Fighter

Aguilera explained the song's meaning in the book Chicken Soup For the Soul: The Story Behind The Song: "I wrote this for my sophomore album, Stripped, and I was very determined for it to reflect who I was. The first record was what the label wanted and created. There was a huge pop explosion at the time and I was part of that wave. I felt stifled. I was thankful that the early success allowed me the freedom to write what I wanted for the next one. I was 21 and I had a lot on my mind. I had been performing in front of an audience since I was 6, helping to make a living for my family. I grew up in a very chaotic and abusive home where I didn't feel very safe. I started writing music, both melodies and lyrics, when I was 15. In retrospect, I realize I used it as a release, a therapeutic outlet. It was the way I found my voice. I connected with the music and escaped from my home life. In school, I was picked on and alienated because of my passion for music. So I harbored a little personal pain but the seemingly negative things made me smarter and stronger. I took notice early of the people all around me in the business who were there for the wrong reasons. I wrote 'Fighter' when I was on tour promoting my first CD. I was coming up with titles and ideas and deciding what I wanted to write about. I had to sit down and make sense of my feelings and experiences. I learned a lot from the first record that helped me to develop. I took the good and the bad and considered some of the choices I made and became better because of it."

Scott Storch produced this track. It was one of the first major productions for the Canadian sensation, who became one of the biggest hitmakers of the mid-'00s, with a client list that included Beyoncé, Chris Brown and 50 Cent. By 2006 he developed a debilitating cocaine habit and alienated many of his clients, including Aguilera, who vented her frustrations in the song "F.U.S.S.," which stands for "F--k You Scott Storch."

The National Basketball Association (NBA) used this in their 2003 "Love It Live" campaign. The song was used under basketball video and shots of Christina.