walking over broken glass, which represents her "taking [the toxicity] off" and "powering through it". As the second chorus begins, Lovato begins to find more strength, with one shot showing her standing inside a photograph frame. In the bridge, the glass box with the heart inside is hit, causing the surface to break. Other scenes of the black fabric and Lovato walking over glass are shown afterwards. As the last chorus begins, a close-up is shown of Lovato as a tear rolls down her cheek. Soon thereafter, a clip of the glass box is shown with the surface being wrecked, but the heart remaining intact, serving as a symbol for "strength and faith during hard times". The video ends with Lovato looking directly into the camera before it fades out.
A teaser clip was uploaded to YouTube
on July 11, 2011. The full video premiered on July 13, 2011 on E! News
, followed by a premiere on Vevo
the next day. Soon after the E! News premiere, Lovato sat down with Ryan Seacrest
in an exclusive interview. The video was met with positive reception. James Montgomery of MTV News
was very positive on the video, especially a scene in which Lovato looks into the camera and almost breaks into tears. Montgomery said, "I'm not sure if she's acting or not, but I doubt it, and really, it's not like it matters. Not when a singer connects to a song on such a visceral level, especially one who's already been through the wringer." He concluded, "there's some dramatically billowing fabrics and some shattered glass, but really, the song is the star. And that simplicity is perfect here, because the song provides all the pyrotechnics necessary." Grady Smith of Entertainment Weekly praised the video for being simple, saying "There are no electric guitars or goofy story lines here—just simple, raw passion." Bill Lamb of About.com wrote that the video "fits perfectly with the mood and emotional intensity of the song." Melina Newman of HitFix
said that "No one else appears in the Mark Pellington-directed clip as the focus is clearly on showing the pain [Lovato has] gone through and from which she is rising, not like the proverbial phoenix
, but like a skyscraper." Newman praised Pellington for bringing "a sense of intimacy to the clip despite the often wide-open spaces."
! Region
! Provider
! Certification
|-
| United States
| RIAA
| Gold
|-
! scope="col"| Country
! scope="col"| Release date
! scope="col"| Format(s)
|-
!scope="row"| United States
| July 12, 2011
|rowspan="5"| Digital download
|-
!scope="row"| Canada
| rowspan="2"| July 19, 2011
|-
!scope="row"| Mexico
|-
!scope="row"| Australia
|rowspan="2"| July 25, 2011
|-
!scope="row"| New Zealand
|-
!scope="row"| United States
| July 26, 2011
| Mainstream
airplay
|}
Demi Lovato
"She’s got the range, the full emotional spectrum, incredible control… Vocally, she’s the best thing Disney’s had since Christina Aguilera."—Producer Toby Gad on Demi Lovato's vocals...
. It was written by Toby Gad
Toby Gad
Tobias "Toby" Gad is a Los Angeles-based hit producer and songwriter from Germany, perhaps best known for co-writing Fergie's Grammy nominated hit song "Big Girls Don't Cry" as well as co-writing and producing Beyoncé's worldwide #1 hit "If I Were a Boy", and The Veronicas multi-platinum #1...
, Lindy Robbins
Lindy Robbins
Lindy Robbins is a songwriter from Los Angeles. She has contributed many recognizable songs to popular culture.-Career:She started singing with her late, gifted musician father Walter Wissman when she was three-years-old, and was an acclaimed performer in NYC and LA before becoming a full-time...
and Kerli Kõiv and produced by Gad for Lovato's third studio album, Unbroken
Unbroken (Demi Lovato album)
Unbroken is the third studio album by American pop singer Demi Lovato. The album was released on September 20, 2011, by Hollywood Records. Lovato worked with a variety of producers and writers such as Toby Gad, Rock Mafia, Timbaland, Dreamlab, and others...
(2011). The song was inspired by a picture of the apocalypse
Apocalypse
An Apocalypse is a disclosure of something hidden from the majority of mankind in an era dominated by falsehood and misconception, i.e. the veil to be lifted. The Apocalypse of John is the Book of Revelation, the last book of the New Testament...
, in which the world was in ruins, and among collapsed buildings, one skyscraper was still standing. Kerli originally recorded "Skyscraper" and Gad offered it to Lovato, who wanted to record it as she felt that both she and her fans could relate to it. When recording it in 2010, Lovato was very emotional which triggered outbursts and caused her to start crying. Later the same year, she entered a treatment facility to deal with her personal struggles. After finishing it in early 2011, she re-recorded the song, but kept the original recording as she felt that it was "symbolic" to her. "Skyscraper" was released on July 12, 2011 via Hollywood Records
Hollywood Records
Hollywood Records is an American record label owned by Disney Music Group, a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Company.-History:Hollywood Records was founded in 1989 by then-Disney CEO Michael Eisner with the idea of expanding the music operations of the company and to develop and promote...
as the first single from Unbroken. According to Lovato, the song represents the journey she had been on the previous year.
Musically, "Skyscraper" is a ballad and the lyrics speak of staying strong and believing in yourself. The track opens with a lonely piano that is soon accompanied by heavy percussion. Lovato showcases breathy and quivering vocals throughout the song. "Skyscraper" received positive reviews from critics, with the majority of them praising Lovato's vocals and the inspirational lyrics. Upon its release, it was also met with praise from celebrities on the microblogging site Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
. The song debuted at number ten 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...
, becoming Lovato's highest-peaking single on the chart since "This Is Me
This Is Me (Camp Rock song)
"This Is Me", written by Andy Dodd and Adam Watts, is the fourth single from Camp Rock, a Disney Channel original movie, that is featured on the movie's soundtrack. It was released on June 17, 2008 on iTunes digital music store for its acoustic full version...
" peaked at number nine in August 2008. "Skyscraper" sold 176,000 paid digital downloads in its first week of release in the United States, setting a sales record for Lovato. Internationally, the song reached the top twenty in Canada and New Zealand. In August 2011, the song was awarded with Summer Song at the Teen Choice Awards
2011 Teen Choice Awards
The 2011 Teen Choice Awards hosted by Kaley Cuoco aired live on August 7, 2011 at 8/7c on Fox. This was the first time that the ceremonies were aired live since the 2007 show...
. The song has sold over 500,000 digital copies and was officially certified gold on September 28, 2011.
The song's accompanying music video was directed by Mark Pellington
Mark Pellington
-Life and career:Pellington was born in Baltimore, Maryland. He directed The Mothman Prophecies, a 2002 film starring Richard Gere dealing with mysterious deaths foretold by a strange red-eyed flying creature, Mothman, as well as Arlington Road in 1999 starring Tim Robbins and Jeff Bridges....
and shot in the Bonneville Salt Flats for twelve hours. Lovato performed "Skyscraper" for the first time at the Do Something Awards on August 18, 2011.
Writing and inspiration
"Skyscraper" was written by Toby GadToby Gad
Tobias "Toby" Gad is a Los Angeles-based hit producer and songwriter from Germany, perhaps best known for co-writing Fergie's Grammy nominated hit song "Big Girls Don't Cry" as well as co-writing and producing Beyoncé's worldwide #1 hit "If I Were a Boy", and The Veronicas multi-platinum #1...
, Lindy Robbins
Lindy Robbins
Lindy Robbins is a songwriter from Los Angeles. She has contributed many recognizable songs to popular culture.-Career:She started singing with her late, gifted musician father Walter Wissman when she was three-years-old, and was an acclaimed performer in NYC and LA before becoming a full-time...
and Estonian singer Kerli Kõiv, and produced by Gad. Kerli said that they wrote the song while drawing inspiration from a picture of the apocalypse
Apocalypse
An Apocalypse is a disclosure of something hidden from the majority of mankind in an era dominated by falsehood and misconception, i.e. the veil to be lifted. The Apocalypse of John is the Book of Revelation, the last book of the New Testament...
. In an interview with Seventeen
Seventeen (magazine)
Seventeen is an American magazine for teenagers. It was first published in September 1944 by Walter Annenberg's Triangle Publications. News Corporation bought Triangle in 1988, and sold Seventeen to K-III Communications in 1991. Primedia sold the magazine to Hearst in 2003. It is still in the...
she 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." Kerli 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." 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." Kerli recorded a demo version of the song before Gad offered it to Lovato. Lovato wanted to record the song because she felt a "huge emotional attachment to it" and believed both she and her fans could relate to it. She 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 she had been on.
Recording
Lovato initially recorded "Skyscraper" in Studio City, Los Angeles in 2010. During recording, she was "doubled over, just in pain", making her very emotional and tearful; she had never been that emotional while recording a song before. She felt that the song was a "cry for help", which triggered a lot of emotions, stating that she was crying and "bawling [her] eyes out" in the studio. At the time, she had not told anyone about her depressions and personal issues. In November 2010, she entered a treatment facility to treat her physical and emotional problems. After finishing her treatment in January 2011, she re-recorded the song, but decided to keep the original recording because she felt that her voice had changed, although noting that her voice was "weaker" when she originally recorded it. She said, "There was something in that first try, that first run through of the song that was kind of magical. It was so much emotion in it, and to this day, it’s still really special to me." She called the original take "symbolic" and said that "it was providing a message".Kerli praised Lovato's take on the song, stating that she "really conveys the emotion". Kerli went on to say, "I always say that songs are messages and artists are messengers, and at this point in time there is no better messenger for this song than Demi. Her courage to go out and tell the whole world about everything she's been through the past year is beyond inspiring." American singer Jordin Sparks
Jordin Sparks
Jordin Brianna Sparks is an American pop / R&B singer-songwriter and actress. She hails from Glendale, Arizona who rose to fame as the winner of the sixth season of American Idol. Sparks won when she was 17 years old, making her the youngest winner in Idol history...
provided backing vocals on the song. Lovato said that they kept her vocals because "it adds a lot to the song". 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 so they kept them."
Release
Lovato revealed the cover artwork and release date for "Skyscraper" via her TwitterTwitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
account on July 5, 2011. Following the announcement, "Skyscraper" became a trending topic on the site. The song premiered on Tuesday July 12, 2011 on the morning radio show On Air with Ryan Seacrest
On Air with Ryan Seacrest (radio)
On Air with Ryan Seacrest is the name of an American syndicated radio program hosted by Ryan Seacrest. As of 2010, the daily morning radio show airs on Los Angeles top 40 station KIIS-FM and was launched at the same time as the television show with the same name, although Seacrest had hosted a...
. Lovato also called in to talk about the track. On the same morning, the single was made available for digital download
Music download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
on the iTunes Store
ITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
in the United States, although originally planned to be released on July 14. The song reached the top ten on the iTunes chart within an hour, and the summit of the chart later in the afternoon. The single was serviced for mainstream
Contemporary hit radio
Contemporary hit radio is a radio format that is common in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top 40 music charts...
radio airplay on July 26, 2011. Lovato recorded a Spanish version of the track, named "Rascacielo". It was released on the Mexican iTunes store on August 16, 2011.
Upon its release, many celebrities voiced their support of "Skyscraper" on Twitter. According to The Hollywood Reporter
The Hollywood Reporter
Formerly a daily trade magazine, The Hollywood Reporter re-launched in late 2010 as a unique hybrid publication serving the entertainment industry and a consumer audience...
, those celebrities included Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Brianne Clarkson is an American pop rock singer-songwriter and actress. Clarkson came into prominence after becoming the winner of the inaugural season of the television series American Idol in 2002 and would later become the runner-up in the television special World Idol in 2003.In 2003,...
, Selena Gomez
Selena Gomez
Selena Marie Gomez is an American actress and singer best known for portraying Alex Russo in the Emmy Award-winning Disney Channel television series Wizards of Waverly Place...
, Lucy Hale
Lucy Hale
Karen Lucille "Lucy" Hale is an American actress and singer. She is known for her roles as Becca Sommers in Bionic Woman, Rose Baker in Privileged, Sherrie in the horror film Scream 4, and as Aria Montgomery on the hit ABC Family series Pretty Little Liars...
, Kim Kardashian
Kim Kardashian
Kimberly Noel "Kim" Kardashian is an American socialite, television personality, model, actress and businesswoman. She is known for the E! reality series that she shares with her family—Keeping Up with the Kardashians, and its spin-offs including Kourtney and Kim Take New York...
, Katy Perry
Katy Perry
Katy Perry is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Born in Santa Barbara, California, and raised by Christian pastor parents, Perry grew up listening to only gospel music and sang in her local church as a child. After earning a GED during her first year of high school, she began to pursue a...
, Jordin Sparks
Jordin Sparks
Jordin Brianna Sparks is an American pop / R&B singer-songwriter and actress. She hails from Glendale, Arizona who rose to fame as the winner of the sixth season of American Idol. Sparks won when she was 17 years old, making her the youngest winner in Idol history...
, Ashley Tisdale
Ashley Tisdale
Ashley Michelle Tisdale is an American actress and singer who rose to prominence portraying the candy-counter girl Maddie Fitzpatrick in Disney Channel's The Suite Life of Zack & Cody and the female antagonist Sharpay Evans in the High School Musical film series...
and Pete Wentz, among others. In response to the celebrity reactions, 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." Jordin Sparks, who provided backing vocals on the track, posted a video of herself singing the song on her website. Lovato called Sparks' take "beautiful".
Composition
"Skyscraper" is a ballad in which Lovato showcases breathy, quivering and powerful vocals. In the first verse, Lovato is only accompanied by a lonely, pulsing piano as she 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. 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 at Musicnotes.com by EMI Music Publishing, the song is set in common timeTime signature
The time signature is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats are in each measure and which note value constitutes one beat....
with a metronome of 104 beats per minute. It is composed in the key of G major
G major
G major is a major scale based on G, with the pitches G, A, B, C, D, E, and F. Its key signature has one sharp, F; in treble-clef key signatures, the sharp-symbol for F is usually placed on the first line from the top, though in some Baroque music it is placed on the first space from the bottom...
with Lovato's vocal range spanning from the note of G3 to the note of G5. Lyrically, the song is about staying strong and believing in yourself. 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." The song deals with the difficulties she 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."
Critical reception
The song has received extremely positive reviews from music critics and the media. Bill Lamb of About.comAbout.com
About.com is an online source for original information and advice. It is written in English, and is aimed primarily at North Americans. It is owned by The New York Times Company....
rated "Skyscraper" four and half out of five stars. He praised Lovato's breathy vocals, the instrumentation and inspirational lyrics. He said that Lovato's choice of collaboration with Kerli and Toby Gad make the song memorable, stating that the song "sports the simultaneously fragile but resilient feel of collaborator Kerli's work while being guided with the surefire mainstream pop hand of veteran Toby Gad. Here Demi Lovato looks serious about being not only a Disney teen idol but also a true pop artist." Lamb concluded his review, "“Skyscraper” is a complete change of pace from the current dominance of upbeat party tunes on the pop music landscape. Jason Lipshutz of Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
was positive on the song, especially praising Lovato's powerful vocal range. Grady Smith of Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
called the song "pretty inspiring" and wrote that "Lovato’s raspy, crying-out vocal sounds gorgeous". The song won Summer Song at the 2011 Teen Choice Awards
2011 Teen Choice Awards
The 2011 Teen Choice Awards hosted by Kaley Cuoco aired live on August 7, 2011 at 8/7c on Fox. This was the first time that the ceremonies were aired live since the 2007 show...
.
Chart performance
"Skyscraper" debuted at number ten on the Billboard Hot 100Billboard 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...
, selling 176,000 downloads during its first week of release. This charting made the song Lovato's highest-peaking single since "This is Me" reached number nine in August 2008. The song also debuted at number two on the Hot Digital Songs
Hot Digital Songs
The Hot Digital Songs chart ranks the best-selling digital singles in the United States, according to Billboard.Beginning in February 2005, digital sales have been incorporated into many of Billboards music single charts. It was decided to do so mainly because of the dramatic rise in popularity of...
chart. The song also debuted at number eighteen on the Canadian Hot 100
Canadian Hot 100
The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007...
. On the issue dated August 1, 2011, the song entered the New Zealand Singles Chart at number nine. On the issue dated August 7, 2011, it debuted on the Australian Singles Chart at number ninety-two. The next week, it reached its peak of forty-five.
Music video
The music video for "Skyscraper" was directed by Mark PellingtonMark Pellington
-Life and career:Pellington was born in Baltimore, Maryland. He directed The Mothman Prophecies, a 2002 film starring Richard Gere dealing with mysterious deaths foretold by a strange red-eyed flying creature, Mothman, as well as Arlington Road in 1999 starring Tim Robbins and Jeff Bridges....
. Lovato's management sent her different video treatments for the song, including one from Pellington. Lovato based her decision on choosing his idea due to him being "really respected as a director". She said, "he had a great way of really interpreting the song into a video and I was just really thankful that he did such a great job. But he is such an incredible artist and he really knew how to interpret that into a incredible video." The video was shot in the middle of the Bonneville Salt Flats desert and Lovato and Pellington took a private plane to the location. She wanted to keep the video shoot "really intimate, because it needed to be for the song". The shoot, which took twelve hours, was "both physically and mentally tough" for Lovato, as she would "break down and cry" between takes because of the song being so personal to her. On set, Lovato and Pellington were accompanied by the hair and make-up artists and Lovato's management. Due to there not being many people involved, Lovato felt that it was "pretty easy to get to that emotional place" that was needed for the song. She wanted to give the video an "emotionally raw feel", stating, "That video was an emotional release for me, like therapy... I kept crying, I was so emotionally invested...That's when I realized, that's what music videos are all about." The video represents her personal struggles in the past years, including her former eating disorder and cutting
Self-harm
Self-harm or deliberate self-harm includes self-injury and self-poisoning and is defined as the intentional, direct injuring of body tissue most often done without suicidal intentions. These terms are used in the more recent literature in an attempt to reach a more neutral terminology...
, and that she finally sought medical attention.
The video begins with Lovato walking towards the camera on a desert road in Boneville Salt Flats while wearing a long white dress. A close-up shot of Lovato's face serves as the main portion throughout the first verse. As the first chorus begins, a glass heart enclosed in a glass box is shown with fog surrounding it. The video soon cuts back to Lovato as she continues to walk down the road. In the second verse, a black fabric surrounds her, which represents the "toxicity" that took over her mind in the past and made her suffer inside. She is then seen walking over broken glass, which represents her "taking [the toxicity] off" and "powering through it". As the second chorus begins, Lovato begins to find more strength, with one shot showing her standing inside a photograph frame. In the bridge, the glass box with the heart inside is hit, causing the surface to break. Other scenes of the black fabric and Lovato walking over glass are shown afterwards. As the last chorus begins, a close-up is shown of Lovato as a tear rolls down her cheek. Soon thereafter, a clip of the glass box is shown with the surface being wrecked, but the heart remaining intact, serving as a symbol for "strength and faith during hard times". The video ends with Lovato looking directly into the camera before it fades out.
A teaser clip was uploaded to YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
on July 11, 2011. The full video premiered on July 13, 2011 on E! News
E! News
E! News, previously known as E! News Daily and E! News Live, is a nightly entertainment newsmagazine program airing on E!: Entertainment Television. The program debuted on September 1, 1991 and talks about Hollywood celebrities and gossip...
, followed by a premiere on Vevo
Vevo
Vevo is a music video website. It is a joint venture among Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group, and Abu Dhabi Media with EMI licensing its content to the group without taking an ownership stake. The service was launched officially on December 8, 2009...
the next day. Soon after the E! News premiere, Lovato sat down with Ryan Seacrest
Ryan Seacrest
Ryan John Seacrest is an American radio personality, television host, network producer and voice actor. He is the host of On Air with Ryan Seacrest, a nationally syndicated Top 40 radio show that airs on KIIS-FM in Los Angeles and throughout the United States and Canada on Premiere Radio Networks,...
in an exclusive interview. The video was met with positive reception. James Montgomery of MTV News
MTV News
MTV News is the news division of MTV, one of the first and most popular music television network in the U.S., as well as some of MTV's related channels around the world. MTV News began in the late 1980s with the program The Week In Rock, hosted by Kurt Loder, the first official MTV News correspondent...
was very positive on the video, especially a scene in which Lovato looks into the camera and almost breaks into tears. Montgomery said, "I'm not sure if she's acting or not, but I doubt it, and really, it's not like it matters. Not when a singer connects to a song on such a visceral level, especially one who's already been through the wringer." He concluded, "there's some dramatically billowing fabrics and some shattered glass, but really, the song is the star. And that simplicity is perfect here, because the song provides all the pyrotechnics necessary." Grady Smith of Entertainment Weekly praised the video for being simple, saying "There are no electric guitars or goofy story lines here—just simple, raw passion." Bill Lamb of About.com wrote that the video "fits perfectly with the mood and emotional intensity of the song." Melina Newman of HitFix
HitFix
HitFix, or the HitFix.com is an entertainment news website that launched in December 2008 specializing in breaking entertainment news, insider information and providing reviews and critiques of film, music and television...
said that "No one else appears in the Mark Pellington-directed clip as the focus is clearly on showing the pain [Lovato has] gone through and from which she is rising, not like the proverbial phoenix
Phoenix (mythology)
The phoenix or phenix is a mythical sacred firebird that can be found in the mythologies of the Arabian, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, Chinese, Indian and Phoenicians....
, but like a skyscraper." Newman praised Pellington for bringing "a sense of intimacy to the clip despite the often wide-open spaces."
Live performances
Lovato has preformed her hit single numerous times. She performed her song at:- The Do Something Awards on VH1VH1VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
on August 18, 2011 (She performed the song for the 1st time & it was her 1st live performance since leaving the Jonas Brothers World Tour to enter the rehab facility.).
- America's Got TalentAmerica's Got TalentAmerica's Got Talent is an American reality television series on the NBC television network, and part of the global British Got Talent franchise. It is a talent show that features singers, dancers, magicians, comedians, and other performers of all ages competing for the advertised top prize of...
on August 24, 2011, as she performed the ballad.
- The Perez Hilton show, visiting in LA, where she also preformed "Don't Forget".
- The ALMA Awards in Santa MonicaSanta MônicaSanta Mônica is a town and municipality in the state of Paraná in the Southern Region of Brazil.-References:...
on the weekend of the 10th anniversary of the WTC skyscraper attacks. For these Latino awards, she sang the second verse in Spanish.
- Good Morning AmericaGood Morning AmericaGood Morning America is an American morning news and talk show that is broadcast on the ABC television network; it debuted on November 3, 1975. The weekday program airs for two hours; a third hour aired between 2007 and 2008 exclusively on ABC News Now...
on September 19.
- The Ellen DeGeneres ShowThe Ellen DeGeneres ShowThe Ellen DeGeneres Show, often shortened to Ellen, is an American television talk show hosted by comedian/actress Ellen DeGeneres. Debuting on September 8, 2003, it is produced by Telepictures and airs in syndication, including stations owned by NBC Universal. For its first five seasons, the show...
which aired on September 20.
- Her show on September 17 at the Hammerstein BallroomHammerstein BallroomThe Hammerstein Ballroom is a two-tiered, 12,000 square feet ballroom located within the Manhattan Center Studios on 311 West 34th Street in Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States of America. It is known for its elegant appearance and excellent acoustical design...
in NYC.
- Club Nokia in Los Angeles on September 23.
- Dancing With the StarsDancing with the StarsDancing with the Stars is the name of several international television series based on the format of the British TV series Strictly Come Dancing, which is distributed by BBC Worldwide – the commercial arm of the BBC. Currently the format has been licensed to over 35 countries...
.
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Teen Choice Awards Teen Choice Awards The Teen Choice Awards, are an annual awards show that air on the Fox cable channel, that honor the year's biggest biggest achievements in music, movies, sports, television, fashion and more, voted by teen viewers aged 14 through 17. Winners receive an authentic full size surfboard designed with... |
"Choice Summer: Song" | "Skyscraper" | |
| J-14 Teen Icon Awards | "Iconic Song" | "Skyscraper" | ||
| Youth Rock Awards | "Music Video of the Year" | "Skyscraper" | ||
| EV. Music Awards | "Best Teen Video" | "Skyscraper" |
Track listing
- Digital download
- "Skyscraper" – 3:42
- "Rascacielo" download
- "Rascacielo (Skyscraper - Spanish Language Mix)" – 3:42
Credits and personnel
- Songwriting – Toby GadToby GadTobias "Toby" Gad is a Los Angeles-based hit producer and songwriter from Germany, perhaps best known for co-writing Fergie's Grammy nominated hit song "Big Girls Don't Cry" as well as co-writing and producing Beyoncé's worldwide #1 hit "If I Were a Boy", and The Veronicas multi-platinum #1...
, Kerli Kõiv, Lindy RobbinsLindy RobbinsLindy Robbins is a songwriter from Los Angeles. She has contributed many recognizable songs to popular culture.-Career:She started singing with her late, gifted musician father Walter Wissman when she was three-years-old, and was an acclaimed performer in NYC and LA before becoming a full-time... - Production – Toby Gad
Charts
| Chart (2011) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Brazil (Billboard Brasil Billboard Brasil Billboard Brasil is a monthly Brazilian magazine launched on October 10, 2009, with a print-run of over 40,000 copies. It is distributed nationwide by Brazil's biggest distributor Dinap... ) |
8 |
| Canada (Canadian Hot 100 Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007... ) |
18 |
| US 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... |
10 |
| US Adult Pop Songs (Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... ) |
27 |
| US Pop Songs (Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... ) |
33 |
Certifications
{| class="wikitable sortable"! Region
! Provider
! Certification
|-
| United States
| RIAA
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
| Gold
|-
Radio add dates and release history
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"! scope="col"| Country
! scope="col"| Release date
! scope="col"| Format(s)
|-
!scope="row"| United States
| July 12, 2011
|rowspan="5"| Digital download
Music download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
|-
!scope="row"| Canada
| rowspan="2"| July 19, 2011
|-
!scope="row"| Mexico
|-
!scope="row"| Australia
|rowspan="2"| July 25, 2011
|-
!scope="row"| New Zealand
|-
!scope="row"| United States
| July 26, 2011
| Mainstream
Contemporary hit radio
Contemporary hit radio is a radio format that is common in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top 40 music charts...
airplay
|}