"Bad at Love" is a song by American singer Halsey from her second studio album, Hopeless Fountain Kingdom (2017). It was released on August 22, 2017, through Astralwerks as the second single from the album.[1] Halsey co-wrote the song with Justin Tranter, Ricky Reed, and Rogét Chahayed, with the song being produced by the latter two. Lyrically, the song encompasses the protagonist's past relationships and the reasons they were unsuccessful.[2]
"Bad at Love" debuted at number 81 on the Billboard Hot 100 and later peaked at number five, making it Halsey's first top-five entry on the chart as a lead artist. It also reached number one on the Dance Club Songs chart in the US, and at number two on the Mainstream Top 40 chart in the country. "Bad at Love" was certified 4× Platinum in the US, and 3× Platinum in Canada.
Halsey told Billboard that the tune should "sound like Leonardo DiCaprio in a Hawaiian T-shirt in a droptop yellow convertible car – driving down the highway like in Miami Vice with all his friends."[3]
"Bad at Love" is a mid-tempo[4]pop[5] ballad,[6] which lasts for three minutes and one second. According to musicnotes.com, the song is written in the key of C major.[7] On the track, Halsey goes through a list of her different lovers and what went wrong in their relationship.[8] With each one, she thought they were "the one" and could "fix her", but it went wrong for various reasons.[9][10] From her history of dating, she concludes that she is "bad at love".[11] Her list of lovers include both men and women indicating at her bisexuality, which is a running theme throughout the album.[12] When a music reviewer pointed out that Halsey "doesn't do anything wrong" in any of the relationships she describes in the song, she responded saying it's about her choice of poor partners, plus the "self deprecating" and "facetious" mood of the song, and her bad love. She also stated it's about being naive.[13] She also stated it's a "sad" song.[14]
Music video
The music video was directed by Halsey with Sing J Lee. It begins on a desert road, with the singer having a short hairstyle and taking off on a motorcycle. She stops at a gas station, where she picks up a newspaper with her face and "Wanted" written on the first page. With the help of three friends, she avoids capture by two futuristic cops.[15] Afterward, they ride into the sunset as the video ends.[16] The video was uploaded on August 30, 2017, on her Vevo channel.[17]
Commercial performance
As of September 2017, the song has sold 76,645 copies in the United States according to Nielsen SoundScan.[18] It peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, becoming her first top five entry as a lead artist and surpassing the chart position of Halsey's previous single "Now or Never", which reached number 17. It would be her highest-charting song until almost a year later when "Without Me" reached number one.
Aided by official mixes from Dillon Francis, Hook N Sling, Klangkarussell, Autograf, and Generik,[19] "Bad at Love" gave Halsey her first number one on the Dance Club Songs chart in its December 16, 2017, issue[20] and her second number one (as well as her first as a solo artist) on the accompanying Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart in its January 3, 2018, issue.[21]
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Change the chart to CZ – SINGLES DIGITAL – TOP 100 and insert 201744 into search. Retrieved November 7, 2017.
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201747 into search. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select SINGLES DIGITAL - TOP 100 and insert 201744 into search. Retrieved November 7, 2017.
