Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you sensational songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the lyrics or title. Today, Christian pop artist Britt Nicole delivers an inspirational message about empowerment, tolerance, confidence and self-love in her 2012 mainstream hit, "Gold."
In the catchy chorus, Nicole compares her youthful fans to everyone's favorite precious metal.
She sings, "This, this is for all the girls, and boys all over the world / Whatever you've been told, you're worth more than gold / So hold your head up high, it's your time to shine / From the inside it shows, you're worth more than gold."
Later in the song, she emphasizes that it's OK to make mistakes and employs the most precious of gemstones to make her point: "Yeah, there are days that we all feel like we are messed up / but the truth is that we're all diamonds in the rough / So don't be ashamed to wear your crown."
Fans have embraced Nicole's message and frequently show up at her concerts wearing gold crowns.
The artist told Radio.com that she wrote "Gold" to address the feelings she was experiencing on a particularly bad day.
"I wasn't feeling confident in who I was," she said. "You know those days when you listen to all the negative kind of thoughts about yourself… Not only was I feeling that way, I was getting a lot of messages from fans who were writing letters and coming up to me at the shows saying, 'I'm being bullied in school. My parents are walking through a divorce. I'm struggling with cutting or an eating disorder.'"
"Gold" is the title track from Nicole's third studio album. The song hit #1 on the Billboard US Christian Digital Songs list and ascended to #28 on the Billboard US Mainstream Top 40 list. The album, Gold, was nominated in the category of Best Contemporary Christian Music Album at the 55th Grammy Awards.
Brittany Nicole Waddell was born in Salisbury, NC, in 1984. She began singing at her church at the age of 3 and performed at New York's Carnegie Hall with her high school's advanced choir group. She eventually turned down a scholarship from Belmont University in Nashville to pursue a music career.
Please check out the video of Nicole performing "Gold" to a packed crowd at the 44th edition of the EO Youth Day, which took place in the 41,000-seat Gelredome Stadium in Arnhem, The Netherlands, in 2018. The lyrics are below if you'd like to sing along…
“Gold”
Written by Jess Cates, Dan Muckala and Britt Nicole. Performed by Britt Nicole.
You were walking on the moon, now you're feeling low -ow-ow
What they said wasn't true, you're beautiful ul-ul
Sticks and stones break your bones, I know what you're feeling
Words like those won't steal your glow, you're one in a million
This, this is for all the girls, and boys all over the world
Whatever you've been told, you're worth more than gold
So hold your head up high, it's your time to shine
From the inside it shows, you're worth more than gold
(gold gold, you're gold)
You're worth more than gold
(gold gold you're gold)
Well everybody keeps score, afraid you're gonna lose
Just ignore they don't know the real you
All the rain in the sky can't put out your fire
Of all the stars out tonight, you shine brighter
This, this is for all the girls, and boys all over the world
Whatever you've been told, you're worth more than gold
So hold your head up high, it's your time to shine
From the inside it shows, you're worth more than gold
(gold gold, you're gold)
You're worth more than gold
(gold gold you're gold)
So don't let anybody tell you that you're not loved
and don't let anybody tell you that you're not enough
Yeah, there are days that we all feel like we are messed up
but the truth is that we're all diamonds in the rough
So don't be ashamed to wear your crown
You're a king you're a queen inside and out
You glow like the moon, you shine like the stars
This is for you, wherever you are
Oh, oh, yeah, yeah, oh, oh
You're gold
This, this is for all the girls, and boys all over the world
Whatever you've been told, you're worth more than gold
(so hold your head up high) so hold your head up high
It's your time to shine
From the inside it shows, you're worth more than gold
(gold gold, you're gold)
You're worth more than gold
(gold gold you're gold)
So don't be ashamed to wear your crown
You're a king you're a queen inside and out
Credit: Image capture via YouTube.com.