The trick is to find a hook that expresses a universal theme in a way that hasn’t been done yet. I found myself facing that challenge with “Soar,” a song that my songwriting partner Rob Hoffman and I produced and co-wrote with Christina Aguilera.
.Christina wasn’t given the opportunity to write any of her own material on her first album. For her second album—”Stripped,” which came out in 2002—she chose to break out of the pop-princess mold and show the world the artist behind the voice. She arrived at our studio with two bulging tote bags of journals. A hit album, world tour, first love, heartbreak, betrayal—all had been poured into those journals. It was time to get it out.
Christina had received countless letters from young fans, particularly women, lamenting the pressure they felt to conform, to please others. Having faced her own struggles with self-acceptance, she asked us to help her to write a song with a message to her fans: “Be yourself and follow your dreams, no matter what anyone else thinks.”
Rob went to work on the music. If you listen to the instrumental part of the song, you get a sense of the story: scene-setting in the verse, tension building in the pre-chorus, a payoff in the chorus, a new twist in the bridge and a climactic finale. Next, Rob looped the instrumental track while Christina and I sang along, trying out ideas until we had a melody that reflected the struggle to “be yourself.”
Before we began the process of fitting words and phrases into rhyme and melody structure, Christina and I brainstormed, discussed shared experiences and mined nuggets from her journal entries. I summarized from my notes: “We all have the tendency to try to please, to be accepted, so we bend when they want us to change. But after we give up and give in, we realize that it wasn’t worth it. We have to let ourselves be.”
A strong opening line is crucial. It should draw listeners into the story and lead them to the chorus. How does it feel to be pressured to be someone you’re not? Like being pulled in every direction. I suggested:
When you’re pushed and you’re pulled, baby can you hold on?
When they tell you to change, can you stand your ground and stay strong?
When we co-write songs, we edit each other as we go along. The lyrics need to sing well and sound like natural conversation, so Christina is constantly tweaking and adjusting words as she sings them with the track, even as we’re recording the final vocals. She improved my lines by adding action and imagery:
When they push, when they pull, tell me can you hold on?
When they say you should change, can you lift your head high and stay strong?
The hook was frustratingly slow in revealing itself. We considered and rejected “Do Your Thing” and “The World Is Yours.” As part of my research, I read teen magazines to get into the heads of Christina’s audience. I came across an article encouraging young women not to bow to peer pressure, and I wrote down: “Be like an eagle. Eagles fly alone, not part of a flock. They aren’t discouraged by people who question what they’re doing.” This idea gave me the first two lines of our chorus.
We continued with the chorus lyrics and had an “aha” moment when I suggested the line “What are you waiting for?” We knew it would tug at anyone who feels they’re not living to their full potential. It was also a perfect setup for our hook line, the missing piece.
CHORUS
Don’t be scared to fly alone
Find a path that is your own
Love will open every door
It’s in your hands. The world is yours
Don’t hold back and always know
All the answers will unfold
So whatcha waitin for…?
Here’s where we needed that missing hook line, whose last word would rhyme with “for.”
I opened up the rhyming dictionary for ideas and jokingly proposed “sore.” Wait a minute: “soar!” Our eagle metaphor! Let’s see: “Believe you can soar”? “Be yourself and soar”? And at last: “Spread your wings and soar!”
And so she did. “Stripped” sold over 10 million albums and won Christina a Grammy and four nominations. “Soar” was featured in movies such as “The Pursuit of Happyness,” accompanying tales of characters who beat seemingly insurmountable obstacles.
So whatcha waitin for?
—Ms. Holley, a songwriter and music producer, specializes in developing new artists and helped to launch Ms. Aguilera’s career.
Soar
Christina Aguilera Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When they push, when they pull
Tell me, you can hold on?
When they say you should change
Can you lift your head high
And stay strong?
Will you give up, give in
When your hearts crying out
That it's wrong?
Will you love you for you
At the end of it all?
Now, in life there's gonna be times
When you're feeling low
And in your mind, insecurity
Seems to take control
We start to look outside ourselves
For acceptance and approval
We keep forgettin' that
The one thing we should know is
Don't be scared to fly alone
Find a path that is your own
Love will open every door
It's in your hands
The world is yours
Don't hold back and always know
All the answers will unfold
What are you waiting for?
Spread your wings and soar
The boy who wonders
Is he good enough for them?
Keeps tryna please em' all
But he just never seems to fit in
Then there's the girl who thinks
She'll never, ever be good enough for him
Keeps tryna change, and
That's a game she'll never win
In life, ooh gonna be times
When you're feeling low
And in your mind, ooh, insecurity
Seems to take control
We start to look outside ourselves
For acceptance and approval
We keep forgettin' that
One thing we should know is
Don't be scared to fly alone
Find a path that is your own
Love will open every door
It's in your hands
The world is yours (the world is yours, yeah)
Don't hold back and always know
All the answers, they will unfold
What are you waiting for?
Spread your wings and soar (ooh)
In the mirror
Is where she comes face to face
With her fears
Her reflection, looks foreign to her
After all these years
All of her life she has tried to be something
Besides herself
Now time has passed
And she's ended up someone else with regret
What is it in us (in us)
That makes us feel the need
To keep pretending?
Gotta let ourselves be, ooh-oh
Don't be scared to fly alone
Find a path that is your own (that is your own)
Love will open every door
It's in your hands
The world is yours (whoa-oh)
Don't hold back and always know
All the answers will unfold (oh, all the answers will unfold)
Don't wait, no more
Spread your wings and soar (spread your wings and soar)
Find your road
Love will open every door
See in your hands the world is yours
Don't hold back, and always know, you'll find your way
Oh, don't wait
Spread your wings and soar (spread your wings and soar)
Don't wait no more (oh-whoa, yeah-yeah-yeah)
You've got to soar
Spread your wings and soar
Don't wait, no more
Spread your wings and soar
You can soar
So, what you waiting for?
Don't wait, don't wait
Soar
Oh yeah
"Soar" by Christina Aguilera is a motivating anthem for anyone struggling with self-doubt and insecurity. The song focuses on the importance of being true to oneself and not seeking validation from others. Aguilera asks the listener a series of questions about whether they will give in to pressure from others, or hold on tight to their own beliefs and values.
As the song progresses, the focus shifts to two individuals who are struggling with their own sense of self-worth. The boy feels that he will never be accepted by those around him, while the girl thinks she'll never be good enough for someone she loves. However, the message remains the same - don't be scared to be yourself and follow your own path.
The chorus of "Soar" encourages listeners to take control of their lives and embrace their unique qualities. Love and acceptance will come from being true to oneself, rather than trying to conform to someone else's expectations. Aguilera's powerful vocals coupled with the uplifting lyrics make for a truly inspiring anthem.
Line by Line Meaning
When they push, when they pull
Tell me, you can hold on?
Can you maintain your own beliefs and values even when others are trying to push or pull you in different directions?
When they say you should change
Can you lift your head high
And stay strong?
Can you stay confident and resilient even if others try to make you feel like you need to change who you are?
Will you give up, give in
When your hearts crying out
That it's wrong?
Will you go against your own intuition and give up if others pressure you to do something that feels wrong to you?
Will you love you for you
At the end of it all?
Will you still love and accept yourself, regardless of how others treat you or what they think of you?
Now, in life there's gonna be times
When you're feeling low
And in your mind, insecurity
Seems to take control
There will be times in life when you feel down and insecure, and it may be difficult to overcome those thoughts and feelings.
We start to look outside ourselves
For acceptance and approval
We keep forgettin' that
The one thing we should know is
When we feel insecure, we tend to seek validation from others instead of trusting our own feelings and instincts.
Don't be scared to fly alone
Find a path that is your own
Love will open every door
It's in your hands
The world is yours
Don't be afraid to be yourself and follow your own path, because if you have self-love, the opportunities in life are endless.
Don't hold back and always know
All the answers will unfold
What are you waiting for?
Spread your wings and soar
Don't hold yourself back and trust that everything will work out as it's meant to be. Take that leap of faith and pursue your dreams.
In the mirror
Is where she comes face to face
With her fears
Her reflection, looks foreign to her
After all these years
Looking at oneself in the mirror can be scary, because it forces you to confront your fears and the ways in which you may have changed from who you used to be.
All of her life she has tried to be something
Besides herself
Now time has passed
And she's ended up someone else with regret
Trying to be someone you're not can lead to regret, because the person you become may not align with who you truly are.
What is it in us (in us)
That makes us feel the need
To keep pretending?
Gotta let ourselves be, ooh-oh
Why do we feel the need to pretend or change ourselves for others? We should allow ourselves to be who we are and not try to conform to society's expectations.
Find your road
Love will open every door
See in your hands the world is yours
Don't hold back, and always know, you'll find your way
Find your own path in life and trust that love will guide you along the way. You have the power to shape your own future and the world around you.
Oh yeah
An expression of confidence and affirmation that you can do it.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Christina Aguilera, Rob Hoffman, Heather Noelle Holley
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind