Badlands (stylized in all caps) is the debut album by singer-songwriter Halsey that was released on August 28, 2015, by Astralwerks. The singer wrote every song on the album when she was just 19 years old, while the production for Badlands was handled by Norwegian producer Lido along with others.
Badlands experiments with different musical genres like electropop, dark pop, alternative pop, synth-pop and also features some industrial music undertones within the album.
Castle
Castle opens the main gates as listeners prepare to enter into the Badlands. A booming metropolis where Halsey talks about her state of mind.
She opens up the first verse with:
Sick of all these people talking, sick of all this noise
Tired of all these cameras flashing, sick of being poised
Now my neck is open wide, begging for a fist around it
Then, on the chorus, Halsey refers to breaking down the barriers of male domination and wants to be the ruler of her 'kingdom' singing:
I'm headed straight for the castle
They wanna make me their queen
And there's an old man sitting on the throne
That's saying that I probably shouldn't be so mean
Hold Me Down
On "Hold Me Down", the singer reminds us that no matter how small people may make you seem, you shouldn't let anyone hold you down.
Halsey sings on the first three lines with the lyrics:
My demons are begging me to open up my mouth
I need them, mechanically make the words come out
They fight me, vigorous and angry, watch them pounce
The criticism that the singer has faced for being different and her thoughts of self doubt are mentioned here on the chorus singing:
Hold me down, hold me down
Sneaking out the back door, make no sound
Knock me out, knock me out
Saying that I want more, this is what I live for
New Americana
New Americana has been described by Halsey as "a song about a generation that is not afraid of diversity" as she sings on the first verse:
Cigarettes and tiny liquor bottles
Just what you'd expect inside her new Balenciaga
Vile romance, turned dreams into an empire
Self made success now she woes with Rockefellers
Then, Halsey continues on the chorus with the lyrics:
We are the new Americana
High on legal marijuana
Raised on Biggie and Nirvana
We are the new Americana
Drive
On "Drive", the singer touches on a love that lives within boundaries.
Halsey kicks things off on the first verse with the lyrics:
My hands wrapped around your stick shift
Swerving on the 405, I can never keep my eyes off this
My neck, the feeling of your soft lips
Illuminated in the light, bouncing off the exit signs I missed
Then, she moves on to the chorus with:
All we do is drive
All we do is think about the feelings that we hide
All we do is sit in silence waiting for a sign
Sick and full of pride
All we do is drive
Roman Holiday
Roman Holiday might be considered as Halsey's most underrated song to date. The track was inspired by the 1953 film of the same name starring Audrey Hepburn and shows the singer reflecting on her real life.
She sings on the first verse:
Do you remember the taste of my lips
That night I stole a bit of my mother's perfume?
'Cause I remember when my father put his fist
Through the wall that separated the dining room
Then, Halsey continues on the chorus with the lyrics:
And we know that we're headstrong
And our heart's gone
And the timing's never right
But for now let's get away
On a Roman holiday
Colors
Colors is an alternative pop song that talks about falling out of love with someone because they have changed so much as a person.
Halsey makes mention of Matt Healy, the lead singer of The 1975 on the first verse singing:
Your little brother never tells you but he loves you so
You said your mother only smiled on her tv show
Then, she lets her feelings for her lover be known on the pre-chorus with:
You're dripping like a saturated sunrise
You're spilling like an overflowing sink
You're ripped at every edge but you're a masterpiece
And now I'm tearing through the pages and the ink
The singer is still remaining true to herself despite the relationship that she is in with the lyrics:
Everything is blue
His pills, his hands, his jeans
And now I'm covered in the colors pull apart at the seams
And it's blue
And it's blue
Coming Down
Coming Down is where Halsey mentions the particular characteristics of her lover with the usage of drugs and the topics of religion, just like she did on her previous song "Colors".
On the pre-chorus, she sings:
Now we're lost somewhere in outer space
In a hotel room where demons play
They run around beneath our feet
We roll around beneath these sheets
Halsey moves into the chorus with:
I've got a lover a love like religion
I'm such a fool for sacrifice
It's coming down, down, I'm coming down
It's coming down, down, I'm coming down
Haunting
The song Haunting portrays a much darker side for the album as Halsey wants her former lover to continue to haunt her since she's been cold when he left.
She sings on the first verse:
I was as pure as a river
But now I think I'm possessed
You put a fever inside me
And I've been cold since you left
Before continuing on the chorus with the lyrics:
I'm begging you to keep on haunting
I'm begging you to keep on haunting me
I'm begging you to keep on haunting
I know you're gonna keep on haunting me
Control
Control is the singer's most emotionally song to date as she talks about the personification of her bipolar disorder, which is something that Halsey has been opened about since being diagnosed with it in her teenage years.
The first verse begins to describe the uphill battle taking place in her mind as she sings:
The house was awake, the shadows and monsters
The hallways, they echoed and groaned
I sat alone, in bed till the morning
I'm crying, "They're coming for me"
And I tried to hold these secrets inside me
My mind's like a deadly disease
Then, Halsey appears to be in the middle of an episode on the chorus with the lyrics:
And all the kids cried out, "Please stop, you're scaring me"
I can't help this awful energy
God damn right, you should be scared of me
Who is in control?
Young God
On "Young God", Halsey shows herself being in a happy relationship with a man. For some, "Young God" could be interpreted as a sequel to the singer's hit song "Ghost", where she is searching for a passionate romance.
The tracks opens up with a reversed intro:
Tnavresbo eht era evol ni desruc reveroF
Liated eht ot evals a reveroF
But when you put all of the words together, it reveals a special message from Halsey:
Forever cursed in love are the observant
Forever a slave to the detail
She starts things off on the first verse with:
He says, "Ooh, baby girl, you know we're gonna be legends
I'm a king and you're a queen and we will stumble through heaven
If there's a light at the end, it's just the sun in your eyes
I know you wanna go to heaven, but you're human tonight"
On the pre-chorus, the singer is getting deep and personal with the lyrics:
And I've been sitting at the bottom of a swimming pool
For a while now, drowning my thoughts out with the sounds
Before Halsey continues on the chorus singing:
But do you feel like a young god?
You know the two of us are just young gods
And we'll be flying through the streets with the people underneath
And they're running, running, running
Ghost
Ghost serves as the final track for the Badlands album. Lyrically, the song is about the loss of a passion that you had with your ex-lover as Halsey sings on the pre-chorus:
You say that you're no good for me
'Cause I'm always tugging at your sleeve
And I swear I hate you when you leave
I like it anyway
Before she gets into a very catchy chorus on the track with the lyrics:
My ghost
Where'd you go?
I can't find you in the body sleeping next to me
My ghost
Where'd you go?
What happened to the soul you used to be?
So, here is my take on Halsey's album Badlands. I love how she covered so many topics on this record such as her personal life like bipolar disorder, religion, drugs, current and past relationships, etc. There was not one bad song on the album that stuck out with me. My personal favorites are Colors, Haunting, Drive, New Americana and Hold Me Down.
I recommend that you listen to this album by Halsey from beginning to end because you don't know what you're missing out with this very talented singer right here.
Buy the standard edition of Badlands here:
Deluxe edition:
