Peak
58
Weeks
14
Score
735
Chart Year
2018
A music video of the Reimagined Remix was released on December 20, 2018. In support of the VH1 Save the Music Foundation, the video features the men from the Netflix series, Queer Eye, Antoni Porowski, Jonathan Van Ness, Tan France, and Bobby Berk (Karamo Brown does not appear in the video), helping three students, Olivia, Timmy, and J'Shawn, and giving them a "Much More Than a Makeover" experience and help prepare them for a talent show shown at the end of the video. At the talent show, Timmy raps Missy Elliott's second verse while the song is played over him, then J'Shawn showcases his dance moves, and finally Olivia sings the bridge to the song and all three are met with praise. The video was directed by Jared Hogan
This rousing song of self-acceptance was written by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul for the P.T. Barnum musical biopic The Greatest Showman. Pasek and Paul's resume also includes the music for the Oscar-winning film La La Land as well as the Broadway musical Dear Evan Hansen. The defiant song is sung by Hawaii native Keala Settle who portrays the bearded lady, Lettie Lutz, in the biographical drama. The Lettie Lutz portrayed in The Greatest Showman was in real life Annie Jones Elliot (1865 –1902), an American bearded woman, who spent much of her career with P.T. Barnum in his "Greatest Show on Earth." Jones was known for her musical talents and gracious etiquette and acted as a spokesperson for Barnum's "Freaks." "This Is Me" is a fight song for people who are not accepted by society. It is sung by Lettie Lutz after she and the rest of the circus troupe are barred by Barnum from an after party following Jenny Lind's performance. The bearded lady refuses to be cut down by the fact that the showman is embarrassed by them. "It was really inspired by the group of oddities in the film, and what they came to represent and what [director] Michael [Gracey] talked about them representing," Pasek told Billboard. "People who had lived in the shadows their whole lives and for the first time wanted to feel love and acceptance, and even when P.T. Barnum turns his back on them, they make a statement - not only to him, but to themselves - that they declare to love themselves for the first time." This won the best original song award at the 2018 Golden Globes. The victory meant that Pasek and Paul were back-to-back winners in the category, after they nabbed the statue in 2017 for La La Land's "City of Stars," co-written with the film's composer Justin Hurwit. Kesha recorded a cover version for an album containing interpretations by contemporary pop artists of the songs on The Greatest Showman soundtrack. Report this ad The song was inspired in part by the struggles that Benj Pasek endured in his own life. "I'm a gay man who grew up in the closet when I was a teenager," he explained to Billboard. "You experience the world telling you that you're not lovable, you're unwanted, or something about you is broken, and you feel like you have to fix yourself or hide yourself." "I think it's amazing to work on a song that you think is your own private struggle and you realize that once you shine a little bit of light on it, there are a lot of other people sort of huddling in the dark there too," Pasek continued. "And that other people relate to that idea or relate to that message and can find a sort of communion in that message." "This Is Me" was written as an internal monologue for the bearded lady, after the scene where Barnum rejects Lettie Lutz and the rest of his troupe at the high society party. The song later transforms into a communal moment for all the "freaks", as they all sing together in an ensemble. Justin Paul explained to Genius: "We always wrote it knowing that it could be an internal moment for her. Like expressing what she's feeling in that moment of having being let down, or just so broken. I think the way we wrote it she was talking to herself. It becomes much more external and much more for everyone else, and she kinds of rallies those troops so to speak. Claim the moment and say this is us. But that was her internal monologue." This was nominated for the Best Original Song Oscar, but lost to "Remember Me" from the film Coco. Settle's emotional performance was a highlight of the ceremony as she sang her way through tears to deliver a powerful anthem with the help of a diverse troupe of backup dancers/singers. The song featured in an NBC Sports Winter Olympics promo.
I am not a stranger to the dark "Hide away," they say "'Cause we dont want your broken parts" You can put your mind to do whatever you wanna do Just tell yourself that you capable, too But don't do things that ain't even cool And get rid of them no-good friends thats enablin' you Makin' you feel like you won't be nothin', your life crumblin' They talk, mumblin' You gon' be something, you are glorious Were no gangs, but warriors, we well-known, notorious They can't stop you or block you or mock you They mad cause you bad and they not you You fall down, but get up and skip and hop through Kick down doors for others to walk through You have a purpose, to make you say, "Did I do that?" Urkel Now we callin' reality virtue This is who I am, this is me, don't let them words hurt you When the sharpest words wanna cut me down I'm gonna send a flood, gonna drown them out I am brave, I am bruised I am who I'm meant to be, this is me Look out 'cause here I come And I'm marching on to the beat I drum I'm not scared to be seen I make no apologies, this is me Oh-oh-oh-oh Oh-oh-oh-oh Oh-oh-oh-oh Oh-oh-oh-oh Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh, oh Another round of bullets hits my skin Well, fire away 'cause today, I won't let the shame sink in We are bursting through the barricades And reaching for the sun (we are warriors) Yeah, that's what we've become Won't let them break me down to dust I know that there's a place for us For we are glorious When the sharpest words wanna cut me down I'm gonna send a flood, gonna drown them out I am brave, I am bruised I am who I'm meant to be, this is me Look out 'cause here I come (yeah, yeah, yeah) And I'm marching on to the beat I drum I'm not scared to be seen I make no apologies, this is me I'm alone, I never fit the mold The world is so cold, hold it down on my own I'm just tryna reach up to the sky, see the moon I got confidence 'cause I'm the flyest in the room And I been knocked down, but I always get up I had some fake friends, had to go and switch up Yeah, no pain, no strain, I ain't chasin' all the fame 'Cause I got more to gain, and I'm just tryna make a change I'm just doin' me, I'm in my own lane I fell down a few times, but I'm up again Marchin' to another drum, see me cross, see me bow When they thought that I was done, ah nah, here I come I'm not weak, I get on my feet No apologies, yeah, this is me And I know that I deserve your love There's nothing I'm not worthy of When the sharpest words wanna cut me down I'm gonna send a flood, gonna drown them out This is brave, this is bruised This is who I'm meant to be, this is me Look out 'cause here I come (look out 'cause here I come) And I'm marching on to the beat I drum Marching on, marching on, marching, marching on (I'm not scared to be seen) I make no apologies, this is me Whenever the world's gone, whenever the world's gone I'm gonna send a flood, gonna drown them out Oh, oh, oh, this is me
| Week | Chart Date | Position | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jan 13, 2018 | 83 | 43 |
| 2 | Jan 20, 2018 | 64 | 62 |
| 3 | Jan 27, 2018 | 58 | 68 |
| 4 | Feb 3, 2018 | 66 | 60 |
| 5 | Feb 10, 2018 | 71 | 55 |
| 6 | Feb 17, 2018 | 63 | 63 |
| 7 | Feb 24, 2018 | 83 | 43 |
| 8 | Mar 3, 2018 | 85 | 41 |
| 9 | Mar 10, 2018 | 87 | 39 |
| 10 | Mar 17, 2018 | 60 | 66 |
| 11 | Mar 24, 2018 | 91 | 35 |
| 13 | Apr 7, 2018 | 87 | 39 |
| 16 | Apr 28, 2018 | 83 | 43 |
| 17 | May 5, 2018 | 91 | 35 |