I Wish is a song by singer Hayley Kiyoko that was released on July 19, 2019 through Empire and Atlantic. It serves as the lead single for Kiyoko's upcoming second studio album I'm Too Sensitive For This S**t
I Wish is where we find Hayley longing for some clarity in a romance that has gone stale. She opens up the intro with:
I wish, I wish, I wish I found love I wish, I wish, I wish I found love
Then, Kiyoko makes a direct statement towards her lover who is giving her mixed signals singing:
I don't know where we're gon' go from here, I don't You shut down when I tell you all the s**t I want We butt heads, you don't pay me no attention And you're selfish with your affection (Yeah)
On the chorus, Hayley portrays what it likes to feel lonely when you are not in a love with the lyrics:
I wish, I wish, I wish I found love 'Cause I wake up, up in the morning time And there's nobody here by my side I wish, I wish, I wish I found love (Love)
Hayley Kiyoko has really stepped her game with this song. I love the lyrics and production for this track as well. Kiyoko is showing us a side where she wants to fall in love with someone that we haven't seen before until now.
For some of you who don't know this about Hayley, she is a lesbian. And most of her songs talk about same sex relationship with girls or her personal experiences with. So, if you're really into LGBT+ singers that are making a difference in the music scene right now, then this is the artist for you.
Buy and stream I Wish on Spotify, Amazon, Google Play, Deezer and more:
Hopeless Fountain Kingdom (stylized in all lowercase) is the second studio album by singer and songwriter Halsey that was released on June 2, 2017, through Astralwerks.
Hopeless Fountain Kingdom is a concept album that explores with different musical genres like R&B, pop, synth-pop and electropop. The singer describes HFK as having more "radio friendly music" than any of her previous works including her 2015 album, Badlands.
The story for the album was inspired by William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet with Halsey swapping out the genders for the two lovers and including both bisexuality and same sex relationships.
The main character is a bisexual female named Luna Aureum and her male love interest named Solis Angelus. Luna means moon and Solis means sun. As their romance begins to take place in, where else, Hopeless Fountain Kingdom.
The Prologue
On the album's opener "The Prologue", Halsey recites the prologue from Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juilet as she speaks on the intro with:
Two households, both alike in dignity In fair Verona, where we lay our scene From ancient grudge break to new mutiny Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean From forth the fatal loins of these two foes A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life; Whose misadventured piteous overthrows
Then, she starts singing on the last verse with the lyrics:
I am a child of a Money hungry, prideful country Grass is green and it's always sunny Hands so bloody, tastes like honey I'm finding it hard to leave
100 Letters
100 Letters is about two lovers who are trying to work out their failing relationship. Halsey uses Greek mythology, like the legend of King Midas, on the first verse singing:
Well, King Midas put his hands on me again He said one day I'd realize why I don't have any friends I find myself alone at night unless I'm having sex But he can make me golden if I just showed some respect
Then, the singer begins to stand her ground with the lyrics:
But I don't let him touch me anymore I said, "I'm not something to butter up and taste when you get bored
Halsey makes an reference to her personal and musical identity in context to her on-and-off relationship with Norwegian producer Lido on the chorus with:
And now I can't stop thinking that I can't stop thinking That I almost gave you everything And now the whole thing's finished and I can't stop wishing That I never gave you anything
Eyes Closed
Unlike "100 Letters", which was about reflecting on a past love, Eyes Closed is about being a new relationship while still having feelings for your ex.
This fact is made known on the chorus with the lyrics:
Now if I keep my eyes closed, he looks just like you But he'll never stay, they never do Now if I keep my eyes closed, he feels just like you But you've been replaced I'm face to face with someone new
On the second verse, Halsey calls her ex "a lover and a liar" singing:
Would've gave it all for you, cared for you So tell me where I went wrong Would've gave it all for you, cared for you (My lover, my liar)
And later, she continues on the bridge of the song with:
He don't realize that I'm thinkin' about you It's nothing new, it's nothing new
Alone
On the synth-pop track "Alone", the song makes mention of a social butterfly at a house party. The story is told in the second character's perspective of this party, with "Heaven In Hiding" (a song that can be found on the deluxe edition of Hopeless Fountain Kingdom), serving as the act of the first character's perspective.
Halsey opens up the first verse saying that she never has time for her significant lover singing:
Said he tried to phone me, but I never have time He said that I never listen, but I don't even try I got a new place in Cali, but I'm gone every night So I fill it with strangers so they keep on the lights
Then, she continues on the pre-chorus with:
See, everywhere I go I got a million different people tryna kick it But I'm still alone in my mind, yeah
The singer is also warning her pursuer that of the inevitable hurt that awaits them when the relationship breaks down on the chorus with the lyrics:
I know you're dying to meet me But I can just tell you this Baby, as soon as you meet me You'll wish that you never did
Now or Never
Now or Never is a slow R&B track that describes the tale of two lovers enduring hardships and struggles in a dystopian world as Halsey sings on the first verse with:
Been through the ups Yeah the ups and the downs with me Got a whole lot of love But you don't wanna spread it 'round with me, yeah
On the chorus, the singer's character Luna wants her lover to stay close with her while trying to keep their romance grounded with the lyrics:
Baby gon' love me now, now, now, now, now, now Now or never, hey, hey, hey I want you to hold me down, down, down, down, down, down Down forever, hey, hey, hey Said you know I wanna keep you around
Sorry
Sorry is a piano ballad where Halsey talks about her insecurities that might have played a part in her relationship with her lover.
On the first verse, she regrets not returning her ex's phone calls while also making hints about her bipolar disorder singing:
I've missed your calls for months it seems Don't realize how mean I can be 'Cause I can sometimes treat the people That I love like jewelry 'Cause I can change my mind each day I didn't mean to try you on But I still know your birthday And your mother's favorite song
Halsey could seemingly be referring to her bipolar disorder as the reason why she has failed in her relationship on the chorus with the lyrics:
So I'm sorry to my unknown lover Sorry that I can't believe That anybody ever really Starts to fall in love with me
Sorry to my unknown lover Didn't mean to leave you And all of the things that we had behind
Now, Hal is telling her ex that she hopes that he will "find someone" who loves him as she sings on the bridge with:
And someone will love you Someone will love you Someone will love you But someone isn't me
Good Mourning
Good Mourning serves as the first interlude on the album. The song is partially spoken with vocals from the singer's 12 year old brother Dante as they open up the intro with:
They told me once, "there's a place where love conquers all" A city with the streets full of milk and honey I haven't found it yet, but I'm still searching
Before Halsey takes overs on the next four lines saying:
All I know is a hopeless place that flows with the blood of my kin Perhaps hopeless isn't a place Nothing but a state of mind They told me once, "don't trust the moon, she's always changing"
And then, it ends with a resonating chorus with the lyrics:
Sun is coming up oh, why, oh, why, oh, why Sun is coming up oh, why, oh, why, oh, why Sun is coming up oh, why, oh, why, oh, why
Lie
Lie is considered as Halsey's raciest song to date as she sings about a sexual tension between the two lovers in this story.
Halsey does a continuation of "100 Letters" on the first verse with:
I watch you devour, mistake me for bread Well boy, is you fed? Or are you misled? I gave you the messiest head You give me the messiest head Oh, you're turnin' red 'Cause I'm tryna give the impression that I get the message you wish I was dead
Luna is asking the person, whom she suspects doesn't love her anymore, to continue to act the way that he does on the pre-chorus with the lyrics:
See you 'bouta break a sweat (I, I, I) I won't let us finish yet (I, I, I) Please don't take this as a threat (I, I, I) All I'm sayin' is if you don't love me no more, then
Then, she continues on the chorus telling her lover to just lie instead of admitting that he doesn't feel anything for her singing:
Lie, lie Lie, lie
Walls Could Talk
Walls Could Talk describes the back and forth arguments that Halsey has had with her lover and how long lasting some of them have been.
On the first verse, the singer makes a reference to her bipolar disorder singing:
Been about three days and I'm comin' back I'm about four minutes from a heart attack And I think you make me a maniac But you don't know, oh
Then, she bares it all on the pre-chorus with:
And we both hope there's something But we bo-both keep fronting And it's a closed discussion And I'm thinking, "Damn, if these walls could talk"
Halsey is also continuing the constant theme of being a new relationship after her previous one goes sour on the second verse with the lyrics:
Told my new roommate not to let you in But you're so damn good with a bobby pin Now you gon' play me like a violin, hittin' these notes
Bad at Love
On "Bad at Love", Halsey finds herself going through a list of different lovers and what went wrong in their relationship.
On the first verse, she talks a boy in Michigan that she used to date with the lyrics:
Got a boy back home in Michigan And he tastes like Jack when I'm kissing him So I told him that I never really liked his friends Now he's gone and he's calling me a b***h again
Then, the singer continues on the chorus with:
I'm bad at love (Ooh-ooh) But you can't blame me for tryin' You know I'd be lyin' sayin' You were the one (Ooh-ooh) That could finally fix me Lookin' at my history I'm bad at love
Halsey also makes mention about falling in love with a girl, which shows an indicate to her being bisexual on the second part of the song singing:
Got a girl with California eyes And I thought that she could really be the one this time But I never got the chance to make her mine Because she fell in love with little thin white lines London girl with an attitude
Strangers featuring Lauren Jauregui
Just like her previous track "Bad at Love", Strangers is a bisexual anthem that finds Luna (Halsey) and Rosa (Lauren) meeting at a "crazy house party" that takes place at the singer's house. This is Halsey's first song using female pronouns rather than gender-neutral pronouns in some of her other songs.
Halsey starts to show off her character Luna's affectionate side on the first verse with:
She doesn't kiss me on the mouth anymore 'Cause it's more intimate, than she thinks we should get She doesn't look me in the eyes anymore Too scared of what she'll see, somebody holding me
On the second verse, Lauren exchanges her verse with the lyrics:
She doesn't call me on the phone anymore She's never listening, she says it's innocent She doesn't let me have control anymore I must've crossed a line, I must've lost my mind
Then, Halsey and Lauren's characters Luna and Rosa begin to express their longing for intimacy with each other singing on the chorus:
Said that we're not lovers, we're just strangers With the same damn hunger To be touched, to be loved, to feel anything at all
Devil In Me
Halsey is taking a dark turn on the album with her song "Devil In Me". On it, she talks about dealing with her inner demons.
She sings on the pre-chorus with:
I won't take anyone down if I crawl tonight But I still let everyone down when I change in size And I went tumbling down tryna reach your high But I scream too loud if I speak my mind
Halsey continues on the chorus saying she doesn't want to wake up "the devil" inside her body with the lyrics:
I don't wanna wake it up I don't wanna wake it up I don't wanna wake it up The devil in me
But on the second chorus, she changes it from "I don't wanna wake it up" to "I gotta wake it up". This shows that the singer is drifting herself away from this unhealthy relationship singing:
Now I gotta wake it up Now I gotta wake it up Now I gotta wake it up The devil in me
Hopeless featuring Cashmere Cat
Hopeless is the last song on Halsey's sophomore studio album. She writes about how hopeless is just a state of mind, not a period of her life. And that she can quickly overcome it as she finishes her journey in finding herself after coming out of a toxic relationship.
Halsey starts off the song with dialogue between the two lovers Luna and Solis on the first verse with:
Boy, you make it look so easy Promise that I'm gonna call you back in five Sorry, baby girl, but I can't tonight, oh Boy, you make it look so simple, mm Yeah, I've known that girl for like my whole life Back in my hotel and I'm alone inside, oh
On the pre-chorus, the singer still love her boyfriend despite all of the dark secrets that he has kept from her. She also begins to show a sign of weakness as well singing:
'Cause you know the truth hurts, but secrets kill Can't help thinkin' that I love it still Still here, there must be something real
And so it must be better than I think it is Gimme those eyes, it's easy to forgive
Even though their love might be completely hopeless because her and Solis are from two different houses, Luna hopes that one day it will all change on the chorus with the lyrics:
Oh-oh-oh I hope hopeless Oh-ooh Changes over time
For starters, Hopeless Fountain Kingdom is so much better than her last album. And the reason why I said that is because of how HFK has that R&B and Pop vibe that you normally wouldn't get on the Badlands album if you go back and listen to it. This album, in my opinion, really showcases Halsey's voice and talent at the same time.
And I am also very proud of her for being more open about her bisexuality in her music, which is something that she has never done before.
Buy and stream Hopeless Fountain Kingdom on Apple Music, Google Play, Spotify, Amazon and more:
If You're Not Busy is a song by singer-songwriter Cait Fairbanks that was released on December 30, 2019, through CatBeach Music. The track was written by Fairbanks under her real name, Caitlin Baunoch, along with Daena Jay Wienand and Robert Hartry.
If You're Not Busy talks about the possibility of wanting to forget all obligations and get lost in with someone and float away with them.
Cait opens up the first verse with:
Big sky, small hands
I've got no plans
I've been holding on to the glass
So hard that it could break
To ice the ache
She talks about the feeling of always being "tied down" and starts craving for freedom and love on the pre-chorus with the lyrics:
Give me somewhere to go
Give me someone to be
We're both tired of living
On life's leash
Then, Fairbanks continues on the chorus singing:
If you're not busy, do you want to orbit me?
If you're not busy
If you're not busy
I just want to say that "If You're Not Busy" is an absolute stunner to me. I love the piano and guitar in the background. And the lyric along with the meaning behind it is so beautiful. Cait Fairbanks is an underrated artist whether you guys know it or not. She knows exactly how to pull the listener's in her world with her mesmerizing voice and soothing melodies.
Buy and stream If You're Not Busy on Apple Music, Google Play, Spotify and more:
Nightmare is a song by singer-songwriter Halsey that was released on May 17, 2019, through Capitol Records. It is a standalone track was originally intended to be the lead single for the singer's album Manic, but it was scrapped.
Lyrically, Nightmare is a nu metal trap song that talks about a dedication to young women and explores with themes of self-acceptance and sexual freedom.
Halsey begins to recite the original version of children's Christian bedtime prayer by the New England Primer newspaper saying:
Now I lay me down to sleep I pray the Lord, my soul to keep If I shall die before I wake I pray the Lord, my soul to take
Then, she continues on the chorus with:
I, I keep a record of the wreckage in my life I gotta recognize the weapon in my mind They talk s**t, but I love it every time And I realize
Before coming in really hard on the first verse singing:
I've tasted blood and it is sweet I've had the rug pulled beneath my feet I've trusted lies and trusted men Broke down and put myself back together again
And again, on the pre-chorus:
"Come on, little lady, give us a smile" No, I ain't got nothin' to smile about I got no one to smile for, I waited a while for A moment to say I don't owe you a goddamn thing
The singer starts to make mention of her experiences as a young woman on the second verse with the lyrics:
I've been polite, but won't be caught dead Lettin' a man tell me what I should do with my bed
But, it's the bridge where Halsey fully embraces her unruly character as she sings:
Someone like me can be a real nightmare, completely aware But I'd rather be a real nightmare, than die unaware, yeah Someone like me can be a real nightmare, completely aware But I'm glad to be a real nightmare, so save me your prayers
I just love the aggressive tone that Halsey portrays on this song Nightmare. The singer is showing everyone that she is not afraid to speak her mind when it comes to female empowerment and being in rage.
Buy and stream Nightmare on Google Play, Apple Music, Spotify and more:
Colors (Stripped) is a stripped down version of Halsey's hit song "Colors" from her debut album Badlands (2015) that was released on April 22, 2016. It features a slower beat and some new lyrics unlike the previous version of this track.
Halsey sings beautifully on the first verse with:
Your little brother never tells you but he loves you so You said your mother only smiled on her TV show You're only happy when your sorry head is filled with dope I hope you make it to the day you're 28 years old
Then, she continues on the chorus with the lyrics:
Everything is blue His pills, his hands, his jeans And now I'm covered in the colors Pulled apart at the seams And it's blue And it's blue
The singer can be heard talking on the bridge saying:
Art is not what I create What I create is chaos
I am loving these stripped down songs by Halsey so far. Especially, this one for her song "Colors". In my opinion, it's ten times better than the original version. The production, which was handled by Dylan William, is so amazing but at the same time, though, very different.
Buy, listen or stream Colors (Stripped) on all streaming platforms available:
With just only one day away before Christmas, I have decided that I want to do a little introduction for you guys to Ariana Grande's second holiday EP titled "Christmas & Chill". The singer released this Christmas extended play on December 18, 2015 as the follow-up to her 2013 EP "Christmas Kisses".
Intro serves as the opener to Grande's Christmas & Chill EP. She sings over a trap music beat with the lyrics:
Welcome to this Christmas Only comes one time a year, don't miss this I just wanna welcome you to Christmas Let me sneak into your speakers, listen I'll be singing, "Oh, oh, oh, oh" I'll be singing, "Oh, oh, oh, oh"
Wit It This Christmas
This song finds Ariana trying to make her mate happy on the first verse with:
Come and kiss me, baby We don't need no mistletoe We don't need no fireplace Boy, I'll keep you nice and warm, hey
Before she starts making some sexual references to him on the pre-chorus singing:
Are you down for some of these milk and cookies? Down for loving, you'll be my drummer boy And I'm the only drum that you gonna play, hmm
On the chorus, Grande is sending an invitation to her man and letting him know that she's down for whatever he wants to do with the lyrics:
Are you wit it, are you with it? Are you wit it this Christmas, baby, let me know Are you wit it, are you with it? Are you wit it this Christmas?
December
December is about wanting to keep your bae nice and cozy especially when it's cold outside. Which is, exactly what Ariana is doing the same time to her boyfriend, just like she did on the previous track "Wit It This Christmas", on the pre-chorus singing:
I'm just tryna keep my baby warm through the wintertime I'm just tryna give you something to remember through the summertime And whatever is on your list, I'll do it Boy, whatever it is, you know I'll do it Uh, yeah
Grande breaks into a very catchy chorus on the song with the lyrics:
Merry Christmas, here I am, boy Gonna love you, gonna give you all I can, boy Merry Christmas, here I am, boy I'm the present and you know it, here I am, boy Merry Christmas, here I am, boy
Not Just On Christmas
Not Just On The Christmas is a short but yet slow and soulful song by Ariana as she talks about the importance of being there for your loved ones all year around and not just on Christmas.
The singer also does an interesting take on the wedding vow "for better or worse" on the third verse with:
Baby, whether rain or shine Naughty or nice I'm by your side
Then, she moves into the chorus on the track singing:
I'll love you till I die, boy Every day of my life I celebrate you, baby I adore you, not just on Christmas
True Love
On "True Love", the singer puts her own spin on a classic Christmas coral with the lyrics:
On that first day of Christmas When you gave me all them kisses Boy, you showed me things Come hold me, please, and never let me go On that second day of Christmas Said you felt like something's missing So you promised me that promise ring to keep 'til we get old, boy
Then, Grande refers to her lover as "her true love" singing on the chorus:
Look at all the things my true love gave to me My true love, my true love You are my true love Look at all the things my true love gave to me My true love, my true love You are my true love
Winter Things
Winter Things is the last song on Christmas & Chill. The track starts off with a ukulele as Grande sings about refusing to let the warm weather ruin her time with her man on the first verse with:
It ain't even cold outside, not where I'm from Feeling like it's mid-July under the sun My jacket don't get no love, no hats and no gloves, not even a chance to rain But my baby's in town and we're gonna do some winter things
Then, Ariana continues on the chorus singing:
Hey, yo I wanna pretend we're at the North Pole Turning the heat into an ice cold holiday Made just for me and my baby My baby's in town and we're gonna do some winter things, hey
I love this Christmas & Chill by Ariana. It's much better than her previous one "Christmas Kisses", in my opinion. I enjoyed the experience of where Christmas music meets R&B and trap on this extended play.
So, make sure that you buy or stream Christmas & Chill everywhere on Apple Music, Google Play, Spotify and more now:
Closer is a song by DJ Duo The Chainsmokers and singer Halsey that was released on July 29, 2016, through Disruptor Records and Columbia Records.
Lyrically, Closer is a future bass pop song that celebrates both youth and heartbreak. Andrew Taggart, one of the members of The Chainsmokers, sings about dealing with a breakup on the pre-chorus with the lyrics:
I know it breaks your heart Moved to the city in a broke down car And four years, no calls Now you're looking pretty in a hotel bar And I can't stop No, I can't stop
And then, Taggart continues on the chorus with:
So, baby, pull me closer in the backseat of your Rover That I know you can't afford Bite that tattoo on your shoulder Pull the sheets right off the corner Of the mattress that you stole From your roommate back in Boulder We ain't ever getting older
Halsey comes in being the opposite to Andrew singing:
You look as good as the day I met you I forget just why I left you, I was insane Stay and play that Blink-182 song That we beat to death in Tucson, okay
I love this song by The Chainsmokers and Halsey. It's very catchy and the meaning behind it all and the fact that it was inspired by I Miss You by Blink-182 is downright amazing.
