"Skyscraper" | ||||
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Single by Demi Lovato | ||||
from the album Unbroken | ||||
B-side | "Rascacielo" (Spanish version of "Skyscraper") | |||
Released | July 12, 2011 | |||
Recorded | 2010 | |||
Studio | Strawberrybee Studios (Los Angeles) | |||
Genre | Pop | |||
Length | 3:42 | |||
Label | Hollywood | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | Toby Gad | |||
Demi Lovato singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Skyscraper" on YouTube |
"Skyscraper" is a song recorded by American singer Demi Lovato for her third studio album, Unbroken (2011). It was released by Hollywood Records on July 12, 2011, as the lead single from the album. The song was written by Toby Gad, Lindy Robbins, and Kerli; the former handled its production. American singer Jordin Sparks provided background vocals for the track. It was inspired by a picture of the apocalypse, in which the world was in ruins and, among collapsed buildings, one skyscraper was standing.
When the song was recorded, Lovato was very emotional which triggered outbursts and caused her to start crying. On November 1, 2010, she entered a treatment facility to deal with her personal struggles, and was later diagnosed with bipolar disorder. After completing treatment on January 28, 2011, Lovato re-recorded the song, but kept the original recording as she felt it was symbolic. Musically, it is a pop ballad with lyrics about staying strong and believing in oneself. A Spanish version of the song, alternatively titled "Rascacielo", was released on August 16, 2011. Years later, the artist re-recorded "Skyscraper" and included it on her first remix album, Revamped (2023).
A music video for the single, directed by Mark Pellington, premiered on July 13, 2011; it features Lovato wearing a white dress on a desert road. "Skyscraper" was included on the set lists of her concert tours starting on A Special Night with Demi Lovato (2011–2013). "Skyscraper" debuted and peaked at number ten on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Lovato's highest-charting single since "This Is Me" in 2008. "Skyscraper" sold 176,000 digital downloads in the first week of release in the United States, setting a sales record for Lovato. Internationally, the song reached the top 10 in the United Kingdom and New Zealand as well as the top 20 in Canada, Denmark, and Ireland. The song has sold over 1.6 million digital downloads in The United States and has been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).