Beautiful (Christina Aguilera song)

"Beautiful"
Single by Christina Aguilera
from the album Stripped
B-side	"Dame Lo Que Yo Te Doy"
Released	December 24, 2002
Format	12" single, CD single, digital download
Recorded	2001
Genre	Pop
Length	3:59
Label	RCA
Writer(s)	Linda Perry
Producer	Linda Perry
Christina Aguilera singles chronology
"Dirrty" (2002) "Beautiful" (2002) "Fighter" (2003)

"Beautiful" is a song recorded by American singer Christina Aguilera. The song 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.

RCA released "Beautiful" to American radio stations on December 24, 2002, as the second single of the album. The song became a commercial success, topping the charts in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. In the United States it peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The single was certified platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), and gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ).

"Beautiful" received general acclaim from critics and has been noted as one of Aguilera's strongest singles. 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 was ranked number fifty-two on Rolling Stone's Top 100 songs of the decade, and at number eighteen on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of '00s list. Notable performers such as Elvis Costello, Gloria Gaynor, Kenny G, and Chaka Khan have covered the song.

Because of its message of self-empowerment and inner beauty, the song was embraced as an anthem by the LGBT community. The Jonas Åkerlund directed music video earned Aguilera a GLAAD Media Award for its positive portrayal of gay and transgender people. In 2011, UK LGBT Rights organization Stonewall named "Beautiful" the most empowering song of the previous decade for gay, lesbian and bisexual people.

Background and release

American musician Linda Perry wrote and produced the song.

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.

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

"Beautiful" is a gentle pop ballad composed in the key of E♭ major. It moves at a slow 78 beats per minute. Aguilera's vocal range spans over two octaves from E♭₃ to G₅. She uses several melismas in the song, fitting as many as seven notes in one syllable. 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. Stylus Magazine described the song as "a typical ballad that actually tastefully reins in Aguilera's frequent vocal acrobatics". "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." Amanda Murray from Sputnikmusic gave the song a mixed review, criticizing the lyrics as "platitude-drenched", but praising the music arrangement.

In 2004 Perry received a Song of the Year award from Musicnotes, Inc. for "Beautiful"; Musicnotes CEO, Kathleen Marshall, referred to it as "a classic song with a universal message"; meanwhile Bill Aicher, the organization's creative director, called it "more than just a song", stating that "songs like Beautiful lift listeners to another place".

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. RCA Records stated that it had agreed with Aguilera to release "Dirrty" to attract attention; 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. 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. In particular, it peaked at number 1 on Adult Contemporary, Mainstream Top 40 and Hot Dance Club Songs, number 9 on Adult Pop Songs and number 2 on Hot 100 Airplay. 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. "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. 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.

Live performances

Aguilera performing "Beautiful" on her Back to Basics tour.

In 2003, Aguilera performed on the Late Show with David Letterman, 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. She performed a stripped-down version on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. 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. 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; the following week, that version of the song debuted at #74 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart, and at #52 on the digital songs chart, after selling 42,000 downloads on iTunes.

Music video

Aguilera won a GLAAD Media Award for the portrayal of gay and transgender people on the 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. Another scene shows a transgender person, played by Robert Sherman, putting on makeup, a wig, and women's clothing.

The music video was successful on video chart programs. It debuted on MTV's Total Request Live on December 9, 2002 at number two. 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. The video topped MuchMusic's Countdown for two consecutive weeks and remained on the countdown for fifteen weeks. The video received a Special Recognition award, presented by David LaChapelle, from the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation at its 14th annual media awards. 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." The video became an instant hit on MTV and other music video channels.

Cultural impact

"Beautiful" has been widely embraced by the LGBT community as an anthem. 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; 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.

A cover of the song was featured on a Foundation for a Better Life commercial, promotiong courtesy and friendship.

UK LGBT rights charity Stonewall named it the most empowering song of the decade for lesbian, gay and bisexual people; UK media personality, and Stonewall contributor, Paul Gambaccini said of the song: "Recently many of the United States' leading female vocalists have recorded anthems of self-empowerment as a response to bullying, homophobia and misogyny in schools and society. Several of these have become major hits. The one that has registered most with Stonewall’s online supporters has been the out lesbian Linda Perry's song "Beautiful", popularised by Christina Aguilera. This recording lives up to its title. As a song and as a performance, it is a major achievement that has inspired millions of young people around the world."

Cover versions

"Beautiful" has been covered numerous times by various artists; and different versions of the song have been featured on television and film.

Year	Performer	Album	Notes
2003	Alex Parks	Introduction	Parks, a contestant on BBC TV's "Fame Academy", performed the song on the show; she eventually won her season and recorded a studio version of the song for her debut album Introduction and it appeared as a b-side to her first single "Maybe That's What It Takes".
	Clem Snide	A Beautiful EP	The band covered the song as the title track to its 2004 A Beautiful EP.
	Christina Moore		MADtv parodied the music video as "Virginal", with Moore portraying Aguilera. In the video, Aguilera becomes "virginal" after everyone tires of her sleazy image (the last straw being the "Dirrty" video.
	Krezip	That'll be unpugged	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".
2004	No Talent Necessary
	Daniel Franzese		Franzese, as his character Damian, performed the song on Mean Girls.
	P!nk		P!nk mocked Aguilera performing the song during her 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."
	Kenny G and Chaka Khan	At Last...The Duets Album	It was covered by Kenny G and Chaka Khan for Kenny G's At Last...The Duets Album.
2005	G4	G4 & Friends	The band included their own version of the song on their 2005 sophomore album.
	Gloria Gaynor		Gaynor performed the song in ITV’s reality show Hit Me, Baby, One More Time ; since then Beautiful has become a regular on the set list of her concerts.
	David Walliams		David Walliams sang it to the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, played by Anthony Head, in an episode of Little Britain.
	Elvis Costello	House M.D. Original Television Soundtrack	Costello covered the song specifically for the House episode "Autopsy".
2006	Sandra Bernhard	Everything Bad & Beautiful.	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".
	Jessica Mauboy	Australian Idol: The Journey	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.
	Guns N' Roses		Guitarists Richard Fortus and Robin Finck of Guns N' Roses covered "Beautiful" instrumentally for the early shows of Guns N' Roses' 2006 tour.
	Brett Anderson		Suede singer Brett Anderson performed a version of the song on piano, which was uploaded to his official YouTube channel.
	Girl Authority	Girl Authority	The band covered the song on their debut covers album.
2007	Angy Fernández		Angy Fernandez sang it in the first season of the Spanish version of Factor X.
2008	Avion Baker		In "Believe the Unseen", an episode of ER that first aired on January 10, 2008, the song is performed a capella by Kayla (Baker) a young girl with Leber's congenital amaurosis.
	Bob Ricci	Bob's Gone Wild	Ricci recorded a parody of the song called "Unhackable" for his 2008 album Bob's Gone Wild.
	Hunchback and Michael Gerald	Pray For Scars	The band Hunchback recorded a cover version for their album Pray For Scars which features Michael Gerald from Killdozer.
	The Zutons	Radio 1's Live Lounge - Volume 3	The band performed a cover of the song for BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge.
	Jason Mraz
2009	The Lemonheads	Varshons	The band covered the song for their album Varshons
	Zebrahead	Panty Raid	The band recorded a version of the song for their 2009 covers album.
	The All-American Rejects
2010	The ReBeatles Project	Get Back	The ReBeatles Project, a The Beatles tribute band, recorded a cover of the song in a similar sound to that of The Beatles.
	Amber Riley	Glee: The Music, Volume 3 Showstoppers	Mercedes Jones, Riley’s character on the television series Glee, covered “Beautiful” in the episode "Home".
2011	Columbus Children's Choir and Columbus Gay Men's Chorus		Part of the It Gets Better Project.
	China Anne McClain	A.N.T. Farm Soundtrack	McClain performed the song on the episode "America Needs TalANT ".
	Savannah Robinson		Robinson recorded a version of the song and released an anti-bullying video for it on her Youtube channel. She later performed it on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
	Little Mix		The band performed the song on week 8 of the X Factor series 8, the theme of the week was "hero songs".
2012	Katharine McPhee		McPhee performs the song on NBC's upcoming show Smash.
	Make It Rain		Israeli punk band Make It Rain often play a cover version in their shows.

Track listings and formats

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)

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)

Credits and personnel

• Writer: Linda Perry
• Lead vocals: Christina Aguilera
• Producer: Linda Perry
• Recording engineer: Linda Perry
• Bass guitar: Linda Perry
• Cello: Richard Dodd
• Drums: Brian MacLeod
• Keyboards: Damon Fox
• Piano: Linda Perry
• Violin: Eric Gorfain
• Audio mixer: Dave Pensado

Charts, certification and procession

Charts

Charts (2003)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)	1
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 75)	5
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)	3
Belgium (Ultratop 40 Wallonia)	18
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)	1
Denmark (Tracklisten)	9
France (SNEP)	27
Germany (Media Control AG)	4
Hungary (Rádiós Top 40)	6
Ireland (IRMA)	1
Italy (FIMI)	8
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)	2
Netherlands (Mega Single Top 100)	4
New Zealand (RIANZ)	1
Norway (VG-lista)	5
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)	3
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)	7
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)	1
US Billboard Hot 100	2
US Pop Songs (Billboard)	1
US Hot Dance Club Songs (Billboard)	1
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)	1

Certifications

Region	Certification	Sales/shipments
Australia (ARIA)	Platinum	70,000^
New Zealand (RIANZ)	Gold	7,500*
United States (RIAA)	Gold	500,000^
*sales figures based on certification alone ^shipments figures based on certification alone

End of year charts

Country	Position
Australia	24
Austria	45
Germany	56
Ireland	16
Netherlands	35
New Zealand	3
Switzerland	66
United Kingdom	23
United States	16

Chart procession and succession

Order of precedence
Preceded by "Lose Yourself" by Eminem	US Billboard Top 40 Mainstream number-one single January 11, 2003 - February 8, 2003 (4 weeks)	Succeeded by "I'm with You" by Avril Lavigne
Preceded by "All the Things She Said" by t.A.T.u.	Irish Singles Chart number-one single March 1, 2003 - March 29, 2003 (4 weeks)	Succeeded by "Tonight"/"Miss You Nights" by Westlife
Preceded by "Lose Yourself" by Eminem	Australian ARIA Singles Chart number-one single March 2, 2003	Succeeded by "Lost Without You" by Delta Goodrem
Preceded by "All the Things She Said" by t.A.T.u.	UK Singles Chart number-one single March 8, 2003 – March 21, 2003 (2 weeks)	Succeeded by "Spirit in the Sky" by Gareth Gates featuring The Kumars
Preceded by "The Ketchup Song" by Las Ketchup	Canadian Singles Chart number-one single March 15, 2003	Succeeded by "I Drove All Night" by Céline Dion
Preceded by "All The Things She Said" by t.A.T.u.	New Zealand Singles Chart number-one single March 23, 2003	Succeeded by "All I Have" by Jennifer Lopez featuring LL Cool J
Preceded by "The Game of Love" by Santana featuring Michelle Branch	US Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary number-one single April 19, 2003 - May 17, 2003 (5 weeks)	Succeeded by "The Game of Love" by Santana featuring Michelle Branch
Preceded by "Try It on My Own" by Whitney Houston	US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play number-one single April 19, 2003	Succeeded by "On a High" by Duncan Sheik
Preceded by "Kusha las payas" by Las Ketchup	Romanian Top 100 number-one single April 21, 2003	Succeeded by "Nina Piensa En Ti" by Los Caños

Release history

Country	Date	Format
United States	December 24, 2002	CD single
United Kingdom	March 3, 2003

External links

• "Beautiful" music video at Vevo