It's actually about Linda Perry's father, who had passed away recently. Christina simply wanted a song about losing someone because she hadn't sung about the topic before. The original lyrics to the song had to be redone because they were too focused on Linda's father making it hard for others to relate to. The final version is created for the masses and is meant to be a song that anybody alive can relate to, like 'beautiful.'
She had a great performance at the VMAs last night. Although it sounded like her voice hadn't been warmed up, or she had mucus or somthing. It also didn't quite "flow" as it does on the CD version. She sung the quieter/higher notes way too carefully. Oddly, i didn't quite enjoy the period during the performance, because maybe i felt her tension and anxiety for not being at her best, but i was relieved after the performance, not because i didn't like it the performance itself, but because i was happy that she still sung it so well despite not having been at her best.