Beautiful (Christina Aguilera Song)
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"Beautiful" is a song recorded by American singer
Christina Aguilera Christina María Aguilera ( , ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer-songwriter, actress and television personality. Recognized as Cultural impact of Christina Aguilera, an influential figure in music and having received Public imag ...
for her fourth
studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...
, '' Stripped'' (2002). It was released as the album's second single on November 16, 2002. A pop and R&B
ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...
, "Beautiful" was written and produced by Linda Perry and discusses inner-beauty, as well as self-esteem and insecurity. Aguilera commented that she put "her heart and soul" into the track, which she felt represented the theme of ''Stripped''. "Beautiful" received universal acclaim from music critics, who have ranked it among Aguilera's strongest material. It won the
Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...
for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and was also nominated for Song of the Year at the 2004 ceremony. "Beautiful" was also a commercial success, topping the charts in eleven countries, including Australia, Canada, Ireland and the United Kingdom. The song peaked at number two on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in the United States, where it was certified double platinum for over 2 million units sold. "Beautiful" has been widely embraced as an
anthem An anthem is a musical composition of celebration, usually used as a symbol for a distinct group, particularly the national anthems of countries. Originally, and in music theory and religious contexts, it also refers more particularly to sho ...
by the
LGBT community The LGBTQ community (also known as the LGBT, LGBT+, LGBTQ+, LGBTQIA, LGBTQIA+, or queer community) comprises LGBTQ people, LGBTQ individuals united by LGBTQ culture, a common culture and LGBTQ movements, social movements. These Community, comm ...
for its message of self-empowerment and inner-beauty. An accompanying music video was directed by
Jonas Åkerlund Hans Uno Jonas Åkerlund (; born 10 November 1965) is a Swedish filmmaker and musician who is best known for his work in music videos. Åkerlund was a member of the Swedish black metal band Bathory. He has directed well-known videos for artists ...
, and earned Aguilera a
GLAAD Media Award The GLAAD Media Award is a US accolade bestowed by GLAAD to recognize and honor various branches of the media for their outstanding portrayals of LGBTQ people and the issues that affect their lives. In addition to film and television, the Awards ...
for its positive portrayal of gay and
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people. In 2011, UK LGBT rights organization Stonewall named "Beautiful" the most empowering song of the previous decade for gay,
lesbian A lesbian is a homosexual woman or girl. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate nouns with female homosexu ...
, and
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people. In 2009, ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'' and VH1 listed it as one of the best songs of the 2000s. The song was later re-recorded in an electronic style, titled "You Are What You Are (Beautiful)", for her first greatest hits album '' Keeps Gettin' Better: A Decade of Hits'' (2008).


Background and recording

"Beautiful" was written and produced by Linda Perry.
Christina Aguilera Christina María Aguilera ( , ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer-songwriter, actress and television personality. Recognized as Cultural impact of Christina Aguilera, an influential figure in music and having received Public imag ...
recorded the song at two studios: The Enterprise Studios in
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, and Conway Recording Studios in Hollywood. Prior to the collaboration with Aguilera, Perry had written the song with the intention of recording it for a solo record. Perry previewed the song for
Pink Pink is a pale tint of red, the color of the Dianthus plumarius, pink flower. It was first used as a color name in the late 17th century. According to surveys in Europe and the United States, pink is the color most often associated with charm, p ...
during recording sessions for the latter's sophomore studio album '' Missundaztood'' (2001), on which Perry worked as a producer. However, after hearing Aguilera sing the song at Perry's house to "break the ice", Perry was very impressed and allowed Aguilera to include the track on her then-upcoming album '' Stripped''. The choice resulted in a feud between Pink against Aguilera and Perry, with the former stating that it was "annoying" for the latter to collaborate with artists " hedidn't like". Perry later revealed to ASCAP, "When Christina came over to my house to start working, she asked me to play some songs to break the ice. ..I had a long conversation with my manager about it. We both decided to hear Christina sing it. We demoed the song with her singing it, and I was like, 'Wow'. That rough vocal is what is out there on radio. It was that vocal that got her the song". In 2016, Perry's then-wife Sara Gilbert confirmed on her show '' The Talk'' that the final version was "just a demo." Gilbert also revealed that Aguilera wanted to re-record the song because she did not like the initial vocals. Perry denied the request because the song is supposed to be about imperfection and being vulnerable. Perry said as Aguilera stepped in the booth to record, she said to her friend, "Don't look at me" – which Perry left at the start of the final track. She told ''Rolling Stone'': "I knew I was going to keep that on the record, and I knew she was the right person for the song. I realized, 'Oh, she's insecure. She's one of those beautiful people who's got everything but is super insecure. Okay, this song is hers.'"


Composition and lyrics

"Beautiful" is a pop and R&B
ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...
that discusses issues of self-esteem and insecurity, promoting a message of self-empowerment and embracing inner beauty. Larry Flick of ''
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'' added that the song talks about "overcoming life's trials", Chuck Taylor also of ''Billboard'' observed that it has a message of "holding oneself up against criticism from the outside," and Todd Burns of ''
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'' noted that the song "also explores the main theme of the record, being stripped bare in front of the public." Its
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incorporates
bass guitar The bass guitar (), also known as the electric bass guitar, electric bass, or simply the bass, is the lowest-pitched member of the guitar family. It is similar in appearance and construction to an Electric guitar, electric but with a longer nec ...
,
cello The violoncello ( , ), commonly abbreviated as cello ( ), is a middle pitched bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), tuned i ...
,
drum kit A drum kit or drum set (also known as a trap set, or simply drums in popular music and jazz contexts) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and sometimes other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one p ...
s, keyboards,
piano A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...
, and
violin The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino picc ...
. Sheet music for "Beautiful" gives the key of E Mixolydian, with a slow tempo of 76
beats per minute Beat, beats, or beating may refer to: Common uses * Assault, inflicting physical harm or unwanted physical contact * Battery (crime), a criminal offense involving unlawful physical contact * Battery (tort), a civil wrong in common law of in ...
. Aguilera's vocal range spans over two octaves from the low note of E3 to the high note of G5; she uses several melismas in the song, fitting as many as seven notes in one syllable.


Release

"Beautiful" was released as the second single from ''Stripped''. It was first sent to American contemporary hit and rhythmic radio stations on November 16, 2002. The song was later released as a
CD single A CD single is a single (music), music single in the form of a compact disc (CD). Originally the ''CD single'' standard (as defined in the Rainbow Books, Red Book) was an 8 cm (3-inch) "mini CD" (''CD3''); later on the term referred to any si ...
on January 27, February 10, February 24, and February 25, 2003, in Germany, Australia, the United Kingdom, and France, respectively. Also on February 25, a digital remix EP of "Beautiful" was released worldwide. Two days later, the single was released as a
maxi single A maxi single, maxi-single, or maxi CD (sometimes abbreviated to MCD or CDM) is a music single release with more than the usual two tracks of an A-side song and a B-side song. Maxi singles are often mistaken for extended plays (EPs), especial ...
in Canada. On March 11, 2003, the single was released as a CD in the United States.


Critical reception

"Beautiful" received universal acclaim from music critics who praised its empowering lyrics. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
commended the song for not following the "club and street-level R&B, which fit her poorly". Similarly, a reviewer from ''
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 advertis ...
'' described "Beautiful" as a "single-worthy ballad" from a record of "pleasantly surprising depth". In a separate review, Chuck Taylor from the same magazine deemed the song "breathtaking", and highlighted its melody and lyrical message. ''
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''s David Browne called the song one of ''Stripped''s "moments", noting that it is "more restrained" than the other songs from the album. Sal Cinquemani of ''
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'' commented that the collaboration with Linda Perry found Aguilera "truly naked" and reflective of the album's title. ''
Stylus Magazine ''Stylus Magazine'' was an American online music and film magazine, launched in 2002 and co-founded by Todd L. Burns. It featured long-form music journalism, four daily music reviews, movie reviews, podcasts, an MP3 blog, and a text blog. Addi ...
''s Todd Burns gave ''Stripped'' a negative review, but complimented "Beautiful" for "tastefully einingin Aguilera's frequent vocal acrobatics". Jane Dark of ''
The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture publication based in Greenwich Village, New York City, known for being the country's first Alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, ...
'' compared the song to the works of
Mariah Carey Mariah Carey ( ; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Songbird Supreme" by ''Guinness World Records'', Carey is known for her five-octave voc ...
"made back when she was a natural", and the ''
Attitude Attitude or Attitude may refer to: Philosophy and psychology * Attitude (psychology), a disposition or state of mind ** Attitude change * Propositional attitude, a mental state held towards a proposition Science and technology * Orientation ...
'' magazine called it "universal". '' The Advocate''s Larry Flick named "Beautiful" a "
Beatlesque "Beatlesque" () or "Beatles-esque" describes a musical resemblance to the English rock band the Beatles. The term is loosely defined and has been applied inconsistently to a wide variety of disparate artists. Definitions To better explain what ...
ballad" and the "great queer anthem of 2003". He also listed it as one of the best songs of the year. Ian Watson of '' Dotmusic'' shared a similar sentiment to Flick's, writing that the single resembles the work of the Beatles. In contrast, Amanda Murray from Sputnikmusic criticized the "platitude-drenched" lyrics but praised the overall production. At the 2004 Grammy Awards, "Beautiful" won the award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and was nominated for Song of the Year. "Beautiful" is considered to be Aguilera's
signature song A signature (; from , "to sign") is a depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on documents as a proof of identity and intent. Signatures are often, but not always, handwritten or styliz ...
and has been recognized as being among the strongest tracks in her catalog. The song was ranked as her third-best single by Rachel McRady of Wetpaint, who commented that " guileras inspiration ballad motivated an entire generation". '' PopCrush'' Alexandra Capotorto named it as her favorite track by Aguilera, opining that the song is "definitely one of the most memorable and greatest Christina Aguilera songs to date". ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'' ranked "Beautiful" at number 52 on their list of the 100 best songs of the 2000s, stating that it is "delivered with full-fathom force by the bottle-blond with the biggest voice". Similarly, VH1 positioned the track at number 18 on their list of the 100 greatest songs of the past decade. It is listed as one of the 100 best pop songs of all time by
About.com Dotdash Meredith (formerly The Mining Company, About.com and Dotdash) is an American digital media company based in New York City. The company publishes online articles and videos about various subjects across categories including health, hom ...
. ''Pride Life Global'' ranked it as one of the twenty best gay anthems of all time. '' Blender'' ranked the song on its 2005 list of the 500 greatest songs of the 1980s–2000s, praising Aguilera for her "near-operatic vocals".


Chart performance

"Beautiful" was quickly released after the underperformance of the album's first single, " Dirrty" in the United States. It achieved international success and was the highest-charting single from ''Stripped'' in several territories. The song peaked at number two on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for one week, becoming Aguilera's longest-charting solo track, spending 27 weeks on the chart. The song additionally topped ''
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 advertis ...
''
Adult Contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the 1980s to the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul ...
, Dance Club Play, and
Mainstream Top 40 Pop Airplay (also called Mainstream Top 40, Pop Songs, and Top 40/contemporary hit radio, CHR) is a 40-song music chart published weekly by Billboard (magazine), ''Billboard'' Magazine that ranks the most popular songs of pop music being played o ...
component charts. In October 2022, it was certified double platinum 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) for shipments of 2,000,000 copies. , the single has sold 1,512,000 digital copies in that country. In Canada, the song peaked at number one on the ''Billboard'' Canadian Hot 100. Similarly, "Beautiful" proved successful in Europe, where it peaked within the top five of most markets in which it was released. Spending a total of 51 weeks on the UK Singles Chart, the song eventually peaked atop the chart becoming Aguilera's fourth UK number one; it was certified silver by the
British Phonographic Industry BPI (British Recorded Music Industry) Limited, trading as British Phonographic Industry (BPI), is the British recorded music industry's trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards; is home to the Mercury Prize; co-owns the Official Charts C ...
. It peaked at numbers three and 18 on the Belgian
Ultratop 50 Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium. Ultratop is a non-profit organization, created in 1995 on the initiative of the Belgian Entertainment Association (BEA), the Belgian member organiz ...
and Ultratop 40, respectively. In Germany, the song peaked at number four after charting for thirteen weeks on the Media Control GfK chart. However, "Beautiful" proved less successful on the French
Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique SNEP (, in English National Syndicate of Phonographic Publishing) is the inter-professional organisation that protects the interests of the French record industry. Originally known under the acronym SNICOP, the organisation was established in ...
, where it reached number 27. The song was a success in Australia, peaking at number one on the ARIA Singles Chart, where it spent a total of 13 weeks. "Beautiful" was later certified platinum by 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 Records (Australia), Festival, Sony Music ...
(ARIA) for shipments of 70,000 units. The song also charted on the New Zealand Top 40 Singles Chart for 23 weeks, during which period it peaked at number one. In 2011, Aguilera performed the song alongside her finalist Beverly McClellan on the first-season finale of '' The Voice''. The following week, it debuted at number 74 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and peaked at number 52 on the
Hot Digital Songs The Digital Song Sales (previously named Digital Songs and Hot Digital Songs) ranks the best-selling digital songs in the United States, as compiled by Luminate and published by ''Billboard'' magazine. Although it originally started tracking so ...
diagram with first-week sales of 42,000 downloads on the iTunes Store.


Music videos

The accompanying music video for "Beautiful" was directed by
Jonas Åkerlund Hans Uno Jonas Åkerlund (; born 10 November 1965) is a Swedish filmmaker and musician who is best known for his work in music videos. Åkerlund was a member of the Swedish black metal band Bathory. He has directed well-known videos for artists ...
and premiered on December 9, 2002. It 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 Self-image is the mental picture, generally of a kind that is quite resistant to change, that depicts not only details that are potentially available to an objective investigation by others (height, weight, hair color, etc.), but also items that ...
-related sequences of other people. An anorexic girl examines herself in a mirror, eventually punching through it; a thin teenage boy stands lifting weights in a room plastered with images of bodybuilders; and an African-American girl rips out pages of women's magazines including photos of only white women and throws them into a fire. In one sequence, a girl is physically bullied by several peers, and in another, a goth man sits at the back of a bus while several people get up and move. The video also touches on
LGBT LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, asexual, aromantic, agender, and other individuals. The gro ...
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 shows a transgender woman, played by Robert Sherman, putting on makeup, a wig, and women's clothing. The music video debuted at number 2 on ''
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'', spending a total of 50 days on the chart and retiring at number 6. It topped
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's '' Countdown'' for two consecutive weeks and remained on the countdown for 15 weeks. The video was positively reviewed by music critics, and received a Special Recognition award, presented by David LaChapelle, from the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation at its 14th GLAAD Media Awards. After an
a cappella Music performed a cappella ( , , ; ), less commonly spelled acapella in English, is music performed by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Rena ...
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. It was so important to me that I support the gay community in this sense." ''
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 advertis ...
'' included "Beautiful" on its list of the greatest music videos of the 21st century, and Gail Mitchell wrote that it "eloquently touches on insecurity". Gay journalist Larry Flick praised the video for its "stunning execution" and depiction of self-love, and noted that with its help the song "became a perfect slice of cinematic empowerment". In 2024, '' Glamour'' noted that the video "was a true act of radicalism in the face of America's puritanical, conservative Bush years". On October 21, 2022, Aguilera released a new music video for the song, which depicts kids and teens grappling with the onslaught of negative messaging on social media, body dysmorphia, plastic surgery, depression, and suicidal ideation. ''CelebMix'' called the message behind the video "powerful", noting that it "highlights the impact of popular culture and social media on young people". Aguilera was given the Cybersmiler of the Month Award after the video was released. It also won the British Television Advertising Award, and won two awards at the 2023 Webby's — Best Music Video and Best Video (People's Voice).


Live performances

Recognized as one of her
signature song A signature (; from , "to sign") is a depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on documents as a proof of identity and intent. Signatures are often, but not always, handwritten or styliz ...
s, Aguilera has performed "Beautiful" at a number of venues and events. During the promotion of ''Stripped'', she appeared on VH1's Big In Awards, ''
Top of the Pops ''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British record chart television programme, made by the BBC and broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show. For most of its histo ...
'', and the
46th Annual Grammy Awards The 46th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 8, 2004, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California honoring the best in music for the recording of the year beginning from October 1, 2002, through September 30, 2003. It recognized acc ...
. The song was included on the setlists of The Stripped Tour, the Justified and Stripped Tour in 2003 and the Back to Basics Tour in 2006. "Beautiful" was also sung on the television special ''
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 ...
'' in 2010. "Beautiful" has also been performed on charity events and fundraisings, such as '' CNN Heroes'' introduced by Anderson Cooper saying, "It's my pleasure to introduce a performer with unparalleled range and passion; her song is a reminder that out of great trials and tribulations we can all create something beautiful"; ''Justin Timberlake & Friends'' in 2010, and '' Hurricane Sandy: Coming Together'' in 2012. In 2021, Aguilera sang "Beautiful" at the
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's "Big Concert for Small Business"
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afterparty, at her performance at the Hollywood Bowl with
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and the
Los Angeles Philharmonic The Los Angeles Philharmonic (LA Phil) is an American orchestra based in Los Angeles, California. The orchestra holds a regular concert season from October until June at the Walt Disney Concert Hall and a summer season at the Hollywood Bowl from ...
, as well as the 47th People's Choice Awards.


Legacy

"Beautiful" has been embraced by the
LGBT community The LGBTQ community (also known as the LGBT, LGBT+, LGBTQ+, LGBTQIA, LGBTQIA+, or queer community) comprises LGBTQ people, LGBTQ individuals united by LGBTQ culture, a common culture and LGBTQ movements, social movements. These Community, comm ...
as an
anthem An anthem is a musical composition of celebration, usually used as a symbol for a distinct group, particularly the national anthems of countries. Originally, and in music theory and religious contexts, it also refers more particularly to sho ...
. ''The Advocate''s Larry Flick believed the release of the song was "one of the most powerful moments of queer activism in 2003". On October 5, 2010, several hundred people gathered in front of the
Massachusetts State House The Massachusetts State House, also known as the Massachusetts Statehouse or the New State House, is the List of state capitols in the United States, state capitol and seat of government for the Massachusetts, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, lo ...
and sang "Beautiful" as a tribute to the teenagers who had committed suicide due to anti-gay bullying during the previous months. 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 It Gets Better is an Internet-based 501(c)3 nonprofit with a mission to uplift, empower, and connect lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) youth around the globe. It was founded in the United States by gay activist, author, m ...
. UK
LGBT rights Rights affecting lesbian, Gay men, gay, Bisexuality, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people vary greatly by country or jurisdiction—encompassing everything from the legal recognition of same-sex marriage to the Capital punishmen ...
charity Stonewall named "Beautiful" the most empowering song of the decade for lesbian, gay and bisexual people; media personality and Stonewall contributor
Paul Gambaccini Paul Matthew Gambaccini (born 2 April 1949) is an American-British radio and television presenter and author. He is a dual citizen of the United States and United Kingdom, having become a British citizen in 2005. Known as "The Great Gambo" and ...
called the song "a major achievement that has inspired millions of young people around the world." The result is based on the choice from 1,007 readers. Aguilera commented of the song's reception from the LGBT community, "I cannot express in words how much the LGBT community means to me. On my darkest day their support lifts me up. I feel honored that some of my songs become anthems to them as well." "Beautiful" inspired a subgenre of empowerment pop songs including
Katy Perry Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984), known professionally as Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. She is one of the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling music artists in hist ...
's "
Firework Fireworks are Explosive, low explosive Pyrotechnics, pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. They are most commonly used in fireworks displays (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics), combining a large numbe ...
" (2010) and
Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her image reinventions and versatility across the entertainment industry, she is an influ ...
's " Born This Way" (2011). The transgender character from its music video seemingly influenced the Denis O'Hare's
Liz Taylor Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor (February 27, 1932 – March 23, 2011) was an English and American actress. She began her career as a child actress in the early 1940s and was one of the most popular stars of classical Hollywood cinema in the 19 ...
role in the horror television series '' American Horror Story: Hotel''. The music video for "Beautiful" was parodied in the eighth season of ''
Mad TV ''Mad TV'' (stylized as ''MADtv'') is an American sketch comedy television series created by David Salzman, Fax Bahr, and Adam Small. Loosely based on the humor magazine '' Mad'', ''Mad TVs pre-taped satirical sketches were primarily parodie ...
'', where the singer was portrayed by Christina Moore.
Sabrina Carpenter Sabrina Annlynn Carpenter (born May 11, 1999) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She first gained prominence starring on the Disney Channel series ''Girl Meets World'' (2014–2017). She signed with the Disney Music Group, Disney ...
stated that "Beautiful" inspired her vocally and artistically. She also covered the song during her Evolution Tour (2016–2017).
Rita Ora Rita Sahatçiu Ora (; born Rita Sahatçiu; 26 November 1990) is a British singer-songwriter, television personality, and actress. Born in Pristina, modern-day Kosovo, she rose to prominence when she featured on DJ Fresh's 2012 single, "Hot Rig ...
noted that the music video for "Beautiful" inspired her song " Girl in the Mirror", and
Alessia Cara Alessia Caracciolo (born July 11, 1996), known professionally as Alessia Cara (), is a Canadian singer and songwriter. She began posting covers of songs on YouTube at age 13. After uploading acoustic covers of songs such as " Love Yourself" and ...
credits the ballad as source of inspiration for her single " Scars to Your Beautiful".
Burial Burial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and objec ...
sampled "Beautiful" on two songs from his 2007 album '' Untrue''. In 2022, ''
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 advertis ...
'' ranked the song the second on their list of "The 100 Greatest Songs of 2002". They noted that the "Grammy-winning empowerment anthem provides a stunningly detailed illustration of the search for one's inner beauty amid battling insecurities". The song has been covered by multiple artists, including
Elvis Costello Declan Patrick MacManus (born 25 August 1954), known professionally as Elvis Costello, is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, author and television host. According to ''Rolling Stone'', Costello "reinvigorated the literate, lyrical ...
, Sam Smith, Ava Max,
Kenny G Kenneth Bruce Gorelick (born June 5, 1956) is an American smooth jazz saxophonist, composer, and record producer. His 1986 album ''Duotones'' brought him commercial success. Kenny G is one of the List of best-selling music artists, best-selli ...
and
Chaka Khan Yvette Marie Stevens (born March 23, 1953), better known by her stage name Chaka Khan ( ), is an American singer. Known as the " Queen of Funk", her career has spanned more than five decades beginning in the early 1970s as the lead vocalist of ...
.


Formats and track listings

* US, Germany and France CD single # "Beautiful" – 3:58 # "Dame lo que Yo Te Doy" – 3:46 # "Beautiful" (music video) – 3:59 * UK CD single # "Beautiful" – 3:58 # " Dirrty" (MaUVe Remix) – 8:11 # "Beautiful" (music video) – 3:59 * Digital remix EP # "Beautiful" (
Peter Rauhofer Peter Rauhofer (29 April 1965 – 7 May 2013) was an Austrian-American disc jockey (DJ), remixer and producer who formerly worked under the moniker Club 69 as well as Size Queen. A native of Vienna, Austria, he was famous for a variety of his ...
Radio Mix) – 3:58 # "Beautiful" (Al B Rich Radio Mix) – 4:14 # "Beautiful" (Valentin Radio Mix) – 3:59 # "Beautiful" (Peter Rauhofer Short Club) – 7:03 # "Beautiful" (Brother Brown Mishow) – 5:11 # "Beautiful" (Brother Brown Divine Mix) – 9:03 # "Beautiful" (Al B Rich Next Level Mix) – 8:36 # "Beautiful" (Peter Rauhofer Beautiful Theme) – 3:40 # "Beautiful" (Valentin Club Mix) – 5:56 # "Beautiful" (Peter Rauhofer Extended Club) – 10:33 # "Beautiful" (Brother Brown Dub) – 7:50


Credits and personnel

Credits are adapted from the "Beautiful" CD single liner notes.


Recording locations

* Mixed at The Enterprise Studios,
Burbank, California Burbank is a city in the southeastern end of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located northwest of downtown Los Angeles, Burbank had a Census-estimated population of 102,755 as of 2023. The city was ...
* Engineered at Mad Dog Studios, Burbank, California * Additional recording at The Enterprise Studios, Burbank, California * Mastered at Bernie Grundman Mastering


Personnel

*
Writing Writing is the act of creating a persistent representation of language. A writing system includes a particular set of symbols called a ''script'', as well as the rules by which they encode a particular spoken language. Every written language ...
, Composing, ProducingLinda Perry * MixingDave "Hard Drive" Pensado * Assisted mixing – Ethan Willoughby *
Engineering Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...
– Linda Perry, David Guerrero *
Pro Tools Pro Tools is a digital audio workstation (DAW) developed and released by Avid Technology (formerly Digidesign) for Microsoft Windows and macOS. It is used for music creation and production, sound for picture (sound design, audio post-productio ...
engineering – Davy Vain * Mastering – Brian "Big Bass" Gardner * Editing – Mike Barnard


Musicians

*
Vocals Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define sing ...
Christina Aguilera Christina María Aguilera ( , ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer-songwriter, actress and television personality. Recognized as Cultural impact of Christina Aguilera, an influential figure in music and having received Public imag ...
*
Piano A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...
,
Guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...
,
Bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...
– Linda Perry * KeyboardsDamon Fox *
Drums The drum is a member of the percussion instrument, percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophones, membranophone. Drums consist of at least one Acoustic membrane, membrane, c ...
Brian MacLeod * StringsThe Section Quartet **
Violin The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino picc ...
Eric Gorfain **
Viola The viola ( , () ) is a string instrument of the violin family, and is usually bowed when played. Violas are slightly larger than violins, and have a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of the ...
– Shanti Randall **
Cello The violoncello ( , ), commonly abbreviated as cello ( ), is a middle pitched bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), tuned i ...
Richard Dodd * Additional Strings and String Arrangement – Linda Perry


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Certifications


Release history


See also

* List of number-one adult contemporary singles of 2003 (U.S.) * List of number-one dance singles of 2003 (U.S.) * List of Romanian Top 100 number ones of the 2000s


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Beautiful (Christina Aguilera Song) 2002 songs 2002 singles 2003 singles 2000s ballads Christina Aguilera songs Music videos directed by Jonas Åkerlund Number-one singles in Australia Irish Singles Chart number-one singles Number-one singles in New Zealand Number-one singles in Romania Number-one singles in Scotland UK singles chart number-one singles Pop ballads Songs written by Linda Perry Canadian Singles Chart number-one singles LGBTQ-related songs RCA Records singles Contemporary R&B ballads Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance Body image in popular culture