Hold My Hand (Lady Gaga song)

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"Hold My Hand"
Lady Gaga - Hold My Hand.png
Single by Lady Gaga
from the album Top Gun: Maverick Music from the Motion Picture
ReleasedMay 3, 2022 (2022-05-03)
GenreArena rock
Length3:45
LabelInterscope
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Lady Gaga singles chronology
"Love for Sale"
(2021) 		"Hold My Hand"
(2022)
Music video
"Hold My Hand on YouTube

"Hold My Hand" is a song by American singer Lady Gaga, released on May 3, 2022, through Interscope Records. It is the lead single to the soundtrack for the upcoming film Top Gun: Maverick (2022).[1] The song was written and produced by Gaga and BloodPop as "a love letter to the world during and after a very hard time." Benjamin Rice received additional production credits.[2]

Background and release[edit]

In April 2021, gossip website ShowBiz 411 reported that Lady Gaga would be involved with the soundtrack for Top Gun: Maverick.[3] The rumor spread to other publications, including W magazine.[4]

In April 2022, Gaga began posting cryptic messages on Twitter, which fans interpreted as lyrics to the rumored song.[5][6] She formally announced "Hold My Hand" and its release date on April 27, 2022.[1][7] During the announcement, Gaga shared that she was working on the song for years, and "didn't even realize the multiple layers it spanned across the film's heart, my own psyche, and the nature of the world we've been living in" while writing it.[8] A preview of the song was released on April 30, followed by the release of the full track on May 3.[9] A week after being released on streaming and digital platforms, "Hold My Hand" is set to receive airplay through adult contemporary and contemporary hit radio stations in the US.[10][11]

Chart performance[edit]

The track was the first single released from the soundtrack for Top Gun: Maverick. It charted in Hungary’s Single Top 40 slágerlista at number 14, the highest for a top 40 chart.[12] It failed to chart in the US and Canadian Billboard Hot 100 but entered at number 17 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100.[13]

Music and lyrics[edit]

"Hold My Hand" has been described by music and film critics as a "hopeful, anthemic" arena rock power ballad.[14][15][16] Lars Brandle of Billboard noted that the song has a close lineage to Berlin's "Take My Breath Away" and Kenny Loggins "Danger Zone".[17] Jazz Tangcay of Variety called "Hold My Hand" a "soaring rock tune with violins and guitar licks that harken back to the power ballads of the '80s."[18] Its lyrics sees Gaga reassuring someone that she will always be there for them "without question."[19][20]'Hold My Hand' Words and Music were written by Stefani Germanotta and Michael Tucker. The song was originally published in the key of G Major and starts with G/D/C/G/D chord progression with three intro bars before singer starts to sing with the lyrics "Hold my hand, every thing will be okay, I heard from the heavens that clouds have been grey. Pull me close, wrap me in your arching arms".[21]

Critical reception[edit]

Robin Murray of Clash called the song "a triumph of bombast" which "finds Lady Gaga cutting loose as a vocalist".[22] Stuart Heritage of The Guardian thought that the song is "bombastic and emotional, and includes everything you could possibly want from a Lady Gaga power ballad".[23] Variety's Jazz Tangcay found the song a "catchy earworm" with a "strong guitar solo", and argued that it is "on track to being an Oscar frontrunner in the original song race."[24] Alexa Camp of Slant Magazine was more negative in her review, thinking that "for a song the artist claims she's been perfecting 'for years', 'Hold My Hand' struggles to take flight."[25]

Music video[edit]

The accompanying music video was helmed by Joseph Kosinski, director of Top Gun: Maverick, and it was released on May 6, 2022. It was partially shot in black and white. It pulls imagery from the 1986 Top Gun in nostalgic flashback form – at one point, the music video emotionally notes Tom Cruise as test pilot Maverick with Anthony Edwards' character, Nick "Goose" Bradshaw, holding him after the character tragically dies – as well as theatrical film edits from Top Gun: Maverick. The music video embodies Gaga in a theatrical performance, playing a grand piano on a military air-force runway and singing around an airplane hangar.[24][26]

During the video, Gaga is wearing the original aviation bomber jacket that Cruise wore as Maverick in the original Top Gun film. When the song hits its climax, Gaga switches the tank-top underneath the aviator bomber jacket for a nude gown that explodes off the singer and into the wind. The dress was created by Ukrainian designer, Lessja Verlingieri for her brand Lever Couture.[27]

Charts[edit]

Chart performance for "Hold My Hand"
Chart (2022) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[28] 36
Canada Digital Song Sales (Billboard)[29] 6
Canada AC (Billboard)[30] 36
Canada CHR/Top 40 (Billboard)[31] 39
Canada Hot AC (Billboard)[32] 46
Hungary (Single Top 40)[33] 14
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[34] 23
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[35] 63
UK Download (OCC)[36] 9
UK Sales (OCC)[37] 9
US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (Billboard)[13] 17
US Digital Song Sales (Billboard)[38] 5
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[39] 22
US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)[40] 21
US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[41] 38

Release history[edit]

Release dates and formats for "Hold My Hand"
Region Date Format(s) Label Ref.
Various May 3, 2022
Interscope [1]
Italy May 6, 2022 Radio airplay Universal [42]
United States May 9, 2022 Adult contemporary radio Interscope [10]
May 10, 2022 Contemporary hit radio [11]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Strauss, Matthew (April 27, 2022). "Lady Gaga Announces New Top Gun: Maverick Song "Hold My Hand"". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  2. ^ White, Abbey (April 27, 2022). "Lady Gaga Teases New 'Top Gun: Maverick' Song "Hold My Hand": "This Song Is a Love Letter to the World"". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
  3. ^ Friedman, Roger (April 30, 2021). ""Top Gun: Maverick" Has a Possible Oscar Theme Song: Lady Gaga Took Tom Cruise's Breath Away in 2019". ShowBiz 411. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
  4. ^ Munzenrieder, Kyle (August 10, 2021). "Every Rumored Lady Gaga Project for 2021, Ranked by Confirmation". W. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
  5. ^ Daw, Stephen (April 29, 2022). "Lady Gaga Offers a Tiny Taste of Her 'Top Gun' Ballad 'Hold My Hand': Listen". Billboard. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
  6. ^ Stone, Megan. "Lady Gaga unveils 'Hold My Hand,' a new song for 'Top Gun: Maverick'". ABC News. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
  7. ^ Tangcay, Jazz (April 27, 2022). "Lady Gaga Announces New Single From 'Top Gun: Maverick' Film, 'Hold My Hand'". Variety. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
  8. ^ "Listen to a snippet of Lady Gaga's 'Top Gun: Maverick' track, 'Hold My Hand'". NME. May 2, 2022. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
  9. ^ "Hear The First Snippet Of Lady Gaga's Soaring 'Top Gun: Maverick' Movie Anthem". Bustle. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
  10. ^ a b "Hot/Modern/AC Future Releases | Hot Adult Contemporary Rock Songs and Release Dates". All Access. Archived from the original on April 28, 2022.
  11. ^ a b "Top 40/M Future Releases | Mainstream Hit Songs Being Released and Their Release Dates". All Access. Archived from the original on April 29, 2022.
  12. ^ "Single Top 40 slágerlista". Retrieved May 13, 2022.
  13. ^ a b "Lady Gaga Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
  14. ^ Zemler, Emily (May 3, 2022). "Hear Lady Gaga's Uplifting Single 'Hold My Hand' from 'Top Gun: Maverick'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
  15. ^ Tartaglione, Nancy (May 3, 2022). "Lady Gaga Releases 'Top Gun: Maverick' Song 'Hold My Hand' Ahead Of Film's World Premiere". Deadline. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
  16. ^ Camp, Alexa (May 3, 2022). "Lady Gaga's "Hold My Hand," from Top Gun: Maverick, Struggles to Take Flight". Slant Magazine. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
  17. ^ Brandle, Lars (May 3, 2022). "Lady Gaga Soars With 'Hold My Hand' From 'Top Gun: Maverick' Soundtrack". Billboard. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
  18. ^ Tangcay, Jazz (May 3, 2022). "Lady Gaga's 'Hold My Hand' Lands Ahead of 'Top Gun: Maverick' Opening". Variety. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
  19. ^ Zemler, Emily (May 3, 2022). "Hear Lady Gaga's Uplifting Single 'Hold My Hand' from 'Top Gun: Maverick'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
  20. ^ "Listen to Lady Gaga's emotive new single 'Hold My Hand' in full". NME. May 3, 2022. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
  21. ^ "'Hold My Hand' Sheet Music by Lady Gaga". freshsheetmusic. May 11, 2022. Retrieved May 11, 2022.
  22. ^ Murray, Robin (May 3, 2022). "Lady Gaga's 'Hold My Hand' Is A Triumph Of Bombast". Clash. Archived from the original on May 8, 2022. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
  23. ^ Heritage, Stuart (May 3, 2022). "Will Lady Gaga help Top Gun: Maverick take everyone's breath away?". The Guardian. Archived from the original on May 8, 2022. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
  24. ^ a b Tangcay, Jazz (May 6, 2022). "Lady Gaga Drops 'Hold My Hand' Video From 'Top Gun: Maverick' - Variety". Variety. Archived from the original on May 6, 2022.
  25. ^ Camp, Alexa (May 3, 2022). "Lady Gaga's "Hold My Hand," from Top Gun: Maverick, Struggles to Take Flight". Slant Magazine. Archived from the original on May 8, 2022. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
  26. ^ Saad, Nardine (May 6, 2022). "Lady Gaga takes flight in 'Top Gun' music video 'Hold My Hand' - Los Angeles Times". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on May 6, 2022.
  27. ^ Twersky, Carolyn (May 6, 2022). "Lady Gaga Wore Tom Cruise's Original Top Gun Jacket In The 'Hold My Hand' Music Video". W. Archived from the original on May 6, 2022.
  28. ^ "ARIA Top 50 Singles Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. May 16, 2022. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
  29. ^ "Lady Gaga Chart History (Canadian Digital Song Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
  30. ^ "Lady Gaga Chart History (Canada AC)". Billboard. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
  31. ^ "Lady Gaga Chart History (Canada CHR/Top 40)". Billboard. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
  32. ^ "Lady Gaga Chart History (Canada Hot AC)". Billboard. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
  33. ^ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved May 12, 2022.
  34. ^ "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. May 9, 2022. Retrieved May 7, 2022.
  35. ^ "Lady Gaga – Hold My Hand". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
  36. ^ "Official Singles Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
  37. ^ "Official Singles Sales Chart Top 100 | Official Charts Company". Official Charts Company. May 6, 2022. Retrieved May 9, 2022.
  38. ^ "Lady Gaga Chart History (Digital Song Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
  39. ^ "Lady Gaga Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved May 9, 2022.
  40. ^ "Lady Gaga Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 9, 2022.
  41. ^ "Lady Gaga Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 9, 2022.
  42. ^ Vitali, Giacomo (May 3, 2022). "Lady Gaga - Hold My Hand (Music From The Motion Picture "Top Gun: Maverick") (Radio Date: 06-05-2022)". earone.it (Press release) (in Italian). Retrieved May 3, 2022.
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