If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power is the fourth studio album by American singer-songwriter Halsey, released on August 27, 2021, by Capitol Records. Produced by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross of Nine Inch Nails, the album marked a departure from Halsey's previous work, featuring a heavy industrial influence, and was described by Halsey as a concept album about "the joys and horrors of pregnancy and childbirth". It was her final album for Capitol, before she parted ways with the label in April 2023.[2]
Leading up to the release of If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power, a theatrical film directed by American filmmaker Colin Tilley, titled after the album and featuring its music, screened in select IMAX cinemas around the world on August 25 and 26, 2021. The album went on to debut within the top 10 of thirteen sales charts worldwide, including the US Billboard 200, where it became Halsey's fourth consecutive record to debut inside the top two of the chart. Two singles were released to promote the album: "I Am Not a Woman, I'm a God", which reached number 64 on the Billboard Hot 100,[3] and "You Asked for This". In February 2023, the album was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power received mostly positive reviews from critics, who praised its ambitious concept and theatrical production. The album was featured in the top 10's of several best-of album lists for 2021, and was nominated for Best Alternative Music Album at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards. The album was supported by the Love and Power Tour.
Background and recording
Halsey recruited Trent Reznor(left) and Atticus Ross(right) for the album's production, with whom she said she had always wanted to collaborate.
Around 2019, Halsey decided to reinvent her sound.[9] "If I want to sustain myself and give myself longevity, I need to continue to make things that I love and make things that challenge me as a creative".[9] She reached out to Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross of Nine Inch Nails with a letter, asking them if they could produce the album.[9] "I was just really honest and said I was a huge fan and I’ve been plagiarising you guys for years – badly – and I’m not arrogant enough to believe that I have anything new to offer you, but this album is about pregnancy, gender identity, body horror. The most important thing to me is that this album has tension – it needs to be visceral, or I’m doing a disservice to the message."[9]
The album was a long-distance project, with Reznor and Ross recording in Los Angeles while Halsey sang all of its songs at a studio in Turks and Caicos Islands. Other remote contributions include drums by American musician Dave Grohl in "Honey" and guitar by American musician Lindsey Buckingham in "Darling".[10] Speaking to Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1, Halsey stated she had been wanting to work with Nine Inch Nails for years, because she "wanted really cinematic sort of, not horror specifically, but kind of just really unsettling production" on one of her projects.[11] In an interview with Lizzy Goodman at Capitol Studios, Halsey stated that she started working on the album in June 2020, and that "Lilith" was the first song written for the record.[12]
This album is a concept album about the joys and horrors of pregnancy and childbirth. It was very important to me that the cover art conveyed the sentiment of my journey over the past few months. The dichotomy of the Madonna and the Whore. The idea that me as a sexual being and my body as a vessel and gift to my child are two concepts that can co-exist peacefully and powerfully. My body has belonged to the world in many different ways the past few years, and this image is my means of reclaiming my autonomy and establishing my pride and strength as a life force for my human being.
—Halsey introducing If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power, Instagram[24]
Halsey stated If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power is a concept album focusing on the positives and negatives of pregnancy and childbirth.[25] The album was originally built around "mortality and everlasting love and our place/permanence", but the emotional impact of her pregnancy "introduced new themes of control and body horror and autonomy and conceit." Halsey also emphasized that it "feels very cool" to have an album with no guest features again, following her debut studio album, Badlands (2015). She said If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power "had to be entirely from [her] voice".[26]
The cover artwork of If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power was unveiled through video shot at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, in which Halsey walked through the exhibits before finally pulling away a cover to reveal the life-size picture of the artwork.[27] The cover artwork was photographed by Lucas Garrido.[28] It depicts an artistic rendering of Halsey as Madonna, a category of icons and works of art depicting Mary, mother of Jesus. The singer is seen seated on a golden throne, wearing a purple dress, holding a baby with a towel, with her left breast exposed. She stated that the artwork portrays "the sentiment of [her] journey over the past few months",[25] and aims to uproot the social stigma around "bodies & breastfeeding".[29]
On June 28, 2021, numerous billboards went up across major cities of the United States, announcing the fourth studio album by Halsey, titled If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power.[8] The singer confirmed it herself through her social media accounts on the same day.[33] Together with the announcement, she also previewed "Bells in Santa Fe", one of the tracks from the album.[34] It was also revealed that the album was produced by American musician Trent Reznor and English musician Atticus Ross, members of American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails.[35] In a short teaser video, Halsey hinted at the album's punk rock sound.[8] On July 7, 2021, Halsey unveiled the cover art and announced that If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power would be released on August 27, 2021.[36] Halsey gave birth to her child, Ender Ridley Aydin, on July 14, 2021.[37]
The album was released on August 27, 2021,[25] with minimal promotion.[13] Its CDs, vinyl records, and box sets were made available for pre-order on July 7, 2021, on Halsey's webstore. Limited-edition red vinyl LPs, with an alternative cover, were sold exclusively at Urban Outfitters.[38] Halsey graced the August 2021 cover of American women's magazine Allure, for which she was interviewed about her social identity, relationships, pregnancy, and family.[39] On July 23, 2021, an online game called "LXXXXP" was launched, which is a choose-your-own-adventure-style platform that encourages users to "choose your path and discover your destiny". The "You drowned in a freezing lake" outcome results in a snippet of a song from the album, which turns out to be an instrumental from "The Lighthouse", track 12.[40] On August 10, 2021, the titles of the album's songs were revealed through Amazon Alexa, which recited the track listing upon asking it "Alexa, tell me about Halsey's new album." The next day, Halsey herself posted the track list across her social media.[41][26] No singles were released from the album prior to its release.[42][21][13]
Halsey debuted "I Am Not a Woman, I'm a God" and "Darling" live at Saturday Night Live on October 9, 2021, hosted by American media personality Kim Kardashian. For the performance of "Darling", she was accompanied by Lindsey Buckingham playing guitar and providing backup vocals.[43] An extended version of the album, featuring the 2019 single "Nightmare" as well as a reprise of it, and an exclusive track, titled "People Disappear Here", was released on January 3, 2022.[44] ("People Disappear Here" features Mike Garson at the outro but was not properly credited in the footnote.[45]). On August 31, 2022, Halsey released a deluxe edition of the album, including three demos from the songs "1121", "Honey" and "Lilith".[citation needed]
Halsey performed the Diablo IV Anthem version of "Lilith" at The Game Awards 2022 as a joint promotion with Diablo IV whose primary antagonist shares the same name. The full version with Suga of BTS was released on June 5, 2023 along with the music video.[46]
On July 13, 2021, Halsey posted a trailer across her social media to an hour-long film, titled If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power as well, which preceded the album as its companion.[47] The accompanying film is directed by American filmmaker Colin Tilley, who previously directed Halsey's music videos for "Without Me" and "You Should Be Sad" (2020).[48] Actress Sasha Lane appears in the film and is credited as a co-star on the film's promotional material. It is rated R.[49]
The film features music from the album. Rolling Stone reported that the film incorporates fantasy, drawing visual influences from American television series Game of Thrones and the 2006 film Marie Antoinette, alongside themes of motherhood and mysticism in its storyline.[50] Halsey was styled by American stylist Law Roach in the film; Halsey's own beauty line, About-Face, was used for her makeup.[51] The opening of the trailer states, "this film is about the lifelong social labyrinth of sexuality and birth" and "the greatest horror stories never told were buried with the bodies of those who died in that labyrinth."[52]
The film was screened exclusively for one night, in select IMAX cinema theatres.[52][53] On July 29, 2021, a second trailer, titled "woman/god trailer", soundtracked with lyrics "I am not a woman, I'm a god/ I am not a martyr, I'm a problem/ I am not a legend, I'm a fraud" from the eleventh track of the album "I Am Not a Woman, I'm a God", was released on July 29, 2021. She announced the list of cities in the US the film will be screened on August 25, 2021, and the international cities on August 26, ahead of the album's release on August 27. The tickets went for sale on August 3, 2021.[48]If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power was released on October 7, 2021, on HBO Max.[54] In celebration of the album's one-year anniversary, Halsey released a limited collector's edition Blu-Ray of the film, which comes with the film and a CD of the album, housed in a 64-page picture book of production stills, behind-the-scenes photos, and artwork by Halsey.[55]
Singles
"I Am Not a Woman, I'm a God" was released to US contemporary hit radio on August 31, 2021, as the lead single from If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power.[56] The second single, "You Asked for This", was serviced to US alternative radio on September 7, 2021.[57]
On June 5, 2023, Halsey released a reimagined version of "Lilith" in promotion of the console gameDiablo IV.[58] This version included some different lyrics and production, and features Suga of South Korean boy band BTS. The music video was released later that day.[59]Forbes called the song "a brilliant marketing move".[60] The song is the third single off of If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power and was released around a week before it was announced that Halsey had joined Columbia Records after leaving her former label, Capitol Records earlier in the year after almost a decade of being under them.[61]
If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power received mostly positive reviews upon release. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from publications, the album has a weighted mean score of 80 based on 17 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[63]
Spin praised If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power for its "masterclass in songwriting" and "seductive" production.[18]NME's Nick Levine described the album as an intense, intricate, cinematic, "fierce and fascinating" artistic statement,[22] while Craig Jenkins of Vulture hailed it as "the best Halsey album" for its sound and concept.[16] Sal Cinquemani of Slant also lauded its production, and its "straightforward" themes of "self-doubt, self-sabotage, self-empowerment".[20] Marie Oleinik, reviewing for The Line of Best Fit, dubbed the album a bold and ambitious work of art, with "gorgeous, intense" production that is "never overdone", and admired its simplistic and "breathtakingly tender" songs as well.[13] Music journalist Jon Pareles, writing for The New York Times, said the album is a homage to Halsey's "1990s roots" and simultaneously a strategic turn toward archetypes, eschewing autobiographical lyrics.[10] Luke Morton of Kerrang! said the album is "not a pop record, nor should it be", rather delves into Halsey's punk affinity, solidifying her creative freedom. He added it is a record of juxtaposing moods, where a stream of consciousness connects the tracks to one another.[11]
Jessie Atkinson of Gigwise felt the album displays Halsey's potential and "restrained development in sound".[68]Clash critic Robin Murray deemed it a "powerful song cycle", exhibiting Halsey at her most confrontational, "direct and unbowed".[65] Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen of The Sydney Morning Herald wrote IfI Can't Have Love, I Want Power is a "theatrical, grandiose listening experience" that works as a proclamation of Halsey's identity and artistic intentions, and complimented the sonic diversity of its tracks.[67]Variety's Chris Willman picked the album's honest songwriting and alternative rock sound as its best aspects, emphasizing the creative chemistry between Halsey, Reznor and Ross.[69] Helen Brown of The Independent compared Halsey to Pink and Grimes in "bringing a darker, racketier attitude to major-label pop". Brown dubbed the album "a definite power-up", and suggested Halsey could have experimented more musically and lyrically, to "allow the songs to make a deeper mark".[15]
Some reviews were moderately critical of the album. Rolling Stone critic Julyssa Lopez wrote If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power is an adventurous, highly dramatic, and "supremely theatrical" album, that is slightly overwrought at times.[66] Dani Blum of Pitchfork named the album the strongest project of Halsey's career, and praised its experimental production by Reznor and Ross.[42]Consequence's Mary Siroky complimented the album's production and themes, but expressed mixed opinions about its lyrics; she felt they are, at times, simply "interesting phrases more than they are interesting ideas", but elsewhere, the lyrics "unfold like poetry".[21] John Amen, writing for PopMatters, said If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power has some of the best songs and vocals of Halsey's career, but its "inaptly sleek" production undercuts her connection with listeners. Nevertheless, he felt the album "contains enough magic to be infectious."[70]Kitty Empire of The Observer said the album's 13 tracks "don't quite live up" to the theme Halsey teased, a "Game of Thrones-meets-French Revolution-themed goth rockopera about the Madonna–whore complex."[71]
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (September 2021)
The album reached the top 10 of the official albums charts of various countries. In the United States, If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power arrived at number two on the Billboard 200, blocked from the top spot by American rapper Kanye West's Donda (2021). The album marked Halsey's fourth consecutive album to reach the chart's top two. It opened with 98,000 album-equivalent units, consisting of 26,500 streaming units and 70,500 sales. Of the 70,500 sum, physical sales comprise 52,500 copies (across CDs, vinyl LPs and cassettes), while digital album sales were 18,000.[88] Additionally, If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power topped the Top Alternative Albums, yielding Halsey's second number-one album on the chart after Badlands (2015), her debut studio album.[89] On February 1, 2023, the album was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[90]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Ashley Frangipane, Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, and Johnathan Cunningham, and produced by Reznor and Ross, except where noted. Lyrics by Halsey.
If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power– Standard edition
If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power– Japanese edition and HMV edition (bonus track)
No.
Title
Writer(s)
Length
14.
"People Disappear Here"
Frangipane, Reznor, Ross, Kurstin
4:08
Total length:
46:49
If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power– live performance bonus tracks
No.
Title
Length
14.
"The Tradition" (live)
4:03
15.
"Lilith" (live)
2:51
16.
"Easier than Lying" (live)
3:28
17.
"Girl Is a Gun" (live)
2:42
18.
"You Asked for This" (live)
4:37
19.
"Darling" (live)
3:11
20.
"Honey" (live)
2:53
21.
"I Am Not a Woman, I'm a God" (live)
3:08
22.
"Nightmare" (reprise; live)
4:07
Total length:
74:05
If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power– Digital deluxe edition (bonus tracks)
No.
Title
Writer(s)
Length
17.
"1121" (demo)
Frangipane, Cunningham
2:51
18.
"Honey" (demo)
Frangipane, Cunningham
2:48
19.
"Lilith" (demo)
Frangipane, Cunningham
2:47
Total length:
63:25
Notes
"You Asked for This", "I Am Not a Woman, I'm a God", and "People Disappear Here" are stylized in sentence case, and "Honey" is stylized in all lowercase.[26]
"1121" is pronounced "eleven twenty-one".[26] "1121" refers to November 21, 2020, the day Halsey found out she was pregnant.[92]
With the release of the deluxe edition, Apple Music mistakenly swapped the titles of the demo versions for "1121" and "Honey". This was later fixed.[relevant?]
The demos of "1121", "Honey", and "Lilith" are subtitled "John Cunningham Demo" on some streaming platforms.
↑ This is the uncensored cover artwork of the album, used for its standard editions. A censored cover is also available for the album's digital copies only, in which the right hand of the baby covers Halsey's exposed left nipple.[1]
Michael Trent Reznor is an American musician. He came to prominence as the founder, lead vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, and primary songwriter of the industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails. The band's line-up has constantly changed, with Reznor being its only official member from its creation in 1988 until 2016, when he added English musician and frequent collaborator Atticus Ross as its second permanent member.
Atticus Matthew Cowper Ross is an English musician, composer, record producer, and audio engineer. He is best known for his work with American musician Trent Reznor, with whom he first worked on the musical project Tapeworm in 2002. He began working with Reznor's band Nine Inch Nails in 2005 as a programmer and producer, then joined as a musician and became the only official member of the band other than Reznor in 2016.
With Teeth is the fourth studio album by the American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, released by Nothing Records and Interscope Records on May 3, 2005. The album was produced by Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor and long-time collaborator Alan Moulder. It also features contributions from musician Dave Grohl and future band member Atticus Ross.
Year Zero is the fifth studio album by the American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, released by Interscope Records on April 17, 2007. Conceived while touring in support of the band's previous album, With Teeth (2005), the album was recorded in late 2006. It was produced by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, and was the band's first studio album since 1994's The Downward Spiral that was not co-produced by long-time collaborator Alan Moulder. It was the band's last album for Interscope, following Reznor's departure the same year due to a dispute regarding overseas pricing.
This is a discography of Mogwai, a Scottish post-rock band.
This is a comprehensive discography of Trent Reznor, an American musician, singer, producer and multi-instrumentalist most famous as the frontman and primary creative force behind the industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails. Reznor has also been associated with the bands Option 30, Exotic Birds, and Tapeworm, among others.
Ghosts I–IV is the sixth studio album by the American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, released by The Null Corporation on March 2, 2008. It was the band's first independent release following their split from longtime label Interscope Records in 2007. The production team included Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor, studio collaborators Atticus Ross and Alan Moulder, and contributions from Alessandro Cortini, Adrian Belew, and Brian Viglione.
The Slip is the seventh studio album by the American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, released on May 5, 2008, digitally on the Nine Inch Nails website, and on CD on July 22 by The Null Corporation. It was their second release in 2008, following their sixth album Ghosts I–IV, released two months prior. The album was produced by frontman Trent Reznor with collaborators Atticus Ross and Alan Moulder.
The Social Network is the score album for David Fincher's 2010 film of the same name, composed by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. It was released on September 28, 2010, through The Null Corporation. On September 17, a five-track sampler was also made available for free. The score bears a similar sound to the previous Reznor/Ross 2008 collaboration, Ghosts I–IV, and even features two slightly reworked tracks from Ghosts; the track "Magnetic" and "A Familiar Taste".
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is the score album for David Fincher's 2011 film of the same name, composed by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. It was released on December 9, 2011, through The Null Corporation in the US and Mute Records outside North America. This is the second soundtrack that Reznor and Ross have worked on together, following the Oscar-winning The Social Network, also for Fincher.
Hesitation Marks is the eighth studio album by the American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, released on August 30, 2013, by The Null Corporation and distributed by Columbia Records in the United States and Polydor Records elsewhere. It was the band's first release in five years, following The Slip (2008), as well as their only release on Columbia. Like previous albums, the album was produced by frontman Trent Reznor alongside longtime collaborators Atticus Ross and Alan Moulder. To date, this is the most recent Nine Inch Nails album to be co-produced by Moulder.
Ashley Nicolette Frangipane, known professionally as Halsey, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Noted for her distinctive singing voice, she has received several accolades including three Billboard Music Awards, a Billboard Women in Music Award, an American Music Award and nominations for three Grammy Awards. She was included on Time's annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2020.
American singer and songwriter Halsey has released five studio albums, two live albums, 11 extended plays, 28 singles, 10 promotional singles, and 36 music videos. After being signed to Astralwerks, she released her debut EP Room 93 on October 27, 2014, and then toured with larger acts to promote it and her upcoming album. Since her debut, Halsey has released nine Gold, 11 Platinum, seven Multiplatinum, and one Diamond single in the United States alone.
Add Violence is the fourth EP and eleventh major release by the American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails. Issued through the Null Corporation and Capitol Records on July 19, 2017, it is the second in a trilogy of releases, following the EP Not the Actual Events (2016) and preceding the band's ninth studio album Bad Witch (2018). It was produced by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.
Bad Witch is the ninth studio album by the American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, released by The Null Corporation and Capitol Records on June 22, 2018. It is the last of a trilogy of releases, following their two previous EPs Not the Actual Events (2016) and Add Violence (2017). As with the previous releases in the trilogy, it was produced by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, making it the band's first studio album since 2007's Year Zero to not be co-produced by the long-time collaborator Alan Moulder, who is credited with mixing the album.
Watchmen (Music from the HBO Series) is the original score for the HBO superhero drama limited series Watchmen, composed by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. The score was released in three volumes on vinyl and digital services over the course of the series' broadcast in 2019, with Volume 1 on November 6, Volume 2 on November 27, and Volume 3 on December 18.
Soul: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the soundtrack to the 2020 Disney-Pixar film Soul. The soundtrack is a compilation of all 23 score pieces by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross from the Soul: Original Motion Picture Score vinyl album as well as 16 original songs by Jon Batiste from the Music from and Inspired by Soul vinyl album. All three albums were released through Walt Disney Records on December 18, 2020.
"I Am Not a Woman, I'm a God" is a song by American singer-songwriter Halsey from her fourth studio album If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power, released on August 27, 2021, through Capitol Records. The song impacted US contemporary hit radio on August 31, 2021, as the lead single from the album. It was written by Halsey, Johnathan Cunningham, and Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross of Nine Inch Nails, and was produced by the latter two, who produced all tracks on the album.
Bones and All (Original Score) is the score album to the 2022 film of the same name, directed by Luca Guadagnino and starring Taylor Russell and Timothée Chalamet. The film's score was composed by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross and was released on November 18, 2022, on Reznor's label The Null Corporation. It features 23 score tracks, along with the original song, "(You Make Me Feel Like) Home". The score features acoustic music representing the Midwestern United States, and draws inspiration from classical Americana songs, that depicts the relationship between the leading characters, despite the horror setting.
"Lonely Is the Muse" is a song by the American singer Halsey. It was released by Columbia Records on August 15, 2024, as the second single from the singer's fifth studio album The Great Impersonator.
1 2 Greer, Gary (September 16, 2021). "The Stages Of Love Described In Arabic Language". Kaleela. Just look at some expressions in Arabic like ... the extreme tu'burnee ("May you bury me.", popular in Lebanon) meaning "I hope I die before you because I couldn't live without you."
↑ Cowell 1964, pp.175–176: "The second person is expressed by [...] the prefix t- in the imperfect"
↑ Hosny, Miran (April 30, 2014). "10 deadly ways to say 'I love you'". Sajjeling. This regularly used Syrian expression literally translates to "May you bury me" ... It merely expresses love so attached that the speaker wishes to die before their loved one so that they may never experience losing them.
↑ "Czech Albums – Top 100". ČNS IFPI. Note: On the chart page, select 35.Týden 2021 on the field besides the words "CZ – ALBUMS – TOP 100" to retrieve the correct chart. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
↑ "Slovak Albums – Top 100". ČNS IFPI. Retrieved September 6, 2021.Note: On the chart page, select SK - Albums - Top 100 under the left field and "202135" on the field besides the word "Zobrazit", and then click over the word to retrieve the correct chart data.
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