Learn to Let Go
2017 promotional single by Kesha
"Learn to Let Go" is a song recorded by the American singer-songwriter Kesha. It appears on her third studio album, Rainbow (2017). It was released as the second promotional single from the album on July 28, 2017. Digital remixes were released worldwide on November 10, 2017.
01Composition
Kesha was inspired to write "Learn to Let Go" by one of her friends who went through "the worst childhood imaginable." The track was the first to be written for the album and was also based on Kesha's struggles while making Rainbow. About the song, Kesha told HuffPost:
[...] The only way to truly evolve is to let the past be the past and move forward with an open heart. If you let your demons haunt you, they will haunt you forever. Learn from your mistakes but don't dwell on them, and if you feel like someone has wronged you, let that be their problem, not yours. As much as our past creates who we are, we can't let it define us or hold us back. And especially if you've been through something hard, and we all have, you can't hold on to resentment because it's like a poison. You have to learn to let go of those bad feelings and move forward.
She has also described the song's title as "one of my mantras over the last few years."
02Music video
The music video for "Learn to Let Go" was released on July 27, 2017. In the video, Kesha shares home video footage of herself as a child, running in nature, singing and dancing wildly. The Costco bear appears in the video.
03Live performances
The song was first performed live at the 2017 MTV Europe Music Awards on November 12. On November 14, Kesha performed the song live at the BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge, as well as a cover of Marshmello's song "Silence" featuring Khalid.
Kesha appeared on The Graham Norton Show to perform her song live, on November 24.
04Commercial performance
Despite not being issued as a single in North America, "Learn to Let Go" debuted at number 97 on the US Billboard Hot 100 issue dated August 8, 2017 as a promotional single. It also peaked at number 81 on the Canadian Hot 100.
05Accolades
| Publication | List | Rank | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dazed | The 20 Best Tracks of 2017 | 12 |
06Track listing
- Digital download and streaming
- "Learn to Let Go", 3:38
- Digital download and streaming (the remixes)
- "Learn to Let Go" (Feenixpawl remix), 3:22
- "Learn to Let Go" (Michael Brun remix), 3:37
07Charts
| Chart (2017) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Hot 100 (Billboard) | 81 |
| New Zealand Heatseekers (RMNZ) | 6 |
| Scottish Singles Sales (Official Charts) | 30 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 97 |
08Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA) | Gold | 500,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
09Release history
| Region | Date | Formats | Version | Label | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Various | July 28, 2017 | Original | Kemosabe | ||
| November 10, 2017 | The remixes |
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Learn to Let Go”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- KeshaLearnToLetGo.jpg by Kesha, Fair use
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