“ICU (Madison’s Lullabye)” is the third track on Demi Lovato’s 2021 album ‘Dancing With the Devil…The Art of Starting Over.’ Madison De De La Garza is Demi Lovato’s one of three sisters and the one she woke up to after her near-fatal overdose in 2018.
Demi Lovato announced her seventh studio album ‘Dancing With the Devil…The Art of Starting Over‘ released on April 2, 2021. This is her follow-up project to her 2017 album ‘Tell Me You Love Me.’ The album touches on her personal struggles with drug addiction and her near-fatal overdose in 2018.
“ICU” is an acronym for ‘Intensive Care Unit’ a special department in a hospital to treat people with life-threatening conditions. She was rushed to the ICU after her overdose in 2018 and she was legally blind when she regained consciousness. With Apple Music, Demi revealed the inspiration behind the song;
“Madison is my baby sister. When I woke up in the hospital after my overdose, I was legally blind and couldn’t see. So when she came to my bedside I actually asked her, ‘Who is standing there? Who are you?’ It was a really emotional moment for everyone who was there. I was able to take that situation, write a beautiful song out of it, and also be able to express to my little sister how much she means to me and how clearly I do see her on a daily basis.“
Listen to “ICU (Madison’s Lullabye)” by Demi Lovato
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“ICU (Madison’s Lullabye)” Lyrics Meaning and Song Review
In the song, Demi Lovato sings about her regrets of not being the role model she wanted to be for her sisters. She says she wanted to be the one they looked up to. But for reasons beyond her control, she became the person her parents cut off from the family.
Demi Lovato sings about how she was blinded by everything that she did not clearly see what was important in life–her health, her relationships, friends, and family. She was doing a dance with the devil, and it took a near-fatal blow for her to see.
‘ICU’ is also a reference to ‘I see you,’ a theme Demi is trying to convey in the song. And it perfectly ties up with the fact that she woke up legally blind from her overdose. And she woke up to her sister Madison sitting by her bed. Demi, both literally and figuratively, started seeing what’s important in life.
In the second verse of the song, Demi shares her confidence in her sister, Madison, to not make the same mistakes she did. If she could not be the perfect role model to her sister, she at least became an example to learn out of. So, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, right!
Let us hear what you think about this song in the comments below. Check out the complete lyrics on Genius.