"Fighter" is a song by American singer

Christina Aguilera Christina María Aguilera (; ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and television personality. Known for her four-octave vocal range and ability to sustain high notes, she has been referred to as the " Voice of ...

for her fourth studio album, ''

Stripped Stripped may refer to: Music * "Stripped" (song), by Depeche Mode, 1986 * ''Stripped'' (Christina Aguilera album) or the title song, 2002 * ''Stripped'' (Daniel Ash album), 2014 * ''Stripped'' (Macy Gray album), 2016 * ''Stripped'' (Pretty Ma ...

'' (2002). The song was written by Aguilera and

Scott Storch Scott Spencer Storch (born December 16, 1973) is an American record producer and songwriter. He started off as a keyboardist for the group the Roots. Early life Storch was born on Long Island, New York. He was raised in South Florida and Phila ...

, and produced by the latter. It was released by

RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also A ...

as the third

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

from ''Stripped'' on March 10, 2003. Inspired by

Guns N' Roses Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1985. When they signed to Geffen Records in 1986, the band comprised vocalist Axl Rose, lead guitarist Slash, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff McKa ...

' song "

November Rain "November Rain" is a song by the American hard rock band Guns N' Roses. Written by the band's lead vocalist Axl Rose, it was released as a single in 1992 from their third studio album, ''Use Your Illusion I'' (1991). "November Rain" peaked ...

", "Fighter" was characterized as a hybrid of

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

and R&B that incorporates elements of

arena rock Arena rock (also known as AOR, melodic rock, stadium rock, anthem rock, pomp rock, corporate rock and dad rock; ; ) is a style of rock music that originated in the mid-1970s. As hard rock bands and those playing a softer yet strident kind of po ...

and

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from Africa ...

. The track sees Aguilera thanking a man who had done her wrong for making her a "fighter." "Fighter" received mostly positive reviews from

music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...

, who praised Aguilera's vocals and the song's empowering lyrics. The single peaked at number 20 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and was certified

double platinum Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

(RIAA). As of September 2014, "Fighter" has sold 1.184 million copies in the United States. Elsewhere, the song reached the top ten of several national

music charts A record chart, in the music industry, also called a music chart, is a ranking of recorded music according to certain criteria during a given period. Many different criteria are used in worldwide charts, often in combination. These include re ...

, including those in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and the Netherlands. A music video for "Fighter" was directed by

Floria Sigismondi Floria Sigismondi (, born 1965) is an Italian-Canadian film director, screenwriter, music video director, artist, and photographer. She is best known for writing and directing '' The Runaways'', for directing music videos for performers includi ...

. Aguilera performed the track on four of her major concert tours:

The Justified & Stripped Tour The Justified & Stripped Tour was a co-headlining concert tour by American recording artists Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera. It was launched in support of Timberlake's debut studio album, '' Justified'' (2002), and Aguilera's fourth stu ...

(2003),

The Stripped Tour The Stripped Tour, also known as Stripped World Tour and Stripped... Live, was the third concert tour and second world tour by American singer Christina Aguilera. The tour was launched in support of her fourth studio album, ''Stripped'' (2002), b ...

(2003),

Back to Basics Tour The Back to Basics Tour was the fourth concert tour and third world tour by American singer Christina Aguilera. The tour was launched to support her fifth studio album, '' Back to Basics'' (2006). It visited Europe, North America, Asia, and Austra ...

(2006–2008), and Liberation Tour (2018). "Fighter" has been covered by several artists, including American Idol winner

Jordin Sparks Jordin Sparks-Thomas (born December 22, 1989) is an American singer and actress. She rose to fame in 2007 after winning the sixth season of ''American Idol'' at age 17, becoming the youngest winner in the series' history. Her self-titled debu ...

and

Darren Criss Darren Everett Criss (born February 5, 1987) is an American actor, singer, and songwriter. He rose to fame starring on the television series ''Glee'' (2010–2015) and received Emmy and Golden Globe acting awards for his leading role as spree ...

Background and composition

In the book '' Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Story Behind the Song'', Aguilera revealed the occasion, theme and meaning of "Fighter". She talked about her "very chaotic and abusive" home, where she did not feel "safe". In school, Aguilera was picked on and alienated because of her musical passion. However, it made her become "smarter and stronger". To release herself, Aguilera started to write songs at the age of 15, both music and lyrics; and it was the way how she found her voice. The writing process of "Fighter" began during her promotion for her debut album in 1999, when she was "a part of the big craze pop phenomenon". According to Aguilera, her debut album helped her a lot to develop the process. She wanted to make an "emotionally rich and positive empowering" song, especially for women, in order for them to speak for themselves be strong. About the idea of the track, she revealed, "I was coming up with titles and ideas and deciding what I wanted to write about. I had to sit down and make sense of my feelings and experiences. I learned a lot from the first record that helped me to develop. I took the good and the bad and considered some of the choices I made and became better because of it." Aguilera considers "Fighter" a "natural" and authentic song, adding that "when you can be honest, you can be free, and when you're free, you do your best work." "Fighter" is a

rock song Rock music is a broad genre of popular music that originated as "rock and roll" in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of different styles in the mid-1960s and later, particularly in the United States and ...

. Sal Cinquemani from

Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York ...

said that "Fighter" is a hybrid of R&B and rock. Meanwhile, a reviewer of ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' described the song as

-influenced, and

AOL Music AOL (stylized as Aol., formerly a company known as AOL Inc. and originally known as America Online) is an American web portal and online service provider based in New York City. It is a brand marketed by the current incarnation of Yahoo! Inc. ...

's Nana-Adwoa Ofori noted the elements of

. However, Nick Levin from

Digital Spy Digital Spy (DS) is a British-based entertainment, television and film website and brand and is the largest digital property at Hearst UK. Since its launch in 1999, Digital Spy has focused on entertainment news related to television programmes, ...

detailed "Fighter" as an arena rock piece. The song was inspired by band

' song "

" (1992). Written in the key of

E minor E minor is a minor scale based on E, consisting of the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. Its key signature has one sharp. Its relative major is G major and its parallel major is E major. The E natural minor scale is: : Changes needed ...

, "Fighter" has a moderate

tempo In musical terminology, tempo (Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (often ...

of 96 beats per minute. Brian Hiatt from ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...

'' and Chuck Taylor for ''Billboard'' likened the track's musical style to that of

Janet Jackson Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and dancer. She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows. Her sound and choreog ...

's "

Black Cat A black cat is a domestic cat with black fur that may be a mixed or specific breed, or a common domestic cat of no particular breed. The Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) recognizes 22 cat breeds that can come with solid black coats. The Bombay b ...

". Aguilera's vocals on the track span from the low-note of G₃ to the high-note of G₅; Taylor labelled Aguilera's vocals "tornado of a vocal." At the beginning of "Fighter", the guitar sound was arranged in the

chord progression In a musical composition, a chord progression or harmonic progression (informally chord changes, used as a plural) is a succession of chords. Chord progressions are the foundation of harmony in Western musical tradition from the common practice ...

of Em – G/D – D – C – Em/B – B – Am – C/G – G – B7. Aguilera speaks the lyrics, "After all you put me through, you'd think I'd despise you / But in the end, I wanna thank you, 'cause you made me that much stronger" on the guitar theme by Dave Navarro. Lyrically, Aguilera wants to thank the man who did her wrong rather than insult him, because he helped make her stronger and work harder, thus making her a fighter. At the chorus, she sings, "'Cause it makes me that much stronger/ Makes me work a little bit harder/ Makes me that much wiser/ So thanks for making me a fighter". The chords in the guitar part are E5 – F5 – G5 – A5 – B5 − C5 – B5 – A5 – G5 – F5 – E5. She continues, "Made me learn a little bit faster/ Made my skin a little bit thicker/ Makes me that much smarter/ So thanks for making me a fighter". The lyrics of "Fighter" have been recognized as "empowering". On the first episode of '' RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked'' season 10, Aguilera said the song was about someone she loved but who "deserved it".

Reception

Critical reception

"Fighter" received mostly positive reviews from music critics. David Brownie from ''Entertainment Weekly'' called it "spunkier than one would expect from a dance-floor strumpet who loves to flaunt her lung power." Chuck Taylor writing for ''Billboard'' complimented "Fighter" for demonstrating that Aguilera " asgot the goods to rise above what so many lesser acts depend on for celebrity." On behalf of the same publication, Andrew Unterberger wrote that "Fighter" and "

Can't Hold Us Down "Can't Hold Us Down" is a song recorded by American singer Christina Aguilera and rapper Lil' Kim for the former's fourth studio album ''Stripped'' (2002). It was released by RCA Records on July 8, 2003, as the fourth single from the album. The t ...

" are two tracks that helped "expand audience expectations of her image and sound." Digital Spy's Nick Levine named it a "strutting arena rock" song, while Nick Butler from

Sputnikmusic Sputnikmusic is an American music community website offering music criticism and music news alongside features commonly associated with wiki-style websites. The format of the website is unusual in that it includes both professional and amateur c ...

simply called it "great." ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' editor

Kelefa Sanneh Kelefa T. Sanneh (born 1976) is an American journalist and music critic. From 2000 to 2008, he wrote for ''The New York Times'', covering the rock and roll, hip-hop, and pop music scenes. Since 2008 he has been a staff writer for ''The New Yorke ...

positively viewed the track's theme as "fearless" and "full of mildly rebellious rhetoric." On a less positive side,

BBC Music BBC Music is responsible for the music played across the BBC. The current director of music is Bob Shennan, who is also the controller of BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 6 Music, and the BBC Asian Network. Officially it is a part of the BBC's Radio o ...

's Jacqueline Hodges called the song "hilarious", while

Jancee Dunn Jancee Dunn (born May 18, 1966) is a journalist, author and former VJ. She is now a contributing editor at O, The Oprah Magazine but is mostly known for her work at ''Rolling Stone'', where she worked from 1989 to 2003. Background She grew u ...

from ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' wrote that the song "is a sterile foray into rock."

Chart performance

In the United States, "Fighter" debuted at number 61 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart on April 12, 2003, becoming the week's best-debuting single. In the following week, it jumped to number 56. On the issue dated April 26, 2003, the single charted at number 46. In its fourth week charting, "Fighter" raised to number 38. The single grew ten positions, charting at number 28 on May 10. On May 17, 2003, it charted at number 22. "Fighter" finally peaked at number 20 in its seventh week charting, becoming Aguilera's ninth top-twenty hit on the chart. On the

Pop Songs Pop Airplay (also called Mainstream Top 40, Pop Songs, and Top 40/ CHR) is a 40-song music chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' Magazine that ranks the most popular songs of pop music being played on a panel of Top 40 radio stations in the Un ...

chart, it peaked at number five. The single also peaked at number 28 on the

Adult Pop Songs The Adult Pop Airplay (formerly known as Adult Pop Songs and Adult Top 40) chart is published weekly by Billboard (magazine), ''Billboard'' magazine and ranks "the most popular adult top 40 as based on radio airplay detections measured by Nielsen B ...

. On October 14, 2022, "Fighter" was certified

by the

(RIAA) for shipping more than 2,000,000 copies in the country. As of August 2014, the single has sold 1,184,000 million digital units in the United States. On the

Canadian Singles Chart The Canadian Singles Chart was a chart compiled by the American-based music sales tracking company, Nielsen SoundScan, which began publication in November 1996. It was published every Wednesday and also published on Thursday by '' Jam!''/Canoe. I ...

, it peaked at number three. Throughout Europe, "Fighter" also attained moderate success on charts, peaking within the top 15 in most of the countries where it charted. It reached number 11 in Belgium (Flanders) and Switzerland, number 12 in Norway and Sweden, number 13 in Germany, and number 15 in Denmark, Italy and Spain. In Hungary, it peaked at number 8 on the Mega Top 100 Singles. The single also reached the top five in the Netherlands. On the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

, "Fighter" was a commercial success, peaking at number three and remained there for 13 weeks, becoming the longest-running single from ''Stripped'' on the chart. As of February 2013, "Fighter" has sold 159,000 copies in the United Kingdom. It has since been certified gold for selling 400,000 copies in the country. The single also garnered success in Australia and New Zealand, peaking at number five and 14 respectively in the two regions. Due to its chart success in Australia, the

Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) is a trade association representing the Australian recording industry which was established in the 1970s by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing th ...

(ARIA) certified "Fighter" gold for its shipments of 35,000 copies there.

Music video

The music video for "Fighter" was directed by

, who revealed that it would display Aguilera "like I don't think she's been portrayed before". On March 10, 2003, and March 12, 2003, the video was filmed in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, California and was inspired by the director's signature dark theatrics and the life circle of

moth Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of w ...

s. Sigismondi explained the theme and plot of the clip to MTV News:

"The song is sort of about transformation, so I took that in a nature kind of way, the way nature deals with transformation. It's basically about coming from a very poisoned place to an empowerment, a place of strength. I've always had this fear of moths, and I subconsciously wrote this thing with these moths in it, so I guess I have to deal with it. They're furry and they carry dust. I found out in old mythology they are supposed to represent the soul. I think that's very appropriate".

The video begins with Aguilera wearing a black

velvet Weave details visible on a purple-colored velvet fabric Velvet is a type of woven tufted fabric in which the cut threads are evenly distributed, with a short pile, giving it a distinctive soft feel. By extension, the word ''velvety'' means ...

kimono The is a traditional Japanese garment and the national dress of Japan. The kimono is a wrapped-front garment with square sleeves and a rectangular body, and is worn left side wrapped over right, unless the wearer is deceased. The kimono ...

, with a pale complexion and long black hair, refers to a

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) 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. The ...

. Initially, she is trapped in a glass box, and her kimono is billowing like a balloon. Three

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

ballerinas eat fruit and then collapse. Aguilera then breaks free from the box by pounding on it until it shatters. She furiously removes three moth pins from her back, and then tosses aside her kimono. A tattered, white, moth-covered dress is revealed, symbolizing her metaphoric evolution from the larva to a

pupa A pupa ( la, pupa, "doll"; plural: ''pupae'') is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation between immature and mature stages. Insects that go through a pupal stage are holometabolous: they go through four distinct stages in their ...

. In addition, her hair becomes white, and

s fly around her. Intercut scenes of moths and Aguilera's blue eyes are then shown. Near the end, Aguilera wears an

Elvira Elvira is a female given name. First recorded in medieval Spain, it is likely of Germanic (Gothic) origin. Elvira may refer to: People Nobility * Elvira Menéndez (died 921), daughter of Hermenegildo Gutiérrez and wife of Ordoño II of León ...

-type spider dress, again proclaiming that she is a "fighter" before kicking at the camera. The music video for "Fighter" garnered numerous awards. At the 2003 Belgian TMF Awards, the clip won Best Video International. It garnered Aguilera and Sigismondi a

Juno Award for Video of the Year The Juno Award for "Video of the Year" has been awarded since 1984, as recognition each year for the best music video made by a Canadian video director. The award is presented based on the Canadian nationality of the director, not necessarily the so ...

at the 2004 ceremony, which was held at

Rexall Place Northlands Coliseum is a now-unused indoor arena located in Edmonton, Alberta, situated on the north side of Northlands (organization), Northlands. It was used for sports events and concerts, and was home to the Edmonton Oilers of the World Hock ...

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

, Canada. It also earned four MVPA Awards for Best Pop Video, Best Cinematography, Best Make-Up and Best Styling in a Video in 2004, held at Orpheum Theater in Los Angeles, California.

Live performances

Back to Basics Tour - Fighter (encore) (edited)

Aguilera performed "Fighter" on a number of shows. The singer performed the song for the first time on ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves a ...

'' on March 15, 2003. Aguilera also performed "Fighter" at the

2003 MTV Video Music Awards The 2003 MTV Video Music Awards aired live on August 28, 2003, honoring the best music videos from June 1, 2002, to June 9, 2003. The show was hosted by Chris Rock at the Radio City Music Hall in New York City. The ceremony is best remembered for ...

, held at

Radio City Music Hall Radio City Music Hall is an entertainment venue and Theater (structure), theater at 1260 Sixth Avenue (Manhattan), Avenue of the Americas, within Rockefeller Center, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Nicknamed "The Showplac ...

in New York City on August 28, 2003, in a medley with "

Dirrty "Dirrty" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Christina Aguilera featuring American rapper Redman, released as the lead single from her fourth studio album ''Stripped''. Despite Aguilera's first three years of commercial success, sh ...

".; the performance featured Redman as a featured artist, and Dave Navarro as the guitarist. There, she also performed with

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...

Britney Spears Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the " Princess of Pop", she is credited with influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s and early 2000s. After appearing in stage productio ...

and

Missy Elliott Melissa Arnette Elliott (born July 1, 1971), better known as Missy Elliott or Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliot, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. She embarked on her music career with R&B girl group Sista in the earl ...

a medley of Madonna's songs " Like a Virgin" and "

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

", and Elliott's " Work It". The song was also performed on Aguilera and

Justin Timberlake Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He is one of the world's best-selling music artists, with sales of over 88 million records. Timberlake is the recipient of numerous awards and ac ...

's 2003 summer tour

Justified and Stripped Tour The Justified & Stripped Tour was a co-headlining concert tour by American recording artists Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera. It was launched in support of Timberlake's debut studio album, '' Justified'' (2002), and Aguilera's fourth st ...

, in order to support ''Stripped'' and Timberlake's album '' Justified''. In late 2003, Aguilera performed the track during the tour's extension,

, which happened without Timberlake. The performance is included on her first full-length DVD '' Stripped Live in the U.K.'' (2004). On June 1, 2007, during the promotion of '' Back to Basics'', Aguilera performed "Fighter" along with "

Ain't No Other Man "Ain't No Other Man" is a song by the American singer Christina Aguilera from her fifth studio album '' Back to Basics'' (2006). Aguilera co-wrote the song with Kara DioGuardi, Charles Martin Roane, Harold Beatty and the producer DJ Premier. "Ain ...

", " Hurt" and " Candyman" at the 2007 Muz-TV Awards. Later, during her 2006–07

, the track was performed as the last song in the encore. Barry Walters for ''Rolling Stone'' labelled the performance of "Fighter" "ended the show on a hard-rocking high". It is included on the video release '' Back to Basics: Live and Down Under'' (2008). On June 8, 2010, the singer sang the track with four other songs, "

Bionic Bionics or biologically inspired engineering is the application of biological methods and systems found in nature to the study and design of engineering systems and modern technology. The word ''bionic'', coined by Jack E. Steele in August 1 ...

", "

Not Myself Tonight "Not Myself Tonight" is a song by American singer Christina Aguilera for her sixth studio album ''Bionic'' (2010). It was released by RCA Records as the lead single from the album on April 2, 2010. Produced by Jamal Jones a.k.a. Polow da Don and ...

", "

Beautiful Beautiful, an adjective used to describe things as possessing beauty, may refer to: Film and theater * ''Beautiful'' (2000 film), an American film directed by Sally Field * ''Beautiful'' (2008 film), a South Korean film directed by Juhn Jai-h ...

" and "

You Lost Me "You Lost Me" is a song by American recording artist Christina Aguilera from her sixth studio album ''Bionic'' (2010). It was written by Aguilera, Sia, and producer Samuel Dixon. "You Lost Me" was released on June 25, 2010 by RCA Records as the th ...

" on ''

The Today Show ''Today'' (also called ''The Today Show'' or informally, ''NBC News Today'') is an American news and talk morning television show that airs weekdays from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on NBC. The program debuted on January 14, 1952. It was ...

''. Selected as the opener of the show, James Dinh for

MTV News MTV News is the news production division of MTV. The service is available in the US with localized versions on MTV's global network. In February 2016, MTV Networks confirmed it would refresh the MTV News brand in 2016, to compete with the likes ...

named it "aggressive", while Erika Brooks Adickman for

Idolator An idolator is a practitioner of idolatry. Idolater or Idolator may also refer to: Books *''Os Idólatras'', 1968 Portuguese novel by Maria Judite de Carvalho Music * Idolator (website), an American music blog * ''Idolator'' (album), third album ...

called the performance a "hot-mess show wardrobe". On June 11, 2010, Aguilera performed "Fighter", "You Lost Me", "Not Myself Tonight" along with a medley of "

Genie in a Bottle "Genie in a Bottle" is a song by American singer Christina Aguilera from her self-titled debut studio album (1999). It was written by Pam Sheyne, Steve Kipner and David Frank, and produced by Kipner and Frank. The song was released on May 11, 1 ...

" and " What a Girl Wants" on ''

The Early Show ''The Early Show'' is an American morning television show that aired on CBS from November 1, 1999 to January 7, 2012, and the ninth attempt at a morning news-talk program by the network since 1954. The program aired Monday through Friday from ...

''. Later that year, on June 13, she performed all of her biggest hits on ''

VH1 Storytellers ''Storytellers'' is a television music series produced by the VH1 network. In each episode, artists perform in front of a (mostly small and intimate) live audience, and tell stories about their music, writing experiences and memories, somewhat ...

'', including "Fighter". Before performing the song, Aguilera revealed to the crowd, "When I was younger there were a lot of people, as I mentioned before, that were sort of around me for the wrong reasons. There's always a positive to those negative times because throughout it you come out so much stronger and wiser". During the ''Justin Timberlake & Friends'' benefit show–held by Justin Timberlake on October 24, 2010, in

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

, Nevada–Aguilera was invited to perform several of her hits, including "Beautiful", "Fighter" and "Ain't No Other Man". On April 16, 2012, Aguilera performed "Fighter" again on the second season of US reality show ''

The Voice The Voice may refer to: Fictional entities * The Voice or Presence, a fictional representation of God in DC Comics * The Voice (''Dune''), a fictional ability in the ''Dune'' universe * The Voice, a character in the American TV series ''Cleo ...

'', on which she is one of the judges and coaches, with her "Team Xtina" and

Crenshaw High School Crenshaw High School is a four-year public secondary school in the Los Angeles Unified School District, located on 11th Avenue in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. The school first opened in 1968 and currently enrolls aroun ...

choir. Jonathan Hofmann called the performance "insane and bizarre as it sounds". In July 2021, Aguilera performed the song for two nights at the

Hollywood Bowl The Hollywood Bowl is an amphitheatre in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. It was named one of the 10 best live music venues in America by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine in 2018. The Hollywood Bowl is known for its distin ...

with

Gustavo Dudamel Gustavo Adolfo Dudamel Ramírez (born 26 January 1981) is a Venezuelan conductor and violinist who is the music director of the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the Paris Opera. Early life Dudamel was bor ...

and the

Los Angeles Philharmonic The Los Angeles Philharmonic, commonly referred to as the LA Phil, is an American orchestra based in Los Angeles, California. It has a regular season of concerts from October through June at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, and a summer season at th ...

. She also sang excerpts from the song during the 47th People's Choice Awards.

Legacy

Since its release, "Fighter" has been recognized as one of Aguilera's most empowering songs for women due to its lyrics. It was also featured on several shows. On April 6, 2003, a 90-second music video featuring Aguilera preparing for a center court performance at the

Staples Center Crypto.com Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Downtown Los Angeles. Adjacent to the L.A. Live development, it is located next to the Los Angeles Convention Center complex along Figueroa Street. The arena opened on October 17, 1999; it was ...

in Los Angeles was premiered for

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United S ...

(NBA)'s "Love It Live" promotional section. The clip also featured several NBA famous acts, including

Michael Jordan Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player. His biography on the official NBA website states: "By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the g ...

Kobe Bryant Kobe Bean Bryant ( ; August 23, 1978 – January 26, 2020) was an American professional basketball player. A shooting guard, he spent his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Widely r ...

Shaquille O'Neal Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal ( ; born March 6, 1972), known commonly as "Shaq" ( ), is an American former professional basketball player who is a sports analyst on the television program ''Inside the NBA''. O'Neal is regarded as one of the greates ...

, and

Yao Ming Yao Ming (; born September 12, 1980) is a Chinese basketball executive and former professional player. He played for the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) and the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Associat ...

. "Fighter" was also included in the American reality show, ''

The Biggest Loser ''The Biggest Loser'' is a reality television format which started with the American TV show ''The Biggest Loser'' in 2004. The show centers on overweight and obese contestants attempting to lose the most weight; the winner receives a cash prize. ...

'', which aired by

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...

. "Fighter" has been covered on numerous occasions. On May 23, 2007, singer

covered "Fighter" during the season finale of the sixth season of US singing contest ''

American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to Ap ...

'', which made her the winner. On May 26, 2010, five female contestants of the ninth season of ''American Idol'',

Lacey Brown Lacey Elizabeth Brown (born August 13, 1985) is an American singer-songwriter and artist from Amarillo, Texas, who was the twelfth place finalist on the ninth season of ''American Idol''. Brown released her debut EP ''Let It Go'' on May 31, ...

Didi Benami Vered "Didi" Benami ( he, ורד "דידי" בן עמי; born October 25, 1986) is an American singer who was the tenth-place finalist on the ninth season of ''American Idol''. Since her appearance on ''American Idol'', she has spent the past ...

Katie Stevens Katherine Mari Stevens (born December 8, 1992) is an American actress and singer, known for finishing in eighth place on the ninth season of ''American Idol'' and starring as Karma Ashcroft in '' Faking It'' and Jane Sloan in ''The Bold Type' ...

, Siobhan Magnus and

Crystal Bowersox Crystal Lynn Bowersox (born August 4, 1985) is an American singer, songwriter and actress who was the runner-up on the ninth season of ''American Idol''. She was the first female finalist in three years. Bowersox's debut album, ''Farmer's Daug ...

performed a medley of Aguilera's hits "Beautiful" and "Fighter". In that same episode, Aguilera herself performed her 2010 single "

". "Fighter" was also covered by her team's contestants on the second season of ''The Voice'', where she is one of the coaches as well as one of the performers, on April 16, 2012. During the second blind auditions of ''

The Voice UK ''The Voice UK'' is a British singing competition television series. Created by John de Mol, it premiered on BBC One during the spring television cycle on 24 March 2012. Based on the original ''The Voice of Holland'', and part of ''The Voice ...

'', which was aired on March 31, 2012,

Denise Pearson Denise Lisa Maria Pearson (born 13 June 1968), sometimes credited as Deniece Pearson, is an English singer-songwriter. She was the lead vocalist with the British pop/ R&B group Five Star, which comprised herself and her four siblings. The grou ...

(credited as Denis Pearson) covered "Fighter". She was selected to

Sir Tom Jones Sir Thomas Jones Woodward (born 7 June 1940), known professionally as Tom Jones, is a Welsh singer. His career began with a string of top-ten hits in the mid-1960s. He has toured regularly, with appearances in Las Vegas (1967–2011). Jones's ...

team as a result. American actor

, portrayed as his fictional character

Blaine Anderson Blaine Devon Anderson is a fictional character from the American musical comedy-drama television series ''Glee''. Played by Darren Criss, Blaine was introduced in the sixth episode of the second season as the openly gay lead singer of the Dalt ...

, performed the song on the episode " Big Brother" of the FOX popular TV show ''

Glee Glee means delight, a form of happiness. Glee may also refer to: * Glee (music), a type of English choral music * ''Glee'' (TV series), an American musical comedy-drama TV series, and related media created by Ryan Murphy * ''Glee'' (Bran Van 30 ...

'', aired on April 10, 2012. The version peaked at number 58 on the

Hot Digital Songs The Digital Songs or Digital Song Sales chart (previously named Hot Digital Songs) ranks the best-selling digital songs in the United States, as compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published by ''Billboard'' magazine. Although it originally start ...

and at number 85 on the

Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music industry record chart in Canada for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. The Canadian Hot 100 was launched on the issue dated March 31, 2007, and is currently the standard record chart in Canada; a n ...

. Singer CeCe Frey, a participant of the second season of US show ''

The X Factor ''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for ''Pop Idol'' (2001–2003 ...

'', made a cover of the song. Sylvia Yacoub from Aguilera's team on the third season of ''The Voice'' also recorded a version of the song. An

independent music Independent music (also commonly known as indie music or simply indie) is music that is produced independently from commercial record labels or their subsidiaries, a process that may include an autonomous, do-it-yourself approach to recording a ...

cover of the song has been recorded by Christian Reindl and Dream Harlowe. It was also featured on the finale of the fourth season of ''

RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars ''RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars'' is an American reality competition spin off edition of the original ''RuPaul's Drag Race'', which is produced by World of Wonder, for Logo TV and later VH1. The show premiered on October 22, 2012, on Logo TV, b ...

'', where contestants Monét X-Change and Trinity The Tuck had to lipsync to it in order to win the competition. In 2020, the song was played in the episode of the Fox's drama television series '' Filthy Rich''. The Reindl/Harlowe cover of "Fighter" has been featured in the trailer for the fifth season of ''

The Handmaid's Tale ''The Handmaid's Tale'' is a futuristic dystopian novel by Canadian author Margaret Atwood and published in 1985. It is set in a near-future New England in a patriarchal, totalitarian theonomic state known as the Republic of Gilead, which h ...

''.

Track listings and formats

CD single # "Fighter" – 4:05 # "Fighter" (video) – 4:05 Maxi single # "Fighter"– 4:05 # "Fighter" (Freelance Hellraiser "Thug Pop" Mix) – 5:11 # "

" (Valentin Mix) – 5:51 DVD # "Fighter" (video) # "Fighter" # Photo gallery # "Beautiful" (Valentin Club Mix)

Credits and personnel

Credits are adapted from the "Fighter" CD single liner notes Studios * Recorded at

The Enterprise Studios Enterprise Productions, Inc., otherwise known as The Enterprise Studios, was an independent production company co-founded by actor John Garfield alongside producers David L. Loew and Charles Einfeld in 1946, right after Garfield's contract with Wa ...

in Burbank, California * Recorded at

Conway Studios Conway may refer to: Places United States * Conway, Arkansas * Conway County, Arkansas * Lake Conway, Arkansas * Conway, Florida * Conway, Iowa * Conway, Kansas * Conway, Louisiana * Conway, Massachusetts * Conway, Michigan * Conway T ...

in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California * Mixed at

The Record Plant The Record Plant is a recording studio established in New York City in 1968 and currently operating in Los Angeles, California. Known for innovations in the recording artists' workspace, it has produced highly influential albums, including Blon ...

, California * Mastered at Bernie Grundman Mastering Personnel *

Writing Writing is a medium of human communication which involves the representation of a language through a system of physically Epigraphy, inscribed, Printing press, mechanically transferred, or Word processor, digitally represented Symbols (semiot ...

– Christina Aguilera,

* Producing – Scott Storch * Mixing – Tony Maserati *

Recording A record, recording or records may refer to: An item or collection of data Computing * Record (computer science), a data structure ** Record, or row (database), a set of fields in a database related to one entity ** Boot sector or boot record, ...

– Wassim Zreik, Oscar Ramirez * Mastering – Brian "Big Bass" Gardner * Vocals producing and arranging – Christina Aguilera, E. Dawk *

Strings String or strings may refer to: *String (structure), a long flexible structure made from threads twisted together, which is used to tie, bind, or hang other objects Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Strings'' (1991 film), a Canadian anim ...

arranging and conducting – Larry Gold *

Dave Navarro David Michael Navarro (born June 7, 1967) is an American guitarist. He is best known as a member of the rock band Jane's Addiction, with whom he has recorded four studio albums. Between 1993 and 1998, Navarro was the guitarist of the Red Hot Ch ...

appears courtesy of

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

Bibliography

* {{Authority control 2002 songs 2003 singles American rock songs Christina Aguilera songs Juno Award for Video of the Year videos Music videos directed by Floria Sigismondi RCA Records singles Song recordings produced by Scott Storch Songs with feminist themes Songs written by Christina Aguilera Songs written by Scott Storch