Lift Me Up (Christina Aguilera song)

"Lift Me Up" is a song by American singer-songwriter Christina Aguilera, taken from her sixth studio album Bionic (2010). The song was written and produced by Linda Perry, who also provided all the song's instrumentation. Perry and Aguilera previously collaborated on Aguilera's records Stripped (2002) and Back to Basics (2006), and on her compilation Keeps Gettin' Better: A Decade of Hits (2008), and the singer enlisted Perry again to work on Bionic as the main producer. However, Perry only wrote and produced "Lift Me Up".

"Lift Me Up"
Song by Christina Aguilera
from the album Bionic
Recorded
GenrePop
Length4:07
LabelRCA
Songwriter(s)Linda Perry
Producer(s)Linda Perry

Described as an empowering piano ballad, "Lift Me Up" talks about being thankful to someone for helping the protagonist through hard times. The song was first premiered during the Hope for Haiti Now telethon that was held on January 22, 2010 and later, it was included on the charity album, Hope for Haiti Now. The live version differs from the album version, since it features a more stripped, acoustic sound and the album version has an electronic addition.

"Lift Me Up" received polarized reviews from music critics. While some critics praised the song, calling it serviceable and obligatory, many called it a boring and cliché ballad. The live version of the song charted on the low-regions of the UK Singles Chart and on the US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles, while the album version charted higher on the South Korea Gaon International Singles Chart.

Background
Longtime collaborator Linda Perry wrote and produced the track.

Christina Aguilera and Linda Perry first collaborated on Aguilera's sophomore studio album, Stripped (2002), spawning one of her signature songs, "Beautiful", and later on Aguilera's retro-inspired album Back to Basics (2006), working entirely on its second disc, including the second and third single, "Hurt" and "Candyman". The pair also worked on Aguilera's new tracks from her compilation "Keeps Gettin' Better: A Decade of Hits" (2008), including its lead-single,[1] and during an interview for Billboard, she announced Perry as her next project's main producer.[2]

In January 2010, Aguilera premiered a piano-version of the song during the Hope for Haiti Now telethon along with Perry on the piano.[1] While commenting on the song, Aguilera talked about working with Perry once more, stating, "'Lift Me Up' was a song that I teamed once again with Linda Perry, she's always on my 'go-to' list, she's just an amazing artist herself and songwriter, we just make magic together. She and I collaborated on 'Lift Me Up', she had written the song, as well as having written 'Beautiful' years ago, took a first listen and I knew I have to interpret this song."[3]

Composition and lyrical interpretation

"Lift Me Up" was written and produced by Linda Perry.[4] Perry was also responsible for providing piano, percussion, bass, programming, guitar and keyboards, while Andrew Chavez served as the right hand man and Pro Tools engineer.[5] The song also features drums, violin, strings, viola, cello and contrabass as instruments. Recorded at the Kung Fu Gardens, The Red Lips Room, and mixed at the Larrabee Studios, "Lift Me Up" is written in the key of E major, having a "gentle" tempo of 74 beats per minute. Aguilera's vocal range span from G♯3 to E5.[6]

"Lift Me Up" is an inspirational piano ballad,[7][8] where Aguilera thanks a loved one for helping her through hard times.[9] In the chorus, she sings: "When you see me crashing and there's nowhere left to fall, will you lift me [even] higher?".[1] According to Aguilera, while discussing some songs on Bionic on the album's "Track-by-Track" commentary, the song is a "light at the end of the tunnel, asking for a little lift, a little guidance, a little help, if you [are] feeling a little down or distressed, and I knew it was a song that would be relatable to a lot of people."[3]

Critical reception

Music critics were divided with the song; with some praising Aguilera delivery, but others criticized the song's thematic. Margaret Wappler of Los Angeles Times described the song as "an 'American Idol'-ready ballad [and] a classic demonstration of the singer's range from tender to throaty,"[10] while Mesfin Fekadu of Boston Globe noted that Aguilera "wins you over on the Linda Perry-assisted track."[11] Dan Martin of NME called it "serviceable and obligatory",[12] while Allison Stewart from The Washington Post recalled it as "obligatory but still goose-bump-raising inspirational ballad."[13] In a positive review, Bradley Stern of MuuMuse named it a "gorgeous Linda Perry-penned ballad", noting that the song could be "the next best candidate to follow Aguilera's already established classics, 'Beautiful and 'Hurt'."[14] While noting that the song is "a cliche-ridden [ballad]", Thomas Conner of Chicago Sun Times added that the song is "mighty and inspirational [and] could go into the ring right now with the biggest Celine Dion contenders and come to a draw."[15]

In a less favorable review, a writer from the UK newspaper Scotsman wrote that the song is a "feeble, pedestrian [...] standard issue ballad Linda Perry found while scraping her songwriting barrel,"[16] while Alexis Petridis of The Guardian calling it a "patented self-help ballad."[17] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic simply called it a "boring inspirational song",[18] with Rolling Stone's writer Rob Sheffield agreeing, calling it an "inevitable Linda Perry snoozer."[19] For Jon Pareles of The New York Times the song "tries to invoke 'Imagine' but falls short,"[20] with Michael Cragg of MusicOMH also adding that "Perry contribute in a typically cloying and cliché-ridden ballad."[21] Nick Levine of Digital Spy named the song an "odd dull" moment on the album, calling the song "drippy",[22] Chris DeLine of Culture Bully felt that the song's "sentimentality weighs the track down."[23] and Craig Mathieson of The Sydney Morning Herald criticized Aguilera for "stroll[ing] through a generic ballad of struggle and fulfilment."[24]

Omar Kholeif of PopMatters was negative with the song, citing it as "one of those shallow, vomit-inducing laments barely good enough to pass for a winning song on an American Idol finale [...] [and] no better than a retro Aguilera B-side like 'Too Beautiful for Words' or an A-side like 'I Turn to You'."[25] In a similar mode, Greg Kot of The Chicago Tribune questioned: "[D]oes the world need another over-emoted power ballad like the Linda Perry-written and produced 'Lift Me Up'?".[4] For Jordan Richardson of Blogcritics the song "feels like just about every other Xtina ballad except with smaller notes,"[26] however Mike Wass of Idolator observed that the song "[i]t’s not quite as anthemic as 'Beautiful' or as raw as 'Hurt,' but it’s a pretty ballad that puts the focus back where it should be: on Christina’s magnificent voice."[27]

Live performance

Aguilera performed a stripped-down version of "Lift Me Up" on the "Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief telethon" that was held on January 22, 2010.[28] Perry accompanied Aguilera playing piano during the performance.[1] It was later included on the "Hope for Haiti Now album".[29] The performance was praised by music critics. Jayson Rodriguez of MTV News wrote that "[t]he elegant singer belted out 'Lift Me Up' with vigor and a chilling vitality,"[1] while Luke Crampton from The Huffington Post praised Aguilera for "ha[ving] the courage to debut a new original song," calling her a "[s]upreme balladeer," noting that "with all her success she remains an underrated singer-songwriter." Crampton also noted that she gave an "[i]mpeccable delivery, but as a stand-alone composition, not within a mile of her glorious 2006 hit, 'Hurt'."[30] Dave Karger of Entertainment Weekly's Pop Watch listed the 10 best numbers of the night and "Lift Me Up" was at number 6, noting that "her belt-tastic performance of her new ballad [...] was reminiscent of Whitney Houston in her prime."[31]

Credits and personnel
Recording locations
  • Recording – Kung Fu Gardens, North Hollywood, California
  • Vocal recording – The Red Lips Room, Beverly Hills, California.
  • Mixing – Larrabee Studios, Burbank, California.
Personnel
  • Songwriting – Linda Perry
  • Production – Linda Perry
  • Piano, percurssion, bass, programing, guitar and keyboards – Linda Perry

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Bionic, RCA Records.[5]

Charts

Upon the release of the Hope for Haiti Now album, "Lift Me Up" debuted and peaked on the UK Singles Chart at number 183 in the chart issue February 6, 2010.[32] It also debuted and peaked on the US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles at number 25.[33] In South Korea, the album's version debuted at number 35 on the Gaon International Downloads Chart on the chart issue June 6, 2010.[34]

Chart (2010) Peak
position
South Korea Gaon International Downloads Chart[34] 35
UK Singles Chart (Official Charts Company)[32] 183
US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (Billboard)[33] 25
gollark: > there's no problem a bit of napalm can't solveNapalm can't solve, really, the majority of problems.
gollark: The nuclear arsenal is controlled by PotatOS's Nucleonic Warfare Division™ and I am NOT turning it over to you.
gollark: You are probably NOT going to improve things by nuking a fifth of the world's population.
gollark: No.
gollark: Not VERY techy, but I guess more so than, say, developing countries.

References
  1. Rodriguez, Jayson (January 22, 2010). "'Hope For Haiti Now' Performances: A Track-By-Track List". MTV News. Retrieved May 15, 2012.
  2. Concepcion, Mariel (November 14, 2008). "Christina Aguilera: Better And 'Better'". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 6, 2010.
  3. "Bionic Track-By-Track: Lift Me Up". Christina Aguilera.com. May 26, 2010. Archived from the original on May 30, 2010. Retrieved May 15, 2012.
  4. Kot, Greg (June 7, 2010). "Turn It Up: Album review: Christina Aguilera, 'Bionic'". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved May 15, 2012.
  5. Bionic (liner notes). Christina Aguilera. RCA Records. 2010.CS1 maint: others (link)
  6. "Lift Me Up by Christina Aguilera - Digital Sheet Music". MusicNotes.com. Sony/ATV Music Publishing. Retrieved May 31, 2015.
  7. Newman, Melinda (June 7, 2010). "Review: Christina Aguilera's 'Bionic' shows a machine-like workmanship". HitFix. Retrieved May 17, 2012.
  8. O'Hare, Kevin (June 6, 2010). "Sex obsessions run rampant on Christina Aguilera's 'Bionic' album". The Republican. Retrieved May 28, 2015.
  9. Withmore, Meredith (June 8, 2010). "Bionic Music Review (2010) | Plugged In". Plugged In. Retrieved May 25, 2015.
  10. Wappler, Margaret (June 7, 2010). "Album review: Christina Aguilera's 'Bionic'". Los Angeles Times. Tribune Company. Retrieved May 15, 2012.
  11. Fekadu, Mesfin (June 7, 2010). "Review: Aguilera has an identity crisis on new CD". Boston Globe. Retrieved May 15, 2012.
  12. "Christina Aguilera – Album review: Bionic (RCA)". New Musical Express. Time Inc. June 7, 2010. Retrieved May 15, 2012.
  13. Stewart, Allison (June 7, 2010). "Christina Aguilera's new album 'Bionic' is a mish-mash of Gaga and blah". The Washington Post. The Washington Post Company. Retrieved June 7, 2010.
  14. Stern, Bradley (June 7, 2012). "CHRISTINA AGUILERA: BIONIC (ALBUM REVIEW)". MuuMuse. Retrieved May 17, 2012.
  15. Conner, Thomas (June 7, 2010). "Christina Aguilera, 'Bionic' - Music: Via Chicago". Chicago Sun Times. Archived from the original on October 17, 2015. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
  16. "Album review: Christina Aguilera, Bionic". Scotsman. June 6, 2010. Retrieved May 17, 2012.
  17. Alexis Petridis (June 3, 2010). "Christina Aguilera: Bi-On-Ic | CD review | Music". =The Guardian. London: Guardian Media Group. Retrieved June 6, 2010.
  18. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "( Bionic > Overview )". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved May 14, 2012.
  19. Sheffield, Rob. "'Bionic' by Christina Aguilera". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Retrieved June 9, 2010.
  20. Pareles, Jon (June 6, 2010). "New CDs". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved June 7, 2010.
  21. Cragg, Michael (June 7, 2010). "Christina Aguilera - Bionic | album reviews | musicOMH". musicOMH. Archived from the original on October 9, 2012. Retrieved May 15, 2012.
  22. Levine, Nick (June 14, 2010). "Christina Aguilera: 'Bionic' - Music Review - Digital Spy". Digital Spy. Retrieved May 25, 2015.
  23. DeLine, Chris (May 26, 2010). "Christina Aguilera "Bionic" Review". Culture Bully. Archived from the original on August 25, 2010. Retrieved May 18, 2012.
  24. Mathieson, Craig (June 11, 2010). "Music Review: Bionic". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
  25. Kholeif, Omar. "Christina Aguilera: Bionic < Popmatters". PopMatters. Retrieved June 22, 2010.
  26. Richardson, Jordan (June 25, 2010). "Music Review: Christina Aguilera - Bionic - Page 2". Blogcritics. Archived from the original on June 30, 2010. Retrieved May 15, 2012.
  27. Wass, Mike (November 9, 2012). "In Defense Of Christina Aguilera's 'Bionic,' As She Readies The Release Of 'Lotus'". Idolator. Retrieved May 25, 2015.
  28. Naoreen, Nuzhat (January 22, 2010). "Taylor Swift And Christina Aguilera: Relive Their Powerful 'Hope For Haiti' Performances". MTV News. Retrieved May 14, 2012.
  29. "Hope for Haiti Now - Various Artists | Allmusic". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved May 15, 2012.
  30. Crampton, Luke (January 28, 2010). "Hope for Haiti - No Hope for Music". Huffington Post. Retrieved May 15, 2012.
  31. Karger, Dave (January 22, 2010). "'Hope For Haiti Now': The telethon's 10 best performances". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 15, 2012.
  32. "UK Singles Chart: CLUK Update (6.02.2010 – week 04)". Zobbel.de. Retrieved May 15, 2012.
  33. "Lift Me Up - Christina Aguilera | Billboard.com". Billboard Magazine. Retrieved May 15, 2012.
  34. "Gaon International Download Chart - Search: Issue date: June 06, 2010, June 12, 2010" (To access the applicable chart, change "년 (Year)" to "2010" and select the week "July 06 - July 12, 2010"). Gaon Chart. Retrieved May 15, 2012.
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