feeling amazing when I wrote it. It came from a really empowered place." Kõiv revealed that the song is also personal to her, stating, "I come from a very small place in Eastern Europe so my whole life has kind of been one big fight to live my dream against all odds. But I think it's hard to be a human in general — we all have our own struggles and things to overcome." When asked what she wants girls to feel when they hear the song, Kerli said, "I think the lyrics say it already. You can hit the lowest low and face the darkest dark, but you can always get back up and get in the light." Kõiv recorded a demo version of the song before Gad offered the song to Lovato. Lovato wanted to record the song because the singer felt a "huge emotional attachment to it" and believed both Lovato and her fans could relate to it. Lovato explained the rest of Unbroken is "a lot lighter and more fun" and they chose to release "Skyscraper" as the first single from the album because they wanted to show "something very inspirational" that represents the difficult journey Lovato had been on. American singer Jordin Sparks provided backing vocals on the song. Lovato said that she kept Sparks' vocals because "it adds a lot to the song". Lovato stated, "I think she may have recorded it once maybe and I don't really know what the situation was, but I know she did the background vocals and they were lovely". Recording Initially, Lovato recorded "Skyscraper" in Studio City, Los Angeles in 2010. During recording sessions, Lovato was "doubled over, just in pain." Lovato had never recorded a song that made her that emotional, and according to E! News, while recording, her voice was damaged from purging. At the time, Lovato had not told anyone about her struggles—the singer describes the song as a "cry for help" for her in that moment. On November 1, 2010, Lovato entered a treatment facility to treat her physical and emotional problems. After completing treatment on January 28, 2011, Lovato re-recorded the song, but decided to keep the original recording because the singer felt that her voice had changed, although noting that her voice was "weaker" when Lovato originally recorded. Lovato said, "There was something in that first try, that first run through of