February 17, 2023

Music Friday: ‘I Was Your Amber, But Now She’s Your Shade of Gold,’ Sings Demi Lovato

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you great songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today’s installment features Demi Lovato performing “Stone Cold,” her rousing, platinum-selling, 2015 power ballad about the pain of watching an ex-boyfriend moving on to a new relationship.

Lovato seems to channel English superstar Adele as she sings, “Stone cold, stone cold / I was your amber, but now she’s your shade of gold.”

Lovato compares herself to amber, a soothing gemstone known to symbolize wisdom, maturity and protection. But Lovato’s amber characteristics can’t compete with the intoxicating allure of gold.

“This song hurts so unbelievably bad,” she told her her 42 million Instagram followers in 2015. “And when I perform it on a TV show, in rehearsals or even in a bathtub, it completely takes me to a different place.” (Her Instagram following has since grown to 149 million.)

Lovato noted that the process of writing and recording “Stone Cold” was therapeutic. For her, the song became a source of healing and catharsis. She said at the time that “Stone Cold” is a song people can listen to when they’re going through a breakup, or they’re thinking about a time when they were heartbroken.

“It’s gonna give them that voice that they need to hear in order to get past things and process how they feel,” she told Radio.com.

Lovato called “Stone Cold” her favorite single from her Confident album and was hoping that it would net her a Grammy.

She told Complex, “I want the Grammy committee to hear [that song] so that one day they can see that I know that I’m capable of getting there. You can’t go higher than the Grammys in the music industry. That was a huge goal for this album. I watched the Grammy nominations last year and I was like, ‘I want to be there so bad.’”

She didn’t get a nomination for “Stone Cold,” but did eventually capture two Grammy nominations, one in 2017 for Best Pop Vocal Album and in 2019 for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.

Born in Dallas in 1992, Demetria Devonne Lovato got her first break at the age of 7 as a cast member of Barney and Friends. Acting alongside Lovato on the popular kids’ TV show was fellow songstress Selena Gomez. In 2008, Lovato starred in the Disney Channel television film Camp Rock and, shortly thereafter, signed a recording contract with Hollywood Records. At age 19, she became the youngest-ever X Factor judge.

Please check out the video of Lovato performing “Stone Cold” on Saturday Night Live in October of 2015. The lyrics are below if you’d like to sing along…

“Stone Cold”
Written by Demi Lovato and Laleh Pourkarim. Performed by Demi Lovato.

Stone cold, stone cold
You see me standing, but I’m dying on the floor
Stone cold, stone cold
Maybe if I don’t cry, I won’t feel anymore

Stone cold, baby
God knows I tried to feel
Happy for you
Know that I am, even if I
Can’t understand, I’ll take the pain
Give me the truth, me and my heart
We’ll make it through
If happy is her, I’m happy for you

Stone cold, stone cold
You’re dancing with her, while I’m staring at my phone
Stone cold, stone cold
I was your amber, but now she’s your shade of gold