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.
Hold Up
Demi Lovato Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If the weapon is your love, I got my hands up
I'd say hold up
Broken out of nowhere, showed up
I'm in love
This heist got me skipping a heart beat
I'm giving up
I wanna run, run, run away
In your getaway car, make a getaway
If the weapon is your love, I got my hands up
If you're gonna take me down, I surrender
I'll give you anything you want
Just don't leave me alone
This is a hold up, this is a hold up
If the weapon is your love, I got my hands up
Hey, stranger
I'm addicted to the danger of the touch
Now you're wanted
Better keep me as your hostage
Tie me up
I wanna run, run, run away
In your getaway car, make a getaway
If the weapon is your love, I got my hands up
If you're gonna take me down, I surrender
I'll give you anything you want
Just don't leave me alone
This is a hold up, this is a hold up
If the weapon is your love, I got my hands up
Everybody get down
Get down on the floor, floor
Everybody get down
Nobody gets hurt, hurt
If the weapon is your love, I got my hands up
If you're gonna take me down, I surrender
I'll give you anything you want
Just don't leave me alone
This is a hold up, this is a hold up
If the weapon is your love, I got my hands up
If you're gonna take me down, I surrender
I'll give you anything you want
Just don't leave me alone
This is a hold up, this is a hold up
If the weapon is your love, I got my hands up
If the weapon is your love, I got my hands up
In Demi Lovato's song Hold Up, the recurring theme is that love is a weapon, and the singer is willing to surrender themselves to it. They use the metaphor of a hold-up or robbery, with the lyrics referencing getting something stolen from them, being in a getaway car, and being tied up like a hostage. The chorus repeats the line "If the weapon is your love, I got my hands up" as a way of saying that the singer is defenseless against this love they have found themselves in.
The first verse describes how their love came out of nowhere and took them by surprise. The singer says they're giving up, seemingly resigning themselves to the idea that they can't resist this love. But at the same time, they want to run away and escape. The second verse introduces a new character, a "stranger" that the singer is addicted to despite the danger they represent. They offer themselves up to this person, again using the hold-up motif as a way of illustrating their vulnerability.
The pre-chorus and chorus are the most memorable parts of the song, with the lyrics conveying the idea that the singer is powerless against this love they've found themselves in. The line "Just don't leave me alone" is particularly poignant and suggests that the singer is afraid of losing this person.
Overall, Hold Up is a song about surrendering to love, even if it's scary or dangerous. The lyrics use the themes of robbery and hostage-taking to illustrate the singer's vulnerability and the power that this love holds over them.
Line by Line Meaning
If the weapon is your love, I got my hands up
I acknowledge that your love has the power to hurt me, and I am surrendering my heart to you.
I'd say hold up
Wait, let's slow down and think about what we're doing.
Broken out of nowhere, showed up
You entered my life unexpectedly and shook me up emotionally.
I'm in love
I have strong feelings for you, and I am willing to take risks for them.
This heist got me skipping a heart beat
Our situation is exciting and dangerous, and it's making my heart race.
I'm giving up
I am surrendering to your power and control over me.
I wanna run, run, run away
Part of me is scared and wants to escape this situation.
In your getaway car, make a getaway
If we do run away, I want to do it with you and start a new life together.
Hey, stranger
You are someone new to me, and I am drawn to the mystery and excitement you bring.
I'm addicted to the danger of the touch
I crave the thrill and excitement of your touch, even though it's risky.
Now you're wanted
I desire you and want to be with you, even though it may not be safe or wise.
Better keep me as your hostage
I am willing to be captured by your love and kept captive by it.
Tie me up
I am willing to be vulnerable and let you have control over me.
Everybody get down
We're in a dangerous situation, and I want everyone to be safe.
Get down on the floor, floor
I want everyone to take cover and protect themselves from harm.
Nobody gets hurt, hurt
I don't want anyone to be harmed in this situation.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Daniel James Pringle, Demitria Demi Lovato, Leah Jaqueline Cooney, Ross Golan
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind