Anyone

Album: Dancing with the Devil... the Art of Starting Over (2020)
Charted: 34
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Demi Lovato has struggled with emotional issues since her teen years and has used prescription drugs, cocaine, and alcohol to numb her pain. Her troubles came to a head on July 24, 2018, when she was rushed to the hospital because of an opioid overdose. The songstress spent a fortnight in LA's Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, then several months on her subsequent rehabilitation.

    Lovato wrote and recorded "Anyone" just four days before her July 2018 overdose. Speaking to Zane Lowe in January 2020, she said she realizes now the song was actually "a cry for help."

    "I was recording it in a state of mind where I felt I was OK, but clearly I wasn't," Lovato added. "I even listen back to it and I'm like, 'Gosh, I wish I could go back in time and help that version of myself.'"
  • Speaking with Apple Music, Lovato talked about how she was sending her future self a message with this song. "You kind of listen back to it and think, how did nobody listen to this song and think, let's help this girl?, she said. "I was recording it in a state of mind where I felt like I was OK, but clearly I wasn't. I listen to it and think, I wish I could go back in time and help that version of myself. I feel like I was in denial, but a part of me knew what I was singing for. I was singing this song, and I didn't realize the lyrics were so heavy and emotional until after the fact."

    Lovato explained that when she was in the hospital after her overdose, she thought, "If I get to come back from this, I want to sing this song."
  • Regarding the opening lyric, "I tried to talk to my piano, I tried to talk to my guitar, I tried to talk to my imagination," Lovato said: "Music has been a huge coping mechanism for me, but there's only so much that music can do before you have to take responsibility and take the initiative to get the help you need."
  • Lovato premiered this song at the Grammy Awards in 2020. She was introduced by Greta Gerwig, who said: "She is sharing her voice with all those who are battling the darkness in their lives so they might be reminded there is light on the other side."
  • When Demi Lovato sung "Anyone" at the Grammys (her first performance since exiting rehab), she was forced to stop the song for a brief moment as she choked back tears. Her emotional performance was the most-tweeted-about moment of the award show.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Lou Gramm - "Waiting For A Girl Like You"

Lou Gramm - "Waiting For A Girl Like You"They're Playing My Song

Gramm co-wrote this gorgeous ballad and delivered an inspired vocal, but the song was the beginning of the end of his time with Foreigner.

Michael W. Smith

Michael W. SmithSongwriter Interviews

Smith breaks down some of his worship tracks as well as his mainstream hits, including "I Will Be Here For You" and "A Place In This World."

David Sancious

David SanciousSongwriter Interviews

Keyboard great David Sancious talks about his work with Sting, Seal, Springsteen, Clapton and Aretha, and explains what quantum physics has to do with making music.

Joe Elliott of Def Leppard

Joe Elliott of Def LeppardSongwriter Interviews

The Def Leppard frontman talks about their "lamentable" hit he never thought of as a single, and why he's juiced by his Mott The Hoople cover band.

Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull

Ian Anderson of Jethro TullSongwriter Interviews

The flautist frontman talks about touring with Led Zeppelin, his contribution to "Hotel California", and how he may have done the first MTV Unplugged.

The Punk Photography of Chris Stein

The Punk Photography of Chris SteinSong Writing

Chris Stein of Blondie shares photos and stories from his book about the New York City punk scene.