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Beautiful (Christina-Aguilera-Lied)

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"Beautiful" is a song recorded by American singer Christina Aguilera. It was written and produced by Linda Perry for Aguilera's fourth studio album, Stripped (2002). A cello-driven, classically-flavored ballad, it tells the story of someone who is fighting against low self-esteem and insecurity issues; its main message is about inner beauty and not letting other people's opinions and words disturb one's peace of mind.

The song was released as the album's second single on December 24, 2002 and reached number one in several countries; becoming the most successful single from Stripped, topping the charts in the United Kingdom and Canada as well as peaking at number 2 in the United States. It also was embraced by the LGBT community as an anthem.

Beautiful received general acclaim from critics and has been noted as one of Aguilera's strongest singles. The music video also gained Aguilera a Special Recognition GLAAD Award for its positive portrayal of gay and transgender people.

The song won the Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 2004 ceremony and was also nominated for Song of the Year. It also was ranked number fifty-two on Rolling StonePflichtangabe Text für Zitat im Zitat fehlts Top 100 songs of the decade. UK LGBT rights charity Stonewall named Beautiful the most empowering song of the decade for LGBT people. [1]

Background and release

Perry had written "Beautiful" long before she let anyone hear it. She considered the song very dear and personal to her and was insecure about sharing it with anyone else. At first she had let Pink hear "Beautiful" before anyone else during their Missundaztood sessions. Pink was so impressed with the song that she had asked Perry if she could record it for her album, but Perry declined, feeling that she wanted to save it for her own singing career. A few months later, while Aguilera and Perry were recording for the Stripped session, Perry also let Aguilera listen to the song. Aguilera also very much liked the song that while Perry was playing the piano for it, Aguilera took over the vocals for the song. After that, Aguilera told Perry that she needed this song on her album. Perry was both impressed by Aguilera and confused, because even though she was blown away by her rendition of the song, she still did not want to give it up. After Aguilera continued lobbying for the song, Perry was finally convinced that Aguilera matched the song perfectly and handed it over to her.[2]

The song was the first single from the album, but Aguilera came into disagreement with her label to release the single "Dirrty", but after the poor performance of the single, her label released the second single quickly, not to harm album sales. The song became a massive success, becoming Aguilera's fifth number one single worldwide, and her fifth Top 10 hit in America. In addition, the song topped over 20 charts worldwide. Aguilera performed "Beautiful" on various TV shows and on thes tours; Justified/Stripped Tour, Stripped World Tour, Back to Basics Tour. In America, the single was viewed as a comeback single, due to the slight underperformance of her previous single, Dirrty, on the American charts, both released on a 12" format. As with "Genie in a Bottle", which was re-recorded as "Genie 2.0" and performed at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards, Aguilera has re-recorded "Beautiful" in an electronic style for inclusion alongside the original version on her greatest hits album Keeps Gettin' Better - A Decade of Hits with the name "You Are What You Are (Beautiful)".

"Beautiful" was released to American radio station on December 24, 2002. The single was released as a 12" single, and released as a CD Single later in late 2003. "Beautiful" was released on March 3, 2003 in the United Kingdom also as a 12" single. Also, the instrumental version of the song were accompanied by a remix of "Beautiful" made by Peter Rauhofer. In addition, another CD Single was released in Europe in late 2003. It included remixes by Peter Rauhofer, Brother Brown, and Tom Mandolini.

Composition

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"Beautiful" is a gentle ballad composed in the key of E♭ major.[3] It moves at a slow 78 beats per minute.[3] Aguilera's vocal range spans over two octaves from E♭3 to G5.[3] She uses several melismas in the song, fitting as many as seven notes in one syllable.[3] The song was recorded in one take and as a demo version, the version on this album and the single is a demo version.

Critical reception

"Beautiful" received very positive reviews from music critics. Entertainment Weekly found it to be a highlight of Stripped, finding it "more restrained" than the rest of the album.[4] Stylus Magazine described the song as "a typical ballad that actually tastefully reins in Aguilera's frequent vocal acrobatics".[5] "Beautiful" received critical praise from some critics, appreciating how Aguilera and Perry released an opposite genre than the previous single, "Dirrty'. Some critics felt the change in Aguilera's style was too fast, but most appreciated her toying with her image. "I'm truly proud of that song. To me it almost sounds like a Beatles song. I was trying to write a song that affected everybody -- this almost desperate cry that 'I am beautiful, no matter what you say," Linda Perry once stated in an interview. Paul Bryant, music director of influential New York top 40 station Z-100, praised the track, saying "Beautiful' is hands-down a runaway number one record. It's taken her to the next level and given her more respect in the adult community. It's just a classic ballad."[6]

Commercial performance

According to Perry, she and Aguilera's management had recommended "Beautiful" as the lead single from Stripped but that Aguilera insisted on releasing "Dirrty" instead.[7] RCA Records stated that it had agreed with Aguilera to release "Dirrty" to attract attention;[7] when the song only reached number 48 on the Billboard Hot 100 however was successful elsewhere reaching #1 in the UK, "Beautiful" was rush-released as the second single.[5] The song peaked at number two on the U.S. Hot 100 largely because of its strong radio airplay; it was released as a 12" maxi single and at the time sales of this format were much lower than those of regular CD and CD maxi singles. "Beautiful" stayed in the U.S. Top Ten for 12 weeks, and topped many other Billboard magazine charts. It was equally successful elsewhere, and reached number one on the charts in the UK (where it was her fourth number-one single), Australia (where it was her first) and Canada (where it was her second). In New Zealand, it peaked at number one too, and with 13 weeks in the Top 10, it became the 60th most successful song of all time there.[8] "Beautiful" was released in the U.S. on December 24, 2002, and peaked at #2 on Billboard Hot 100, staying on the chart for 27 weeks.

The single proved to be another international phenomenon for Aguilera, entering the Top 5 in almost every European country it was released in, including Germany, Sweden, Norway, Ireland, and Austria. "Beautiful" stayed on the charts in Germany for 11 weeks, and for 42 weeks in Argentina's Top 100 Airplay, at #1. In the Pacific, "Beautiful" peaked at number one on the Australian Singles Chart, and got a Platinum certification by the Australian Recording Industry Association for shipments of 70,000.[9] In New Zealand, the single also peaked at #1, staying on the chart for 22 weeks. It was eventually certified Gold there. In 2004 "Beautiful" won a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, and Linda Perry received a nomination for Song of the Year. The song was ranked number two in the "Readers' Top Ten Singles" list at the 2004 Rolling Stone Music Awards, and its video was also placed at number two in the "Best Video, Readers' Pick" category. The video was the recipient of the "Popular Female Video" award at the 2003 Channel [V] Thailand Music Video Awards. A remix of "Beautiful" by Peter Rauhofer won a 2003 HX Award for "Dance Song of the Year". "Beautiful" went on to become one of the most played songs of the decade, with an audience impression of more than 6 billion.[10]

Live performances

In 2003, Aguilera performed on the David Letterman show, wearing a black gown, a black fedora, and black heels. She performed while sitting on a stool. "Beautiful" has been performed by Aguilera at a number of shows. The song was also performed on the Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2004. The performance starts with the introduction, with Aguilera standing up or sitting on a stool while performing. While performing a stripped down version on the Ellen DeGeneres show, Aguilera wore a green jacket and pants, with a beige undershirt. Her hair was light brown at the time, as she was in the process of dying her hair from black to her natural blonde. In 2006, Aguilera performed it on Good Morning America. The performance was slightly different than usual, because Aguilera no longer had the image she previously had in "Stripped". During her Back to Basics era, she dyed her hair cherry blonde and wore it in thick curls. The performance was live. The song was a major part in the Back to Basics Tour, and on Aguilera's Stripped World Tour. At the end of the song the instrumental of the song is usually played while Aguilera is exiting the stage, previous to when she waves thank you to the audience and bows. In 2008 Aguilera performed the song at the CNN Heroes Tribute Telecast. There, Aguilera wore an elegant black gown with short platinum blonde hair with bangs, and her trademark red lipstick. Aguilera received a standing ovation at the end of the performance. In December 2010 Aguilera performed "Beautiful" as a duet with Rebecca Ferguson, a finalist on UK reality television show The X Factor. On June 28, 2011, Aguilera performed "Beautiful" with Beverly McClellan, a finalist on NBC reality show The Voice.

Music video

The song's music video was directed by Jonas Åkerlund. The video opens with Aguilera speaking the line "Don't look at me", followed by scenes of her singing alone in a room intercut with self image-related sequences of other people. An underweight girl examines herself in a mirror, eventually punching through it; a skinny boy stands lifting weights in a room plastered with images of bodybuilders; and a girl rips out pages of women's magazines and throws them into a fire. In one sequence, a girl is bullied by several peers, and in another, a goth with piercings sits at the back of a bus while several people get up and move. The video also touches on LGBT issues. One scene features a gay couple, portrayed by Jordan Shannon and Justin Croft, kissing on a bench and ignoring the stares of people who pass them.[11] Another scene shows a transvestite MTF, played by Robert Sherman, putting on makeup, a wig, and women's clothing.[11]

The music video was successful on video chart programs. It debuted on MTV's Total Request Live on December 9, 2002 at number two.[12] It was unable to reach the top of the countdown but remained on it for fifty days and retired at number six on February 25, 2003.[13] The video topped MuchMusic's Countdown for two consecutive weeks and remained on the countdown for fifteen weeks.[14] The video received a Special Recognition award, presented by David LaChapelle, from the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation at its 14th annual media awards.[15] After an a cappella performance of the song, Aguilera stated in her acceptance speech that "this song is definitely a universal message that everybody can relate to - anyone that's been discriminated against or unaccepted, unappreciated or disrespected just because of who you are."[15] The video became an instant hit on MTV and other music video channels.

Cover versions

Daniel Franzese, who plays Damian in the 2004 teen comedy film Mean Girls, covered the song in the Christmas talent show scene. Elvis Costello covered the song specifically for the House episode "Autopsy".[16] MADtv parodied the music video as "Virginal", with Christina Moore portraying Aguilera. In the video, Aguilera becomes "virginal" after everyone tires of her sleazy image (the last straw being the Dirrty video), and declares that she'll go back to being a whore if her born-again virgin image doesn't sell.[17] Angy Fernandez sang it in the first season of the Spanish version of Factor X. It was also covered by Gloria Gaynor in the British television program Hit Me Baby One More Time, where she performed a disco version of the song. Alex Parks winner of BBC TV's "Fame Academy" also recorded a version for her 2003 debut album and appeared as a b-side to her first single "Maybe That's What It Takes". Amber Riley, who plays Mercedes Jones on the television series Glee, covered in the episode "Home". David Walliams sang it to the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, played by Anthony Head, in an episode of Little Britain. In "Believe the Unseen", an episode of ER that first aired on January 10, 2008, the song is performed a capella by a young girl with Leber's congenital amaurosis. Australian Idol 2006 runner up Jessica Mauboy performed a cover during the Top 10 show #1 Hits, which received much praise from the judges and audience. She then went on to release a cover of "Beautiful" for her Australian Idol: The Journey album which was released as a single but never was charted.

In addition, guitarists Richard Fortus and Robin Finck of Guns N' Roses covered "Beautiful" instrumentally for the early shows of Guns N' Roses' 2006 tour. It was covered by Kenny G and Chaka Khan for Kenny G's At Last...The Duets Album. Clem Snide covered the song as the title track to its 2004 A Beautiful EP. Bob Ricci recorded a parody of the song called "Unhackable" for his 2008 album Bob's Gone Wild. The band Hunchback recorded a cover version for their album Pray For Scars which features Michael Gerald from Killdozer. The Zutons performed a cover of the song for BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge. Israeli punk band Make It Rain often play a cover version in their shows. The Lemonheads cover the song on their album Varshons (2009). Suede singer Brett Anderson performed a version of the song on piano, which was uploaded to his official YouTube channel.[18] Krezip performed this song as part of their unplugged "PURE" session for music channel The Box. This recording is available on CD and DVD "That'll be unpugged". Sandra Bernhard did an own version as the opening song to her 2007 comedy show "Everything Bad & Beautiful". In the end, after she sings a medley of "Just Like a Pill" by Pink and "Kiss Me Deadly" by Lita Ford, she repeats the line "so don't you bring me down today". Katharine McPhee performs the song on NBC's upcoming show Smash.[19]

Aguilera's rendition was later mocked by Pink during her 2004 Try This Tour. During the tour, Pink performs a solo version of Lady Marmalade with four blow up dolls resembling herself, Lil' Kim, Mýa and Aguilera. Along with her background dancers, Pink performs several aggressive sexual acts with the dolls. As the song flows to Aguilera's verse, Pink stops the performance abruptly and states to the crowd, "I want you guys to see this face". She then begins to improv the chorus of "Beautiful", stating, "You are beautiful, no matter what I say."[20]

On October 5 2010, several hundred people gathered in front of the Massachusetts State House and sang Beautiful as a tribute to the teenagers that committed suicide due to anti-gay bullying during the previous months.[21] And in March 2011, the Columbus Children's Choir and Columbus Gay Men's Chorus joined to perform the song as a contribution to the It Gets Better Project.[22]

Track listings and formats

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U.S. 12" single
  1. "Beautiful" (Peter Rauhofer remix)
  2. "Beautiful" (Al B Rich Next Level mix)
  3. "Beautiful" (Valentin club mix)
U.S. digital download
  1. "Beautiful" (Peter Rauhofer radio mix)
  2. "Beautiful" (Al B Rich radio mix)
  3. "Beautiful" (Valentin radio mix)
  4. "Beautiful" (Peter Rauhofer short club)
  5. "Beautiful" (Brother Brown mixshow)
  6. "Beautiful" (Brother Brown Divine mix)
  7. "Beautiful" (Al B Rich Next Level mix)
  8. "Beautiful" (Peter Rauhofer Beautiful theme)
  9. "Beautiful" (Valentin club mix)
  10. "Beautiful" (Peter Rauhofer extended club)
  11. "Beautiful" (Brother Brown dub)

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Australian CD single
  1. "Beautiful"
  2. "Dame Lo Que Yo Te Doy"
  3. "Beautiful" (video)
Canadian CD single
  1. "Beautiful"
  2. "Dame Lo Que Yo Te Doy"
UK CD single
  1. "Beautiful (album version)"
  2. "Dirrty (MaUVe Mix)"
  3. "Beautiful" (video)
UK 12" single
  1. "Beautiful" (Shanghai Surprise mix)
  2. "Beautiful" (Tom Mandolini mix)
  3. "Beautiful" (Brother Brown mixshow)
  4. "Beautiful" (Brother Brown Divine mix)

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Credits and personnel

Charts, certification and procession

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Charts

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Charts (2003)[23] Peak
position
US Billboard Top 40 Mainstream[24] 1

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Certifications

Country Certification
Australia[25] Platinum
New Zealand[26] Gold
United States[27] Gold

End of year charts

Country Position
Australia[28] 24
Austria[29] 45
Germany[30] 56
Ireland[31] 16
Netherlands[32] 35
New Zealand[33] 3
Switzerland[34] 66
United Kingdom[35] 23
United States[36] 16

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Chart procession and succession

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Awards

Year Ceremony Award Result
2003 MTV Europe Music Awards Best Song Nominated
2003 Channel [V] Thailand Music Video Awards Popular Female Video Won
2003 Teen.com Award Best Song Female Artist Won
2004 Grammy Awards Song of the Year Nominated
2004 Grammy Awards Best Female Pop Vocal Performance Won
2004 Grammy Awards Best Remixed Recording Nominated
2004 Groovevolt Music & Fashion Awards Song of the Year Won
2004 Groovevolt Music & Fashion Awards Video of the Year Won
2004 ASCAP Pop Music Awards Best Song Won
2004 HX Awards Dance Song of the Year Won

References

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Vorlage:Christina Aguilera singles

  1. ↑ http://www.stonewall.org.uk/media/current_releases/5511.asp
  2. ↑ "Linda Perry, High Priestess of Pop". American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. 2003. Retrieved June 12, 2007.
  3. ↑ a b c d Sheet music for "Beautiful". Famous Music. 2002.
  4. ↑ Browne, David. "Stripped (Music - Christina Aguilera)". Entertainment Weekly. October 28, 2002. Retrieved June 12, 2007.
  5. ↑ a b Burns, Todd. "Christina Aguilera - Stripped - Review". Stylus Magazine. January 9, 2003. Retrieved June 12, 2007.
  6. ↑ http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,410794~4~0~whychristinaaguilerais,00.html
  7. ↑ a b Hiatt, Brian. "Rump Shaken". Entertainment Weekly, issue 680. November 1, 2002. Retrieved June 15, 2007.
  8. ↑ charts.org.nz - New Zealand charts portal
  9. ↑ http://www.aria.com.au/pages/aria-charts-accreditations-singles-2002.htm
  10. ↑ http://www.mmr247.com/mmrweb/Reports/Reg/EMD.asp?SOngID=1245485&NumDays=7
  11. ↑ a b "Christina Aguilera to be Honored at 14th Annual GLAAD Media Awards Presented by Absolut Vodka in Los Angeles". Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. February 8, 2003. Retrieved June 12, 2007.
  12. ↑ "The TRL Archive - Debuts". ATRL. Retrieved June 12, 2007.
  13. ↑ "The TRL Archive - Hall of Fame". ATRL. Retrieved June 12, 2007.
  14. ↑ "Christina Aguilera Beautiful". Top40-Charts.com. Retrieved June 12, 2007.
  15. ↑ a b "Eric McCormack, Todd Haynes, Christina Aguilera, The Hours, Six Feet Under Honored at 14th Annual GLAAD Media Awards Presented by Absolut Vodka in Los Angeles". Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. April 26, 2003. Retrieved June 12, 2007.
  16. ↑ Bundy, Brill and Porter, Rick. "Press Tour Tidbits: Brett Ratner 'Loves' Naked Men". Tribune Media Services. July 29, 2005. Retrieved June 12, 2007.
  17. ↑ Episode 815, MADtv (15 February 2003).
  18. ↑ "Brett Anderson in Christina Aguilera shock". NME.com. 19 Dec 2006
  19. ↑ http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2011/05/reviewing_the_nbc_upfront.html
  20. ↑ Moore, Alecia: P!nk-Lady Marmalade-Try This Tour-Koln-2004. Länge 1:55, [Audio]. Cologne, Germany 15. März 2004 (google.com [MP3]).
  21. ↑ http://jointheimpactma.com/?p=715
  22. ↑ http://www.afterelton.com/other/2011/04/it-gets-better-columbus-gay-mens-chorus
  23. ↑ Chart data. swisscharts.com, 2002, abgerufen am 3. Oktober 2008.
  24. ↑ [%5Bhttps://www.allmusic.com/artist/%20%3Cspan%3EBeautiful%3C/span%3E%5D%20bei%20%5B%5BAllMusic%5D%5D%20(englisch)%5B%5BCategory:Wikipedia:Vorlagenfehler/Vorlage:Allmusic%5D%5D Billboard charts.] Allmusic, 2002, abgerufen am 3. Oktober 2008.
  25. ↑ Australian Recording Industry Association: Australian certification. aria.com.au, 2003, abgerufen am 3. Oktober 2008.
  26. ↑ New Zealand certification. Radioscope, 2007, abgerufen am 10. Januar 2009.
  27. ↑ Recording Industry Association of America: U.S. certification. riaa.com, 31. März 2006, abgerufen am 3. Oktober 2008.
  28. ↑ Australian Recording Industry Association: ARIA charts — End of year charts. aria.com.au, 2003, abgerufen am 10. Januar 2009.
  29. ↑ Austrian year-end chart. austriancharts.at, 2003, abgerufen am 10. Januar 2009.
  30. ↑ Universität Würzburg: German year-end chart. ki.informatik.uni-wuerzburg.de, 2003, abgerufen am 10. Januar 2009.
  31. ↑ http://www.irma.ie/best2003.htm
  32. ↑ http://dutchcharts.nl/jaaroverzichten.asp?year=2003&cat=s
  33. ↑ Record Industry Association of New Zealand: Annual Top 50 Singles Chart 2003. RIANZ, 2003, abgerufen am 10. Januar 2009.
  34. ↑ Hit Parade: Swiss year-end chart. swisscharts.com, 2003, abgerufen am 10. Januar 2009.
  35. ↑ http://www.bpi.co.uk/assets/files/yearly%20best%20selling%20singles.pdf
  36. ↑ Billboard Top 100 – 2003. Longboredsurfer.com, abgerufen am 29. Dezember 2010.
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