This article is about the album. You may be looking for the film of the same name.
If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power (often abbreviated as IICHLIWP) is the fourth full-length studio album by Halsey. It is the follow-up to their 2020 studio album, Manic, and was released on August 27, 2021 through Capitol Records.
An expanded version of the album was released on January 3, 2022. A deluxe version of the album was released on August 31, 2022.
The album was certified gold by the RIAA on February 1, 2023.
Background[]
Halsey first mentioned the album when they stated that they "would love to do a whole album in the vein of 'Nightmare' and 'Experiment On Me'" on March 8, 2020.[1]
Rumors about the album began to spark when Halsey followed a private Instagram account called "@iichliwp" that shares a link in its bio that, when clicked, transports users to a "lxxxxp" website containing phrases like "All of this is temporary" and "Why do you need love so badly?"[2] At the top of the website the letters "LPIV" appear which reference a previous Twitter bio of Halsey which consisted of the letters "L¿P¿". The website also invites fans to enter their email address to "flip the coin" which also offers the two outcomes "L" and "P". The letters were later revealed to stand for "love" and "power".[3]
On May 30, 2021 the "@iichliwp" account shared a poem from I Would Leave Me If I Could. titled "With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility" to its Instagram story. On June 4, 2021 the account who had previously only followed Halsey started following IMAX which is a proprietary system of high-resolution cameras, film formats, film projectors, and theaters. The account would continue to post pictures, one on June 13[4] that seems to show a name covered in blood and three more on June 17, 2021. The three photos are the cover of a romance novel called The Hidden Heart by Sharon Schulze, the cover of The Life of a Man: Symbolised by the Months of the Year, a collection of poems including Shakespeare, and an oil painting by Dante Gabriel Rossetti titled Lady Lilith. The website was also updated to show the face of a person after you tossed the coin.[5]
The website was again updated on June 21, 2021 and now featured a short snippet of Halsey singing.[6] Also starting June 21 some fans started receiving postcards in the mail that feature a wax seal that says "H4".[7]
The billboard announcing the album
On June 27, 2021 Halsey uploaded coordinates to the "@iichliwp" Instagram account that lead to a store with a billboard on top in West Hollywood and captioned it with "Tomorrow".[8] The billboard was put up the following day - on June 28, 2021 - and revealed the title of Halsey's fourth studio album to be If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power. Furthermore, it also revealed that the album was produced by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.[9] The post also included a snippet of the previously teased song "All Of This Is Temporary".
On July 1, 2021 Halsey announced the reveal of a "very special album artwork" alongside the album's release date to happen on July 7, 2021.[10] The announcement included a link to a website featuring a countdown to the reveal. Blood would appear on the countdown every ten minutes past a full hour.
The album cover art was revealed on July 7, 2021 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.[11] It was also announced that the album would be released on August 27, 2021 - almost coinciding with the six year anniversary of Badlands on August 28, 2021. Pre-orders for the album were also made available the same day.
A horror film that's based on the album was announced on July 13, 2021 with tickets going on sale on August 3, 2021.[12] On July 23, 2021 the "lxxxxp" website was updated again and this time featured a game that lets visitors "choose their path" and discover their destiny. The possible outcomes are different forms of violent deaths. The "You drowned in a freezing lake" destiny leads to a 20 second snippet of a then-unreleased song. One other destiny is to survive which leads to exclusive merchandise.
On August 6, 2021 Halsey announced a global performance experience of the album presented by Moment House. Tickets for the digital concert went on sale on August 7, 2021 with Spotify fans getting exclusive access to the pre-sale a day earlier.[13] The show premiered on August 29, 2021 in North and South America and on August 30, 2021 for the rest of the world.[14]
The tracklist for the album was revealed on August 10, 2021 by asking Amazon's virtual AI: "Alexa, tell me about Halsey's new album."[15] It revealed that there were no features on the album. According to Halsey: "it feels very cool to have an album with no features again. It felt like this had to be entirely from my voice, similarly to Badlands. I can’t wait for you to hear everything."[16]
Titling[]
The title was first hinted at through the "iichliwp" abbreviation and was later revealed to be If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power on June 28, 2021.[9]
Concept[]
Much like Badlands and Hopeless Fountain Kingdom - and unlike Manic - this album is a concept album. After the reveal of the album cover art, Halsey also shared the album's concept:
- "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 on Instagram[17]
When asked if the album had always been supposed to be a concept album Halsey revealed the following:
- "Weirdly enough it was always supposed to be about mortality and everlasting love and our place / permanence. It was just amplified by me being pregnant. Introduced new themes of control and body horror and autonomy and conceit."
- —Halsey on Twitter[18]
Cover art[]
Halsey unveiling the album cover art at the MET
Halsey announced the reveal of "very special album artwork" alongside the album's release date to happen on July 7, 2021.[10] The countdown would end and link to a YouTube video in which Halsey unveils the album artwork at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (MET).[11]
The video is 13 minutes long and shows Halsey walking around the MET stopping to look at paintings in the European galleries, mostly depictions of the Virgin Mary and her child:[19] Charity by Guido Reni, Madonna and Child by Duccio di Buoninsegna, Virgin and Child Enthroned by Bohemian Painter, Madonna and Child with Saints by Giovanni di Paolo, Madonna and Child with Scroll by Luca della Robbia, Madonna and Child by Giovanni Bellini, Virgin and Child with Four Angels by Gerard David, Virgin and Child by Master of Saint Ursula Legend, Esther before Ahasuerus by Artemisia Gentileschi and Virgin and Child with Saint Catherine of Alexandria by Anthony van Dyck.
The video ended with Halsey unveiling the cover art which is inspired by Virgin and Child Surrounded by Angels by French court painter Jean Fouquet. It was first hinted at through the profile picture of the "@iichliwp" Instagram account. It was shot by Lucas Garrido.[17] Halsey then explained the meaning behind the cover on Instagram:
- "This cover image celebrates pregnant and postpartum bodies as something beautiful, to be admired. We have a long way to go with eradicating the social stigma around bodies & breastfeeding. I hope this can be a step in the right direction!"
- —Halsey[17]
There is an alternate album cover art for the Urban Outfitters exclusive vinyl.[20] The cover shows Halsey wearing an outfit that is also featured in the film.
Track listing[]
All tracks are written by Ashley Frangipane, Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross and Johnathan Cunningham, except where noted. All tracks are produced by Reznor & Ross.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Tradition" | Frangipane, Reznor, Ross, Greg Kurstin | 3:46 |
| 2. | "Bells In Santa Fe" | 3:38 | |
| 3. | "Easier Than Lying" | 3:26 | |
| 4. | "Lilith" | 2:47 | |
| 5. | "Girl Is A Gun" | 2:27 | |
| 6. | "You Asked For This" | Frangipane, Reznor, Ross, Kurstin | 4:26 |
| 7. | "Darling" | 3:02 | |
| 8. | "1121" | 2:43 | |
| 9. | "Honey" | 2:54 | |
| 10. | "Whispers" | 3:12 | |
| 11. | "I Am Not A Woman, I'm A God" | 2:56 | |
| 12. | "The Lighthouse" | 4:33 | |
| 13. | "Ya'aburnee" | 3:08 | |
| Total length: | 42:58 | ||
| Digital Expanded Edition | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
| 14. | "Nightmare" | Frangipane, Benjamin Levin, Elena Kiper, Magnus Høiberg, Ivan Shapovalov, Martin Kierszenbaum, Nathan Perez, Sergio Galoyan, Trevor Horn, Valerij Polienko | 3:52 |
| 15. | "Nightmare (Reprise)" | Frangipane, Levin, Kiper, Høiberg, Shapovalov, Kierszenbaum, Perez, Galoyan, Horn, Polienko | 4:06 |
| 16. | "People Disappear Here" | Frangipane, Reznor, Ross | 4:08 |
| Total length: | 55:04 | ||
| Digital Deluxe Edition | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 17. | "1121" (John Cunningham Demo) | 2:47 |
| 18. | "Honey" (John Cunningham Demo) | 2:50 |
| 19. | "Lilith" (John Cunningham Demo) | 2:48 |
| Total length: | 1:03:29 | |
| Walmart Exclusive Edition | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
| 14. | "Nightmare (Reprise)" | Frangipane, Levin, Kiper, Høiberg, Shapovalov, Kierszenbaum, Perez, Galoyan, Horn, Polienko | 4:06 |
| Total length: | 46:58 | ||
| Japanese & HMV Edition | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
| 14. | "People Disappear Here" | Frangipane, Reznor, Ross | 4:08 |
| Total length: | 47:00 | ||
| Target Exclusive Edition | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
| 14. | "People Disappear Here" | Frangipane, Reznor, Ross | 4:08 |
| 15. | "Gasoline (Reimagined)" | Frangipane, Peder Losnegård | 3:46 |
| Total length: | 50:46 | ||
| Live Performance | ||
|---|---|---|
| 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 | |
Scrapped Songs[]
Film[]
- Main article: If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power (film)
A horror film written by Halsey and directed by Colin Tilley was announced on July 13, 2021 with tickets going on sale on August 3, 2021.[12] The film accompanies and is based on the album and premiered globally in select IMAX theaters on August 25 and August 26, 2021[21] before being widely released on HBO Max.
Tour[]
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and Halsey giving birth there was no tour planned to promote the album, instead there was a digital global performance of the album held on August 29 and August 30, 2021 respectively.[13] On Janaury 31st 2022, Halsey announced an American tour titled 'The Love and Power Tour', to support the album. The tour began on May 17, 2022 and ended on September 22, 2022. The tour was supported by four openers: Beabadoobee & PinkPantheress for the first half of the tour and The Marías & Abby Roberts for the second half, with Wolf Alice being featured as support for the show in Los Angeles. This is the first tour where Halsey has painted on stage live. Halsey also incorporated information on abortion, due to the overturning of Roe vs. Wade in June 2022.
Gallery[]
.png "Standard Vinyl (IICHLIWP).png (1.18 MB)")
.png "Exclusive Vinyl (IICHLIWP).png (1.22 MB)")
.png "IICHLIWP Tour Green Vinyl (Front).png (943 KB)")
.png "IICHLIWP Tour Green Vinyl (Back).png (795 KB)")
.png "IICHLIWP Tour Purple Vinyl (Front).png (944 KB)")
.png "IICHLIWP Tour Purple Vinyl (Back).png (800 KB)")
.png "Poster (IICHLIWP).png (829 KB)")
.jpg "Spotify Cassette (IICHLIWP).jpg (88 KB)")
Photoshoot[]
References[]
- ↑ Instagram via ISDB - @iamhalsey - "I would love to do a whole album in the vein of nightmare and EOM. Should I start a side project or just say fuck it?"
- ↑ iHeart - "Halsey Appears To Tease Fourth Album On Cryptic Website"
- ↑ Love And Power
- ↑ Instagram - @iichliwp
- ↑ Twitter - @HalseyUpdates - "A new image appears when you toss the coin on the lxxxxp website!(via @HALSEYBRSL)"
- ↑ Twitter - @HalseyUpdates - "When flipping the coin, if you get four L's or P's, a short clip of music plays! (via @halseymexico)"
- ↑ Twitter - @HalseyUpdates - "Fans are receiving some mysterious postcards in the mail that feature a waxseal that says "H4"! (via @rllyjisoo)"
- ↑ Instagram - @iichliwp - "Tomorrow."
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Instagram - @iamhalsey - "If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power The FOURTH album by Halsey Produced by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Twitter - @halsey - "JULY 7th a very special album artwork reveal & release date announcement for If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 YouTube - HALSEY UNVEILS ALBUM ARTWORK AT THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Twitter - @halsey - "Experience “If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power” the hour-long film event in @IMAX. Tickets on sale August 3rd. http://loveandpower.com
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Twitter - @halsey - "If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power - Global Performance experience presented by @momenthouse - August 29th."
- ↑ Twitter - @Halsey Updates - "SIGN UP HERE TO BE NOTIFIED RIGHT WHEN TICKETS GO ON SALE:"
- ↑ Twitter - @halsey - “Alexa, tell me about Halsey’s new album?”
- ↑ Twitter - @halsey - "it feels very cool to have an album with no features again. It felt like this had to be entirely from my voice, similarly to Badlands. I can’t wait for you to hear everything."
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 Instagram - @iamhalsey - "f I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power This album is a concept album about the joys and horrors of pregnancy and childbirth. ...
- ↑ Twitter - @halsey - "Weirdly enough it was always supposed to be about mortality and everlasting love and our place / permanence. It was just amplified by me being pregnant. Introduced new themes of control and body horror and autonomy and conceit."
- ↑ Twitter - Thank you to @annaishopeless on Twitter for identifying the artwork.
- ↑ Urban Outfitters - "Halsey - If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power Limited LP"
- ↑ Love and Power - "GLOBAL IMAX SHOWINGS, CITIES AND THEATERS TO BE ANNOUNCED; Retrieved: July 15 2021 4:49PM CEST