Easier Than Lying

Album: If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power (2021)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Halsey, who was pregnant during the making of their fourth studio album, If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power, knew she wanted the concept to be about the horrors of pregnancy that nobody talks about, but she was surprised at some of the emotions that were coming out of the songs, including the angry track "Easier Than Lying."

    "Because they were so confessional, there were themes in the songs that I didn't notice until I was ready to face them in real life," she explained in a Capitol Studios interview. "When I got back 'Easier Than Lying' for the first time, and there was this rage in it… it wasn't until I heard it in that context that I realized I was talking about two things: one is your parents, and the other is your lovers. People in your life that kind of make you into someone and then decide that they don't like the person they made you into. You know, as if you have any control over that. There's a line in the lyrics that says, 'If you're a hater, than hate the creator. It's in your image I am made.' It's like if you don't like who I am, you're responsible for who you made me. And I don't think I had realized that."
  • The album features cinematic and punk-rock sound thanks to producers Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross of Nine Inch Nails, who also compose music for film and TV. "I wanted cinematic, really unsettling production," Halsey told Apple Music. "They wanted to know if I was willing to take the risk - I was." In the past, the singer felt pressured to compromise on the sound she wanted to ensure their songs were pop friendly/hit material.
  • Halsey gave birth to their first child, Ender Ridley, on July 14, 2021. The father is screenwriter Alev Aydin.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Yacht Rock Quiz

Yacht Rock QuizFact or Fiction

Christopher Cross with Deep Purple? Kenny Loggins in Caddyshack? A Fact or Fiction all about yacht rock and those who made it.

00s Music Quiz 1

00s Music Quiz 1Music Quiz

Do you know the girl singer on Eminem's "Stan"? If so, this quiz is for you.

Michael Schenker

Michael SchenkerSongwriter Interviews

The Scorpions and UFO guitarist is also a very prolific songwriter - he explains how he writes with his various groups, and why he was so keen to get out of Germany and into England.

Jesus Thinks You're a Jerk: Rock vs. Televangelists

Jesus Thinks You're a Jerk: Rock vs. TelevangelistsSong Writing

When televangelists like Jimmy Swaggart took on rockers like Ozzy Osbourne and Metallica, the rockers retaliated. Bono could even be seen mocking the preachers.

Incongruent Opening Acts

Incongruent Opening ActsSong Writing

Here's what happens when an opening act is really out of place with the headliner, like when Beastie Boys opened for Madonna.

John Parr

John ParrSongwriter Interviews

John tells the "St. Elmo's Fire (Man In Motion)" story and explains why he disappeared for so long.