“Fight Song” tells a very important and encouraging story. Rachel Platten uses her painful memories in order to create a song that would push her to keep fighting. She needed a reminder that it didn’t matter what anyone else told her, she would get through whatever she was facing. She made this song for herself not intending for it to reach and inspire millions of people around the world. “The singer says she didn’t mean for anyone to hear it at first-and she wasn’t sure if anybody ever would.” (ABC News, 2015, December). Platten always wanted to be a singer, and this shows that your journey of attempts can lead to success! By listening to this song, I have realized how important it is to implement the main theme of the song into your life: Keep fighting no matter what, even when you're tired, anxious and confused keep going because at the end of the dark seasons there is sunshine. This song encouraged and continues to encourage many people, especially those who are struggling, to keep pushing forward. Our pain has a purpose and our story can make a difference.

For my final project I decided to record a cover of the song I have worked with this semester, “Fight Song” by Rachel Platten. In my cover, my goal is to show emotion and my personality by adding riffs that I find enjoyable, changing certain notes to better fit my voice and add libbing in certain parts of the song. Adding these different elements into my cover matters to me as I hope to inspire others to be themselves while singing songs written by different artists. It can be hard not to feel required to sing the song exactly how it was written, and then covers don’t have the personalized touch that make it special and your own. (CollingswoodSound, 2021). As I developed a stronger relationship with my song, I began to reflect more on my own personal experiences. I am still deeply invested in the story that I proposed in the preliminary project proposal assignment. Showcasing the theme of your song is incredibly important in a cover as this allows the audience to understand the message the original artist was trying to convey (Gigliotti, 2020). Through my cover, I hope to show my audience how the lyrics in “Fight Song” show the importance of fighting through your darkest seasons. 

As a teenager myself, I have witnessed how pop music can be incredibly addicting to listen to! These songs often have relatable themes and showcase emotions and experiences that are prevalent in our lives (Vannini, Phillip, Meyers, Scott, 2006). Pop songs are often played at party or fun gatherings with friends in order to promote dancing and to lift up the mood. A pop song that spreads an encouraging message is exactly what teens need to listen to, and “Fight Song” is one of them! As teens, we struggle with so many things, often feeling the need to bottle our feelings inside. Pain, anxiety and stress can easily take away a teen’s motivation. Whenever I’m going through a diffiuclt day or a hard season of life I immediately play “Fight Song”. While listening to it, even though I’ll be filled with sadness and confusion it reminds me to keep going, to keep pushing foward until I reach my goal! 

 Many people use this song as a reason to keep fighting, which is the central theme of the song, but each person has their own story. Caitlin W made a post on how “Fight Song” has helped her through her PTSD, depression and anxiety. This song showed her that through the pain, there is a purpose. The song also showed her that she should not give up on her dreams because of her past or because of what those around her say. She was inspired to keep fighting, because she realized she still had a lot of fight left in her. She states that “The chorus is what really gets to me. I am ready and willing to fight.” (The Mightly, Caitlin, 2024). 

In Bri Heart’s Cover Of “Fight Song”, I focused on a cover of “Fight Song” by Bri Heart. Emoting makes a cover so much more powerful to listen to as it helps to emphasize the message of the song, which in this case is to keep fighting no matter what you are going through. This cover demonstrates how experiences can shape the quality of a cover. As I watched and listened to the cover of her song I heard the pain in her voice and saw the genuine emotion written all over her face. Due to the emotions she put in her vocals and her facial expressions, it is clear that she was also going through a difficult season. Through Platten’s song, Bri Heart was able to put her personality into her cover and use it to show her story. 

The following essay, Literary Elements and the Importance of Lyrics in Fight Song, shows how literary elements can be used in order to derive the deeper meaning of a song as a whole as well as the meaning of one line. Literary elements such as similies, metaphors, hyperboles and personification can be used in order to figure out the the deeper meaning of lyrics. It’s important to look for key words such as “like” or “as”, comparisons, exaggerations and things that are portrayed as having human characteristics. For example, the line in “Fight Song”, “Like how a single word, can make a heart open”, a word is portrayed as having the ability to open a heart. Not physically, but emotionally. Even one encouraging word can touch someone’s heart, and bring them light and support during a tough season. Listening to music can bring people joy in the midst of difficult times. When the meaning of the lyrics are understood by the listener, this allows them to be touched by the song in a deeper way. Sometimes, when trying to find the meaning of a song, certain lyrics can cause confusion and we might not be able to wrap our minds around it. However, when literary elements are used to guide someone through the process one may be able to find hidden meanings more easily, and eventually by using the data gathered can identify the overall theme of the song. 

Understanding that “Fight Song” calls us to never give up can inspire us to keep fighting for what we believe in, even during times when it seems like no progress is being made. A story that I found particularly captivating is one about a young women and her community who come together to stop the closing of an important academic institution. (Hardaway, 2018). “Fight Song” became their battle cry! This song encouraged them to keep fighting until they saw the result they longed for. You never know what you are truly capable of achieving unless you keep trying! 

I’ve grown up in a country where I had the opportunity to get a well-rounded education, starting from the very young age of three. Unfortunately not all children in certain countries can get the education they deserve. A man from India decided to collaborate with Rachel Platten in order to to create a music video to “Fight Song” in order to spread awareness for the need for underprivildeged children to be able to get an education (RadioAndMusic, 2015). Certain types of music have the ability to bring people together to change to the world, “Fight Song” is clearly one of them!

The Fight Till The Battle Is Won Playlist is filled with songs to provide listeners with constant, encouragement and joy, especially when tehy are facing hard seasons of their life. As I created this playlist, it allowed me to connect with other songs that I have developed a love for over the course of the years. Although, I have been very familiar with all of these songs, I have never realized how closely related they are to each other and to the main song, “Fight Song.” By listening to each song in my playlist I have been able to identify connections with lyrics, instrumentals and vocal style. This page argues that it is incredibly important to have sources of music that you can turn to as a source of encouragement and positivity. Through hard times, especially when you don’t have your loved ones right beside you, it can be very lonely and hard to push through. However, even though it isn’t a physical person, music can bring an unexplainable sense of joy and confidence. I have learned how important it is to figure out what songs connect to a specific song that helps you get through a hard time because then you have multiple songs to listen to in order to be encouraged and to find peace through the storm. 

“Fight Song” has also played an important role in Hillary Clinton’s political jounrye, specifically when she ran for president in the United States. (NBC News, 2016) (Patrick Jeanette, 2016).  Being a woman, she needed that constant reminder to stay in the race and to keep fighting until the results were final. Even though she didn’t end up winning, she didn’t give up even when days seemed bleak! She kept pushing forward which made every bit of her journey worth it. Knowing this can help us realize that even people who are so courageous and filled with strength, need encouragement as well. It’s ok to feel sad, anxious and scared, but when we feel these emotions, it’s important to turn to sources, whether it be people, or a certain song like”Fight Song” because they help us fight and get through the battle we are facing. 

Miracles From Heaven is a movie based off a true story, about a little girl who suffers from a rare disease with no cure. (Riggen, Patricia, 2016, Miracles From Heaven). She consistenly fights through unbearable pain and her loved ones constantly have to battle with the question “What if we lose her?” In the trailer for the movie, they play “Fight Song” which is how I first heard the song and immediately fell in love with it. Although this sweet girl went through an unimaginable journey, she fought through! After a terrible accident, falling down many feet into a tree she was rushed to the hospital. Doctors found nothing wrong with her due to the fall and even came to realized that she no longer had the disease! Even children have to fight so hard to stay alive whether it be due to a physically condition, mental or emotional. This powerful story shows that miracles do happen and no matter what we should always keep our faith and never stop fighting. 

For my Cover Of “Fight Song” page I have been inspired to create my own cover of Fight Song. This project relates to the overall argument that is being portrayed in every piece of writing on my site because I love singing and a dream of mine has been to record songs. Although I’ve tried multiple times to share my music with others, I never end up seeing results. This assignment is an amazing opportunity to show that I am implementing the theme of Fight Song into my life. No matter what others say, I will keep fighting and reach for my dreams. By listening to many different covers of Fight Song, I have seen how touching it is to hear different people sing the same song. Although the lyrics remain the same, behind the sound is a different person, with a different story of how and why they kept fighting, and now it’s time to tell mine.