Songfacts®:

• Christina Aguilera opens her seventh album with the title track, where she resolves to, "leave the past behind. Say goodbye to the scared child inside." Speaking with Billboard magazine, Aguilera explained why she decided to name her album after the Lotus flower. "This album represents a celebration of the new me," she said, "and to me the lotus has always represented this unbreakable flower that withstands any harsh weather conditions in its surroundings, that withstands time and remains beautiful and strong throughout the years. Once I could start writing my own songs, beginning with (2002 album) Stripped, I tried to infuse as much as I could to promote strength and inspire people with that message. And now I'm at a place at 31, where the last time I felt this way was when I was 21 with Stripped and I had a lot to say and a lot to express."
• The demo for this experimental song opened with a quick sample of M83's single "Midnight City." However, it was never cleared, so the final version is M83 free.
• Other artists that have recorded songs inspired by the Lotus flower include R.E.M., Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Cage The Elephant and Radiohead.
• Lotus arrived at #7 on the Billboard 200 with a first-week sales figure of 73,408 copies, the lowest selling debut of Aguilera's career to date.