"Hold My Hand" is a song by American singer Lady Gaga, released on May 3, 2022, through Interscope Records. It is the lead single for the movie soundtrack of Top Gun: Maverick (2022). Written and produced by both Gaga and BloodPop, it was self-described as "a love letter to the world during and after a very hard time." An upbeat arena rock track, it features an anthemic chorus and an electric guitar. It drew inspiration from 1980s power ballads, the decade in which the original Top Gun (1986) was released.
"Hold My Hand" received mostly positive critical reviews, emphasizing Gaga's vocals and the song's emotional impact, though there were journalists who found it somewhat underwhelming. In 2023, "Hold My Hand" won the Satellite Award for Best Original Song and was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song and the Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media. The track reached the top 10 in multiple European markets and placed within the top 30 in countries such as Australia, Canada, Japan, and the United Kingdom.
The music video for the single, released on May 6, 2022, was directed by Joseph Kosinski, who also helmed Top Gun: Maverick. Partially filmed in black and white, it features Gaga singing in multiple environments while dressed in aviation-themed outfits. The video is intercut with scenes from both the original and 2022 Top Gun films. "Hold My Hand" served as the encore for Gaga's 2022 stadium tour, The Chromatica Ball. She later delivered an acoustic rendition of the song at the 95th Academy Awards ceremony, wearing an uncharacteristically simple outfit. Her performance of the single at the Super Bowl LIX pregame show, supported by a gospel choir, earned her the award for Outstanding Music Direction at the 46th Sports Emmy Awards.
Announcement and release In April 2021, gossip website ShowBiz 411 reported that Lady Gaga would be involved with the soundtrack for Top Gun: Maverick (2022), the sequel to the 1986 action drama film Top Gun. The rumor soon spread to other publications, including W magazine. In April 2022, Gaga began posting cryptic messages on Twitter, which fans interpreted as lyrics to the rumored song. On April 27, 2022, "Hold My Hand" was officially announced for release, accompanied by cover art which shows Gaga standing in front of aircraft marked with the initials "LG".
A preview of the song was shared on April 30, followed by the release of the full track on May 3 as the first single from the soundtrack for Top Gun: Maverick. A week after the release, "Hold My Hand" received airplay through adult contemporary and contemporary hit radio stations in the US.
The song was later also included on the Japan tour edition of Gaga's fifth solo studio album, Chromatica, as the final track. To celebrate Singles Day 2022, "Hold My Hand" was issued as an Urban Outfitters exclusive 12-inch single, pressed on coke-bottle clear vinyl with etched detailing on the reverse.
Background and role in Top Gun: Maverick
In development of the soundtrack for the film, other artists were under consideration. Tyler Joseph, frontman of American alternative rock music duo Twenty One Pilots, revealed that he had been working on a song before the release of "Hold My Hand". In an interview, Joseph claimed Tom Cruise, the lead actor and co-producer of film, "came in and just fired everyone." Cruise was satisfied with Gaga's contribution, stating the song "became our score, the heartbeat of the movie." He attributed the song to easing his concerns about the emotional arc, fusing it with the story. He noted it was "a real moment" for the whole team. Ahead of the release, Cruise described "Hold My Hand" as the piece that completed the film's emotional landscape. Composer Lorne Balfe echoed Cruise's remarks. Balfe explained the film lacked an emotional center before Gaga's involvement, and "Hold My Hand" reshaped the musical direction of the score, replacing earlier cues.
The president of motion picture music at Paramount Pictures, Randy Spendlove, had Gaga involved in the film's production from early on, to allow her to co-create the song. She also contributed to the score, with "Hold My Hand" serving as the film's "love theme". Melodic motifs from the track recur throughout Top Gun: Maverick. The theme surfaces in scenes which depict the relationship between the two lead characters. It also features prominently in other emotionally charged scenes which reflect the personal sacrifices the pilots endure. "Hold My Hand" itself appears during a bar scene when Penny, played by Jennifer Connelly, and her daughter are having an intimate conversation. The full track plays near the end of the film as Penny and Maverick, played by Cruise, ride off into the sunset in his P-51 Mustang.
Writing and composition "Hold My Hand" was co-written by Gaga with the song's main producer, BloodPop, with Benjamin Rice providing additional production work. Gaga developed the song with Bloodpop in the basement studio of her home. Critics in both music and film circles have described the result as a "hopeful, anthemic" arena rock power ballad with the qualities of a torch song. Jazz Tangcay of Variety characterized it as a soaring rock piece, shaped by violins and guitar lines. The track is reminiscent of classic 1980s power ballads.
The lyrics of "Hold My Hand" show Gaga expressing deep care for someone who is hurting, promising to support them unwaveringly and without hesitation. She described it as "a love letter to the world during and after a very hard time," explaining that she wrote it not only for Top Gun: Maverick but also for anyone who feels they will not be okay. Gaga revealed that she had been developing the song for years and "didn't even realize the multiple layers it spanned across the film's heart, my own psyche, and the nature of the world we've been living in" while writing it. Drawing on lessons from her own struggles, the song emphasizes faith in humanity even when self-belief wavers and aims to reach listeners who feel isolated, offering hope that they can ultimately find the strength to stand on their own.
Musically, the arrangement opens with an "atonal, warbling vocal chop" and a piano-led foundation that gradually builds into a larger arena-rock sound, featuring electric guitar, piano, synthesizer elements, and a steady drumbeat, with additional strings in the bridge supporting Gaga's "reverb-soaked" and belted vocal delivery. The song is composed in G major, and in the final chorus, it modulates upward to A♭ major. Lars Brandle of Billboard noted that the song has a close lineage to Berlin's "Take My Breath Away" and Kenny Loggins' "Danger Zone", two tracks from the soundtrack of the original Top Gun (1986). Other journalists have also compared it to songs such as "Open Arms" by Journey (1982), "Alone" by Heart (1987), and Gaga's own 2011 single, "The Edge of Glory". Billboard writer Hannah Dailey contrasted the track with the other original song from Top Gun: Maverick, OneRepublic's "I Ain't Worried", describing the latter as "easygoing" and "Hold My Hand" as marked by a "grief-stricken" sensibility.
Critical reception
"Hold My Hand" received mostly positive reviews from journalists, who highlighted Gaga's vocals and the song's emotional impact. Robin Murray of Clash called it "a triumph of bombast" that "finds Lady Gaga cutting loose as a vocalist," while Variety Jazz Tangcay described it as a "catchy earworm", noting its prominent guitar solo and predicting it could be a top contender for an Academy Award for Best Original Song. Nancy Tartaglione from Deadline Hollywood considered it another strong entry in Gaga's and Top Gun musical canon, also suggesting it could go all the way to the Oscars. Stuart Heritage of The Guardian praised the track for its emotional intensity and classic Gaga power-ballad style.
Critics emphasized that Gaga's performance carries the song. Kristen S. Hé of Vulture noted that while the song is "one of her only pop songs with zero subversive elements," its lyrics consist largely of potential clichés—yet Gaga lifts them with "sheer vocal power", turning "Hold My Hand" into a sincere end-credits ballad. Screen Rant Benjamin Weiss highlighted Gaga's "soaring" vocals, noting the track relies more on her performance than on production or instrumentation. Gemma Samways of the Evening Standard and Ross Bonaime of Collider noted that its exaggerated style only works because of Gaga, calling it both "brilliantly overblown" and "cheesy, but effective."
Some reviewers appreciated how the song elevates the movie. Mikael Wood of the Los Angeles Times called it a standout track of 2022, achieving "popcorn nirvana" when paired with the film, even if it "can't hold a Bic lighter to 'Shallow' from A Star Is Born." Stephen Thompson of NPR added that, though the lyrics are simple, they complement the film's cinematic imagery effectively. Peter Travers of ABC News called it the "closest" Top Gun: Maverick "gets to passion", with Gaga "belting her feels full out in an Oscar-ready new theme song". Screen Rant Erin Edmonson felt the song "rounds out the movie's soundtrack and sends Maverick's story out on a high note."
However, other critics found "Hold My Hand" less compelling. Michael Cragg of The Guardian described it as "mildly underwhelming" and "bloated and saggy", while Adam White of The Independent felt the stadium-sized ballad fell short, noting that Gaga has done "far better with similar ingredients". Alexa Camp of Slant Magazine wrote that despite years of development, the song "struggles to take flight", and NPR's Reanna Cruz remarked that it favors a "motherly, catch-all message of allyship", rather than pushing boundaries. Some critics were even more dismissive: USA Today Melissa Ruggieri described it as "a middling ballad", NME Nick Levine called it "tepid", Dallas Observer Carly May Gravley found it "forgettable, and Gary Grimes of Attitude labeled it "awful".
Commercial performance Due to being released on a Tuesday, "Hold My Hand" did not enter the United States' Billboard Hot 100. The track entered at No.17 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100, based on three days of tracking. The following week it debuted at No. 82 on the Billboard Hot 100. After the theatrical release of Top Gun: Maverick, the song reached a new peak of No. 49 in its fifth week. The song peaked at No. 19 on the Billboard Mainstream Top 40 chart, No. 12 on the Billboard Adult Pop Airplay chart, and No. 9 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. On the Billboard Global 200 chart, the song debuted at No. 62 following its first full week of availability, peaking in the Top 40 at No. 37.
The single was released at No. 6 in the Canadian Digital Song Sales chart afterthree days of tracking. A week later, the song debuted at No. 38 on the Canadian Hot 100, marking Gaga's 25th Top 40 entry on the Canadian chart. In its sixth week on the chart, the song peaked at No. 25. In Australia, the song debuted at No. 36 on the ARIA Singles Chart, which became Gaga's 30th Top 40 entry. The song peaked at No. 29 in its eighth week on the chart. In New Zealand, the song debuted at No. 33 on the Top 40 Singles Chart following the release of Top Gun: Maverick.