Soldier (Gavin DeGraw song)

"Soldier" was written by DeGraw and produced by Butch Walker, being one of the three songs produced by him on the album. DeGraw said of Walker's contribution to the album in an interview with Billboard magazine:

"He was able to listen to the songs and come in with the right arrangements, bring in the right players for the songs and the right gear for the performances. You don't always have a magic moment in the studio," he continued, "but you want those moments to happen. I remember when we were tracking 'Soldier,' in the second verse I was digging in hard, the groove was so good and everyone was jelling. I heard Butch go, 'Woo!'-a primal scream that said, 'This feels so good.' You can't fake that. We kept it because you can't re-create the performance that makes you do that."{{cite news|last=Gallo|first=Phil|title=Gavin DeGraw Dusts Off After NYC Street Fight, Delivers 'Sweeter' Album|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/467418/gavin-degraw-dusts-off-after-nyc-street-fight-delivers-sweeter-album|accessdate=September 20, 2012|newspaper=Billboard|date=September 16, 2012}}

On the ode to devotion, he sings, "You’re thirsty / I’ll be your rain / You get hurt / I’ll take your pain."{{cite news|last=Capobianco|first=Ken|title=Gavin DeGraw - ALBUM REVIEWS - 'Sweeter'|url=http://articles.boston.com/2011-09-20/ae/30181006_1_degraw-pop-morrissey|access-date=22 September 2011|newspaper=Boston Globe|date=September 20, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120516082224/http://articles.boston.com/2011-09-20/ae/30181006_1_degraw-pop-morrissey|archive-date=16 May 2012|url-status=dead}} According to Boston Globe's Ken Capobianco, "there are other lines like that, all of which should pop up on Facebook walls shortly."

The song was first released as a promotional single in Canada, on September 6, 2011. Later, it was announced that it would be sent to Hot Adult Contemporary radio as the third single of the album in the United States, on September 24, 2012.{{cite web|title=Hot-Modern-Adult Contemporary Radio - All Access|url=http://www.allaccess.com/hot-modern-ac|archive-url=http://www.freezepage.com/1348145706NENMAFKANR?url=http://www.allaccess.com/hot-modern-ac|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 20, 2012|work=All Access|access-date=September 20, 2012}}

Entertainment Weekly's Melissa Maerz called it a "love-as-a-battlefield anthem."{{cite news|last=Maerz|first=Melissa|title=Sweeter (2011) - Review - Music Reviews and News - EW.com|url=http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20524415,00.html|accessdate=22 September 2011|newspaper=Entertainment Weekly|date=August 31, 2011|archive-date=11 December 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111211211610/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20524415,00.html|url-status=dead}} Andy Baber from musicOMH wrote a positive review for the song, saying that the song is "a soulful, rousing number that really shows off the dexterity of DeGraw’s vocals, simply relying on a clapping beat and the ever present piano. It is by no means a drastic departure, but it is evidence of DeGraw approaching his sound with more thought than ever before."{{cite news|last=Baber|first=Andy|title=Gavin DeGraw - Sweeter - album reviews - musicOMH|url=http://www.musicomh.com/albums/gavin-degraw_1111.htm|accessdate=3 February 2012|newspaper=MusicOMH|archive-date=4 February 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120204231136/http://www.musicomh.com/albums/gavin-degraw_1111.htm|url-status=dead}} Amy Sciarretto of Artist Direct thought that "the racier moments are balanced out by more emotionally transparent songs like the uplifting "Soldier", which convey vulnerability while still managing to feel distinctly masculine.{{cite news|last=Sciarretto|first=Amy|title=Gavin DeGraw to Release "Sweeter" on August 9th|url=http://www.artistdirect.com/nad/news/article/0,,8939270,00.html|accessdate=22 September 2011|newspaper=Artist Direct|date=17 May 2011}} Rolling Stone's Jody Rose pointed out that DeGraw is "an excellent singer, with a hint of grit in his tenor that tips power ballads like "Soldier" toward soul music."{{cite news|last=Rosen|first=Jody|title=Sweeter - Album Reviews - Rolling Stone|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/sweeter-20110920|accessdate=22 September 2011|newspaper=Rolling Stone|date=September 20, 2011}}

A review from Reuters wrote that the song "sounds just a little too tailor-made to serenade tuxes and gowns with its promises of eternal protection."{{cite news|title=Review: Sensitive Gavin DeGraw gets rascally on "Sweeter"|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-music-gavindegraw-idUSTRE78I6B420110920|accessdate=April 5, 2012|newspaper=Reuters}}

In Netherlands, the song debuted at number seventy-one on the Dutch Top 40 chart, on the week of January 28, 2012.{{cite web|title=dutchcharts.nl - Gavin DeGraw - Soldier|url=http://dutchcharts.nl/showitem.asp?interpret=Gavin+DeGraw&titel=Soldier&cat=s|publisher=Hung Medien|accessdate=14 February 2012}} Later, it reached number forty-five on February 4, 2012. On the third week, it climbed to number thirty-three. After three weeks fluctuating on the charts, the song climbed to number thirty-five. After another few weeks fluctuating on the chart, the song jumped to number 34, on April 14, 2012. In its 13th week, the song peaked at number 30, on April 21, 2012. The song debuted at number 59 on the UK Singles Chart on the issue date June 2, 2012.{{cite web|title=Official UK Singles Top 100 - 2nd June 2012|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/search/singles/Soldier|work=The Official Singles Chart|accessdate=May 27, 2012}}

Due to the performance on the final episode of One Tree Hill, the song entered on the iTunes Top 100 Chart, peaking at number 75.{{cite web|title=iTunes US Top 100 Songs Downloads|url=http://snkhan.co.uk/stuff/iTunes.php?chart=US|work=Sajid Nawaz Khan|accessdate=April 5, 2012}} "Soldier" debuted at number 38 on the Billboard's Adult Pop Songs chart, on the week of October 25, 2012.{{cite news|title=Chart Highlights: Adult Pop Doubles The Fun.|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/chartbeat/474528/chart-highlights-adult-pop-doubles-the-fun|accessdate=November 28, 2012|newspaper=Billboard|date=October 22, 2012}}

DeGraw appeared on the series final episode of One Tree Hill and performed the track and the series' theme song, "I Don't Want to Be".{{cite web|title=One Tree Hill 9x13 - Gavin DeGraw - Soldier ♫ (final episode)|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7MiR9gJlL4|publisher=YouTube|accessdate=April 5, 2012}} DeGraw also performed the track on the MDA Show of Strength benefit concert, aired on September 2, 2012.{{cite news|title=MDA SHOW of STRENGTH Extras: Gavin DeGraw "Soldier"|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xI6eOyF0QUo|accessdate=September 5, 2012|newspaper=YouTube|date=September 2, 2012}}

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{{Gavin DeGraw}}

Category:2011 songs

Category:2012 singles

Category:Gavin DeGraw songs

Category:Song recordings produced by Butch Walker

Category:Pop ballads

Category:Rock ballads

Category:Soul ballads

Category:Songs written by Gavin DeGraw

Category:RCA Records singles

Category:2010s ballads