| "Learn to Let Go" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Kesha | ||||
| from the album Rainbow | ||||
| Released | November 3, 2017 | |||
| Length | 3:38 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) |
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| Kesha singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Learn to Let Go" on YouTube | ||||
"Learn to Let Go" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Kesha. It is taken from her third studio album, Rainbow (2017).[1] It was released as the third promotional single from the album on July 28, 2017. On November 3, 2017, the song was serviced to BBC Radio as the album's second European single. Digital remixes were released worldwide on November 10, 2017.[2] Kesha released a music video for the song on July 27, 2017.[3] The song is focused around the idea of childhood innocence and learning to be yourself no matter what anyone else thinks. The song also was released during a time when Kesha was in a legal battle with her old producer, Dr. Luke.[4]
Composition
editKesha was inspired to write "Learn to Let Go" by one of her friends who went through "the worst childhood imaginable." The track was the first to be written for the album and was also based on Kesha's struggles while making Rainbow. About the song, Kesha told the Huffington Post that:
"This was one of the first songs I wrote for my new album, ‘Rainbow.’ I wrote this song with my mom, Pebe Sebert, and the first day of the writing session we wrote this great melody but we couldn’t figure out what the song was about. We only had one more day booked with my friend and co-writer on this song, Stuart Crichton. I was so frustrated because we had this amazing chorus melody but no words, and I was so sad because I wondered if we would finish it? The next day I had breakfast with one of my best friends. She just struck me that morning because she is such a happy beautiful soul. She floated into the room like a magical beam of light ― she was a goddess. I know some of the hard times she has been through, and I was inspired by how she didn’t let any of the darkness from her past creep into her life. Her beautiful spirit inspired me to consider how, even though we all go through tough things in our lives, we all have the ability to make the decision to just let it go and move forward. If my friend can do it, then I thought maybe I can do it too."
The song was produced by Stuart Crichton, who was a part of the UK dance duo Narcotic Thrust, which is anagram of Stuart Crichton. Crichton has also worked with Kylie Minogue, Sugababes, and Pet Shop Boys.[6]
The song, which is one of the mantras that Kesha lives by today, is all about how her friend had been through hard times, but she still persisted and kept a positive attitude throughout it all. At the time of writing, Kesha was going through hard times as well, as she and her record company, RCA Records, a division of Sony Music, had a fallout due to her sexual assault case with one of the producers, Dr. Luke.[7]
Kesha vs. Dr. Luke
editKesha’s album “Rainbow” was produced when she had harsh relations with Sony Music, because a producer, Dr. Luke, for one of the labels under them, had been accused by Kesha of sexually, emotionally, physically, and verbally abusing her to the point where she almost lost her life. She has been in a court battle with him for a while, and she was still under contract at Sony, so she was unable to release any more music. Dr. Luke countersued Kesha, and the case went to the New York Supreme Court. The Court ruled that Kesha was not able to be released from her contract with Kemosabe Records, and she had to release her album Rainbow on the label, despite being in a court case with her producer.[8]
Kesha did not have to work with Dr. Luke, and she has expressed a desire to still keep working with Sony Music, but she is still contractually bound to Dr. Luke.[9]
Taylor Swift, Lorde, Lady Gaga, and Demi Lovato, among others, have come out in support of Kesha. Swift donated $250,000 to Kesha for any financial needs that she might have during the time of trial. Lady Gaga dedicated one of her songs, which deals with sexual assault, that she performed at the Oscars ceremony, to Kesha. In addition, Miley Cyrus posted a photo on Instagram of a sign supporting Kesha.[10]
Kesha's Article on Huffington Post
editKesha wrote on article on July 27, 2017 for the Huffington Post, detailing her experience creating Rainbow and the song "Learn to Let Go" . She talks about her friend that inspired her to write the song:
"Her beautiful spirit inspired me to consider how, even though we all go through tough things in our lives, we all have the ability to make the decision to just let it go and move forward," Kesha wrote. "Your past only has as much effect on your future as you want it to. It's about embracing your past, but not letting it define you."""
Her friend inspired her to write the song, and Kesha also took a lot of inspiration from writing it:[11]
"We all have bias based on whatever our own story and life experience has been, but really the only way to truly evolve is to let the past be the past and move forward with an open heart. If you let your demons haunt you, they will haunt you forever. Learn from your mistakes but don’t dwell on them, and if you feel like someone has wronged you, let that be their problem ― not yours."
Music Video
editKesha released the music video for "Learn to Let Go" on July 27, 2017, and it currently has over 16 million views on YouTube, with 356k likes on it as well. The music video is based around authentic home videos of Kesha, alluding to the theme of childhood innocence and being who you are. The video cuts between pictures and videos of Kesha as a kid to present day Kesha. On her Huffington Post article, Kesha described the experience of making the video:
"I worked with Isaac Ravishankara, the same director who I worked with on the video for another song on the album, ‘Hymn.’ I wanted all of the videos on the project to have a colorful and idiosyncratic style. This video in particular I wanted to feel nostalgic and otherworldly because it’s about me reconnecting to my childlike innocence. I’ve looked at this record, ‘Rainbow,’ as me being myself, Kesha Rose Sebert, my name without the dollar sign, genuinely for the first time ever. I mean that on every level but especially musically ― and that’s really scary for me. This song, and the ideas behind it, were a big part of this record and I hope my fans like it because it is my gift to them for sticking with me for all of these years. This idea of learning to let the negative things go has been extremely helpful for me over the last few years, and I hope it resonates with others."
Isaac Ravishankara also worked with Kesha on a music video for her song "Hymn", which is also on the Rainbow album.[12]
Reviews
editOn July 31, 2017, www.themusicalhype.com reviewed "Learn to Let Go". The article analyzed the lyrics and gave their view on what the lyrics meant. At the end, the author gave their review on the track:
"Had Kesha not already shocked and wowed us with “Praying,” “Learn to Let Go” would be truly refreshing and surprising. All in all, it’s another step in a more mature, artistic direction for the pop star. This isn’t as impactful as “Praying,” nor is it the second coming, but it has the formula working for it. Thoughtful lyrics, big chorus, and solid production work. Nothing wrong with soundness."[13]
Another review from www.thomasbleach.com details the songs production and the hook that Kesha brings to the track. While analyzing the lyrics, the author of the article takes a look into the deeper meaning of the song and finds the mantra that Kesha talks about:
"The pop/rock track is the closest sound to her previous material that we’ve heard yet and has a giant chorus that you will want to hear on radio just so you can turn it up and scream the lyrics out. “I think it’s time to practice what I preach. Exorcise the demons inside me. Whoa, gotta learn to let it go. The past can’t haunt me if I don’t let it. Live and learn and never forget it. Whoa, gotta learn to let it go”. It’s about letting go of all the negative things in your past that may be blocking you from truly letting go. it’s a mantra that we could all learn to live by and is an important message to spread in the current world we are living in. The production is impressive and has a slight dance beat behind the bridge that gives me hope that we may just hear an old school inspired Kesha bop at some point. Her vocals continue to impress me showing a raw delivery as well as little ad-libs and a cool high note. It may have been a long time coming but with every song she has released from this new album I can confirm it has definitely been worth the wait."[14]
Remixes
editOn November 10, 2017, Kesha released a two-song project of remixes of the song. One remix was by Feenixpawl, and it is 3:22 in length, about 15 seconds shorter than the original version by Kesha.[15]
The second remix was by Michael Brun, a twenty-five year old DJ from Port-au-Prince, Haiti, who specializes in EDM remixing.[16]
Live performances
editThe song was first performed live at the 2017 MTV Europe Music Awards on November 12. On November 14, Kesha performed the song live at the BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge, as well as a cover of Marshmello's song "Silence", featuring Khalid. Kesha appeared on The Graham Norton Show to perform her song live, on November 24.
Track listing
edit- Digital download[17]
6. "Learn to Let Go" - 3:37
- Remixes[18]
- "Learn to Let Go" (Feenixpaul Remix) - 3:22
- "Learn to Let Go" (Michael Brun Remix) - 3:37
Charts
edit| Chart (2017) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[19] | 81 |
| New Zealand Heatseekers (RMNZ)[20] | 6 |
| Scotland (OCC)[21] | 30 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[22] | 97 |
Release history
edit| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Worldwide | July 28, 2017 | Digital download | Kemosabe | [23] |
| Europe | November 3, 2017 | Contemporary hit radio | [24] | |
| Worldwide | November 11, 2017 | Digital download, Streaming - Remixes | [25][26] |
References
edit- ^ "Rainbow by Kesha". Genius. Retrieved 2018-04-25.
- ^ Learn to Let Go (The Remixes) - Single by Kesha, 2017-11-10, retrieved 2018-04-25
- ^ keshaVEVO (2017-07-27), Kesha - Learn To Let Go (Official Video), retrieved 2018-04-25
- ^ "Kesha, Dr. Luke: The Case Explained". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2018-04-26.
- ^ Kesha (2017-07-27). "Learn To Let Go". Huffington Post. Retrieved 2018-04-25.
- ^ "Learn To Let Go by Kesha Songfacts". www.songfacts.com. Retrieved 2018-04-25.
- ^ "Kesha, Dr. Luke: The Case Explained". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2018-04-25.
- ^ "How Kesha's 3-year legal battle with Dr. Luke shaped her new album Rainbow". Vox. Retrieved 2018-04-25.
- ^ "How Kesha's 3-year legal battle with Dr. Luke shaped her new album Rainbow". Vox. Retrieved 2018-04-25.
- ^ "Kesha, Dr. Luke: The Case Explained". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2018-04-25.
- ^ Kesha (2017-07-27). "Learn To Let Go". Huffington Post. Retrieved 2018-04-25.
- ^ "Learn To Let Go by Kesha Songfacts". www.songfacts.com. Retrieved 2018-04-25.
- ^ "Kesha, 'Learn to Let Go' | Track Review - The Musical Hype". The Musical Hype. 2017-07-31. Retrieved 2018-04-25.
- ^ "SINGLE REVIEW: Kesha – Learn To Let Go". ThomasBleach. 2017-07-29. Retrieved 2018-04-25.
- ^ Learn to Let Go (The Remixes) - Single by Kesha, 2017-11-10, retrieved 2018-04-25
- ^ "Michael Brun". Wikipedia. 2018-04-04.
- ^ ""Rainbow (Explicit) by Kesha on Apple Music"". iTunes.
- ^ "Learn to Let Go - single". iTunes Australia. Retrieved 11 November 2017.
- ^ "Kesha Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved August 8, 2017.
- ^ "NZ Heatseekers Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. August 7, 2017. Retrieved August 4, 2017.
- ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 2, 2017.
- ^ "Kesha Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved August 8, 2017.
- ^ "Kesha Shares Emotional Home Movie Footage in Her Music Video For "Learn to Let Go"". popsugar. 28 July 2017. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
- ^ "BBC – Radio 1 – Playlist". BBC Radio 1. 3 November 2017. Archived from the original on 3 November 2017. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
{{cite web}}:|archive-date=/|archive-url=timestamp mismatch; 6 November 2017 suggested (help) - ^ "Learn to Let Go - single". iTunes Australia. Retrieved 11 November 2017.
- ^ "Learn to Let Go (remixes)". amazon. Retrieved 3 January 2018.