After signing with Hollywood Records, Lovato released their pop rock debut album, Don't Forget (2008), which debuted at number two on the Billboard 200. Its follow-up, Here We Go Again (2009), debuted at number one in the U.S., while its title track reached number 15 on the Hot 100. Lovato's third studio album, Unbroken (2011), experimented with pop and R&B and spawned the U.S. platinum-certified single "Skyscraper". They released her eponymous fourth album in 2013, which debuted at number three on the Billboard 200, and contained the top-ten international hit "Heart Attack". Lovato's fifth and sixth albums, Confident (2015) and Tell Me You Love Me (2017), infused soul and mature themes; they earned a Grammy Award nomination for Confident, while "Sorry Not Sorry", the lead single from Tell Me You Love Me, became her highest-charting single in the U.S., reaching number six. After a hiatus, Lovato released their seventh album, Dancing with the Devil... the Art of Starting Over (2021), which reached number two on the Billboard 200.
On television, Lovato has starred as the titular character on the sitcom Sonny with a Chance (2009–2011), served as a judge on the music competition series The X Factor USA for its second and third seasons, and appeared as a recurring character on the musical comedy Glee (2013–2014) and the sitcom Will & Grace (2020). They also starred in the television drama film Princess Protection Program (2009), the animated comedy film Smurfs: The Lost Village (2017), and the musical comedy Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga (2020).
Lovato has sold over 24 million records in the United States[6] and has also received numerous accolades, including an MTV Video Music Award, 14 Teen Choice Awards, five People's Choice Awards, two Latin American Music Awards, a Guinness World Record, and was included on the Time 100 annual list in 2017. An activist for several social causes, Lovato's struggles with an eating disorder and substance abuse have received considerable media attention, in response to which they published the self-help memoir Staying Strong: 365 Days a Year (2013) and released the documentaries Demi Lovato: Simply Complicated (2017) and Demi Lovato: Dancing with the Devil (2021). In 2021, Lovato had come out as nonbionary.
Father
Demi Lovato Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Even if I'm still hurt
Oh, I'm gonna say bless you
I wanna mean those words
Always wished you the best
I, I prayed for your peace
Even if you started this
You did your best or did you?
Sometimes I think I hate you
I'm sorry, dad, for feelin' this
I can't believe I'm sayin' it
I know you were a troubled man
I know you never got the chance
To be yourself, to be your best
I hope that heaven's given you
A second chance
Father, I'm gonna say thank you
Even if I don't understand
Oh, you left us alone
I guess that made me who I am
Always wished you the best
I, I, I pray for your peace
Even if you started this
This whole war in me
You did your best or did you?
Sometimes I think I hate you
I'm sorry, dad, for feelin' this
I can't believe I'm sayin' it
I know you were a troubled man
I know you never got the chance
To be yourself, to be your best
I hope that heaven's given you
You did your best or did you?
Sometimes I think I hate you
I'm sorry, dad, for feelin' this
I can't believe I'm sayin' it
I know you were a troubled man
I know you never got the chance
To be yourself, to be your best
I hope that heaven's given you
A second chance
The lyrics to Demi Lovato's song "Father" speak about the complicated relationship she had with her father. She begins by expressing her gratitude towards him and thanking him, even though she is still hurt by his actions. She wishes him well and hopes his soul is at peace. The chorus is about her conflicted feelings towards her father, who started the "war" she has been fighting within herself. She questions if he did his best for her and apologizes for feeling anger and hatred towards him, acknowledging that he was a troubled man who never got the chance to be himself or be his best. She hopes that he has been given a second chance in heaven.
The song is emotional and heartfelt, with Demi's powerful vocals conveying the pain and confusion she feels towards her father. It is a raw and honest portrayal of the complex feelings that can arise in a tumultuous father-child relationship. The lyrics also highlight the importance of forgiveness and finding peace even in difficult circumstances.
Line by Line Meaning
Father, I'm gonna say thank you
Despite my hurt, I am grateful for you as my father
Even if I'm still hurt
I'm acknowledging my pain, but choosing to be thankful anyways
Oh, I'm gonna say bless you
I want to genuinely wish you well, even though we have issues
I wanna mean those words
I don't want to just go through the motions, I want to truly mean what I say
Always wished you the best
No matter what happened, I wanted the best for you
I, I prayed for your peace
I hoped you could find inner peace despite everything
Even if you started this
Although you may have been the one to cause pain, I won't let it consume me
This whole war in me
The struggles and pain caused by our relationship have been a battle within myself
You did your best or did you?
I'm grappling with whether you truly tried your hardest as my father
Sometimes I think I hate you
My mixed emotions towards you can be intense and overwhelming
I'm sorry, dad, for feelin' this
It's difficult for me to reconcile how I feel and how I think I'm supposed to feel towards you
I can't believe I'm sayin' it
It's hard for me to voice these feelings towards you, but I know it's important
I know you were a troubled man
I recognize that you had personal struggles that affected the way you interacted with me
I know you never got the chance
I understand that factors outside of your control prevented you from being the father you wanted to be
To be yourself, to be your best
I wish you had the opportunity to be your genuine self and give your best as a father
I hope that heaven's given you a second chance
I hope that in death you are able to find peace and the chance to be the person you struggled to be in life
Even if I don't understand
I may never fully comprehend your choices and actions, but I still want to show gratitude
Oh, you left us alone
Your absence in my life has shaped who I am, for better or worse
I guess that made me who I am
Your absence has forced me to grow and mature in ways I wouldn't have otherwise
You did your best or did you?
I'm still questioning your choices and motives as my father
I hope that heaven's given you a second chance
Despite everything, I still hold out hope that you are at peace in the afterlife
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DEMITRIA LOVATO, LALEH POURKARIM
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@suesing3772
Father, I'm gonna say thank you
Even if I'm still hurt
Oh, I'm gonna say bless you
I wanna mean those words
Always wished you the best
I, I prayed for your peace
Even if you started this
This whole war in me
You did your best or did you?
Sometimes I think I hate you
I'm sorry, dad, for feelin' this
I can't believe I'm sayin' it
I know you were a troubled man
I know you never got the chance
To be yourself, to be your best
I hope that heaven's given you
A second chance
Father, I'm gonna say thank you
Even if I don't understand
Oh, you left us alone
I guess that made me who I am
Always wished you the best
I, I, I pray for your peace
Even if you started this
This whole war in me
You did your best or did you?
Sometimes I think I hate you
I'm sorry, dad, for feelin' this
I can't believe I'm sayin' it
I know you were a troubled man
I know you never got the chance
To be yourself, to be your best
I hope that heaven's given you
You did your best or did you?
Sometimes I think I hate you
I'm sorry, dad, for feelin' this
I can't believe I'm sayin' it
I know you were a troubled man
I know you never got the chance
To be yourself, to be your best
I hope that heaven's given you
A second chance
@LauraSchadeck
You're amazing… Love you Demi ❤️
@Zach-sx8cm
you cant comprehend the weight of this song unless you've been hurt by your parents and really looked at it. as someone who is going through counseling and has severe post traumatic stress from my childhood I just want to applaud Demi. The amount courage and vulnerability it takes to write and perform a song like this is enormous. I have so much respect for this woman. God bless you, Demi.
@kaylamarie2237
thank you, i feel this.
@jenniwilliams3295
So very true. My heart can hardly take it
@stephaniejohnson229
I feel you on this. It's why I love Demi so much; I can relate to her struggle. I didn't even know you get PTSD from trauma that wasn't military until I was diagnosed. Good luck with counselling, you'll do amazing ♥
@Jaqvander
And after the singing this song, the first thing she does is walk over the someone in the audience who needs a hug
@briannalee1998
Omg yes! I feel the exact same way. I can’t imagine how hard this is, but she bared her soul and that created the best art. It’s probably a great comping mechanism.
@leshamarie6151
My dad died today. This was always my song that described everything I've ever felt. I feel her emotion . She knows the hurt.
@nikitarayy
Alicia Marie ❤️❤️
@sayurislim2632
Alicia Marie ❤️