"Nightingale" is a song by American singer

Demi Lovato Demetria Devonne Lovato ( ; born August 20, 1992), known as Demi Lovato, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. After appearing on the children's television series ''Barney & Friends'' (2002–2004), Lovato rose to prominence for pl ...

from her fourth studio album ''

Demi Demi is a feminine given name with Greek and Latin roots. It was originally a nickname of Demetria, the feminine form of the masculine name Demetrius, which is itself the Latin and English spelling of the Greek name Demetrios. It is also an Alba ...

'' (2013). The song was written by Lovato,

Anne Preven Anne Preven (born February 25, 1965) is an American songwriter, musician, and record producer. As a member of the alternative rock band Ednaswap, she co-wrote " Torn" which was covered by Lis Sørensen (Danish), Trine Rein (Norwegian), and then N ...

Matt Rad Matthew Radosevich, also known as Matt Rad, is an American record producer, songwriter, and musician. He has worked with artists such as One Direction, Niall Horan, Martin Garrix, Demi Lovato, Little Mix, Guy Sebastian, Lupe Fiasco, Walk th ...

, and

Felicia Barton Felicia Diana Barton (born March 6, 1982) is an American singer and songwriter, best known for her appearance on the eighth season of ''American Idol'' in 2009. Since 2013, she has joined Warner-Chappell Music and Pulse Recording as a songwrit ...

, while production was helmed by Rad and Preven served as a vocal producer.

Composition

In the track Lovato looks for a hero, someone to lean on, singing, "Sing to me/ I know you're there/ 'Cause baby you're my sanity". During an interview with songwriter and record producer

Emanuel Kiriakou Emanuel "Eman" Kiriakou (born August 16, 1966) is an American songwriter, producer, record executive, music publisher and multi-instrumentalist, based in Los Angeles. He recently co-wrote and produced " Take You Dancing" by Jason Derulo, and has ...

, Lovato said: "Nightingale is definitely a personal song. It's about one of my friends, actually, that passed away when we were thirteen. I feel like, sometimes I literally, I know when he's in the room with me. And, I just have a really strong connection to him. I feel like he's my nightingale." In other words, Lovato feels like her friend is her guardian angel. The song is entirely dedicated to Lovato's friend Trenton Stout, who hung himself at the age of thirteen.

Critical reception

On May 9, 2013, in a track-by-track ''

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'' review, magazine music journalist Jason Lipshutz stated: "This is the type of ballad that Lovato makes look like a lay-up: the theatrical notes are in place, but so is the patience, maturity and attitude that establish the singer from her pop peers. "Nightingale" soars when Lovato is joined by a chorus of backup vocalists in its final passage; if she can perfect this song live, that finale could become enlightening".

Music video

On December 24, 2014, Lovato released a music video on

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, shot in black and white, as an early Christmas present for her fans. "Thank you all so much for the most amazing year yet! My Lovatics are truly the best," Demi wrote on Twitter as she shared the video link. The video features a cameo appearance from American actor

Wilmer Valderrama Wilmer Eduardo Valderrama ( , ; born January 30, 1980) is an American actor, producer, and television personality. He is known for his role as Fez in the sitcom ''That '70s Show'' (1998–2006), Agustín Madrigal in ''Encanto'', and as Carlos ...

with whom she shares a kiss. The video follows Lovato on tour and shows love for her fans – the Lovatics – who serve as her nightingales. To date, the music video has garnered over 45 million views on Vevo.

Live performances

Lovato first performed the song as a part of her brief piano-driven set during her interview with

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in October 2013. Lovato performed the song live on ''

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'' on June 6, 2014, as a part of their Summer Concert Series. The song was also a part of Lovato's setlist for

The Neon Lights Tour The Neon Lights Tour was the third headlining concert tour by American singer Demi Lovato, in support of her fourth studio album, ''Demi'' (2013). The first leg of tour began in North America on February 9, 2014 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, ...

, the

Demi World Tour The Demi World Tour was the fourth headlining concert tour and second worldwide tour by American singer Demi Lovato. It was her second tour in support of her fourth studio album ''Demi'' (2013), following The Neon Lights Tour. During most of the ...

and the

Future Now Tour The Future Now Tour was a co-headlining concert tour by American singers Demi Lovato and Nick Jonas. It was Lovato's fifth headlining tour, in support of her fifth studio album '' Confident'' (2015), and Jonas' third concert tour, in support of h ...

Credits and personnel

Recording and management *Recorded at Barefoot Recording and East West Studios (

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) *Mixed at MixStar Studios (

Virginia Beach Virginia Beach is an independent city located on the southeastern coast of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. The population was 459,470 at the 2020 census. Although mostly suburban in character, it is the most populous city ...

) *Mastered at

Sterling Sound Studios Ted Jensen (born September 19, 1954) is an American mastering engineer, known for having mastered many recordings, including the Eagles' ''Hotel California'', Green Day's '' American Idiot'' and Norah Jones' ''Come Away with Me''. Biography T ...

(

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) *Published by Shigshag Music ( BMI), Radassyouvich/Pulse Recording Songs (

ASCAP The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadca ...

), Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp. (BMI), Songs of Pulse Recordings (BMI), Seven Peaks Music (ASCAP) and Demi Lovato Publishing (ASCAP) Personnel *

– lead vocals, songwriting *Matt Rad – songwriting, production, background vocals, drum programming, engineering, keyboards, piano, string arrangements *Anne Preven – songwriting, vocal production *Felicia Barton – songwriting, background vocals *Anton Patzner – string arrangements, violin, viola *Lewis Patzner – cello *Serban Ghenea – mixing *John Hanes – engineered for mix *

Chris Gehringer Chris Gehringer (born May 27, 1962) is an American mastering engineer, known for having mastered recordings such as Gwen Stefani's '' Love. Angel. Music. Baby.'' (2004), Rihanna's '' Loud'' (2010), Lady Gaga's '' Born This Way'' (2011) and Drake' ...

– mastering Credits adapted from ''Demi'' album liner notes.

Chart performance

References

{{authority control 2010s ballads 2013 songs Demi Lovato songs Pop ballads Songs written by Demi Lovato Songs written by Anne Preven Songs written by Matt Rad Songs written by Felicia Barton Black-and-white music videos Songs based on real people Song recordings produced by Matt Rad