"Nightmare"
Single by Halsey
ReleasedMay 17, 2019 (2019-05-17)
Recorded2019
Genre
Length3:52
LabelCapitol
Composer(s)
Lyricist(s)Ashley Frangipane
Producer(s)
Halsey singles chronology
"Boy with Luv"
(2019) 		"Nightmare"
(2019) 		"Graveyard"
(2019)
Music video
Nightmare on YouTube

"Nightmare" is a song by American singer Halsey. It was released as a single on May 17, 2019 and was sent to top 40 radio on May 21, 2019 through Capitol Records.[1] The song was written by Halsey along with its producers Benny Blanco, Cashmere Cat, and Happy Perez. The music video, directed by Hannah Lux Davis, accompanied its release the same day.[2] The song was added as a bonus track on the extended version of Halsey's fourth studio album If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power.

Composition

"Nightmare" is described as an alternative rock,[3] punk rock,[4] emo,[5] electro-metal,[6] industrial[7] and trap[3] song by critics. It is written in the key A minor with 146 beats per minute.[8] The song contains an interpolation of "All the Things She Said" by Russian duo t.A.T.u. Elena Kiper, one of the songwriters of t.A.T.u's song, posted on her Instagram that an initial version of Halsey's track "contained an extensive interpolation of the original work" but later the sample was changed by G-Eazy,[9] although the latter isn't credited on the work.

Promotion

In May 2019, Halsey posted a link on her social media, directing users to the website "nightma.re" to sign up for email alerts and prompting them to share what their worst nightmare is. The site gave a series of options, and upon clicking one of the options, users would be shown an explanation as to the meaning of that specific nightmare.[10] Fans also believed that the time tickets for her recent intimate concerts went on sale, 5:17 PM, was a hint towards the date new music would be released,[11] although Halsey claimed no knowledge of this and only said new music would be coming "sooner than you think".[10] She then announced the single's release date on Twitter on May 9, 2019, posting a video of her revealing the title at one of her concerts, and captioning it "new single. NIGHTMARE. may 17th".[1] Several days later, Halsey announced she had hidden lyrics of the song in five US cities: Los Angeles, Dallas, Chicago, San Francisco, and New York City.[12]

On May 20, 2019, Halsey performed a free show for fans in Minneapolis, where she performed the single live for the first time, along with "Castle", "Gasoline", "Without Me" and "Don't Play". She uploaded a video of some of the performances on YouTube following the show.[13]

Music video

The music video for "Nightmare" premiered on YouTube on May 16, 2019.[14] Directed by Hannah Lux Davis, the video features appearances by Cara Delevingne, Debbie Harry,[15] Ryan Destiny, and Suki Waterhouse.[16]

Critical reception

The song has received positive reviews. Billboard magazine said the song is musically "unorthodox" containing "stylistic curveballs" and "killer lines" that "exalt autonomy, sexual freedom and self-acceptance".[17] The line "I've been polite, but I won't be caught dead/ Letting a man tell me what I should do in my bed" was noted as a "barbed assault on patriarchal expectation" by Billboard and "a necessary gesture of rage and empowerment" by Rolling Stone.[18] Billboard named it the 17th best song of 2019.[19]

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.[20]

Awards and nominations

Year Organization Award Result Ref.
2019 Teen Choice Awards Choice Song: Female Nominated [21][22]
2019 MTV Video Music Awards Video for Good Nominated [23]

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for "Nightmare"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[61] Platinum 70,000‡
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[62] Platinum 40,000‡
Canada (Music Canada)[63] Platinum 80,000‡
Poland (ZPAV)[64] Gold 25,000‡
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[65] Platinum 20,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[66] Silver 200,000‡
United States (RIAA)[67] Platinum 1,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Nightmare (Reprise)

"Nightmare (Reprise)"
Song by Halsey
from the album If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power
LabelCapitol
Producer(s)

"Nightmare (Reprise)" is a song by Halsey included on the Walmart bonus track edition of her fourth studio album If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power (2021). The song is a re-produced version of "Nightmare" created to match the sound of the album. It was first teased by Walmart when a 25 second snippet of a censored version of the song was posted to their website as promotional material for their Walmart exclusive version of the album.[68] It was later added to the extended edition of the album along with "People Disappear Here" and the original "Nightmare".

Release history

Release dates and formats for "Nightmare"
Region Date Format Label Ref.
Various May 17, 2019
Capitol [69]
United States May 21, 2019 Contemporary hit radio [70]
Italy May 24, 2019 Universal [71]

References

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  2. ^ "Halsey – Nightmare". May 17, 2019. Retrieved May 17, 2019 – via YouTube.
  3. ^ a b Lipshutz, Jason. "Halsey's 'Nightmare' May Not Become Her Biggest Single, But It's Her Most Important One". Billboard. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
  4. ^ Reilly, Nick (May 17, 2019). "Halsey returns with new song 'Nightmare'". NME. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
  5. ^ Kaplan, Ilana (May 25, 2019). "Song You Need To Know: Halsey, 'Nightmare'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
  6. ^ Wood, Mikael (January 17, 2020). "Review: On Halsey's new album 'Manic,' elusiveness is a strength - Los Angeles Times". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
  7. ^ Kaplan, Ilana. "Halsey's New Nine Inch Nails Produced Album Turns Her Into a Rock Star". Spin. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
  8. ^ "Key and BPM of Nightmare by Halsey". musicstax.com. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
  9. ^ "Elena Kiper Instagram". Instagram. Archived from the original on December 24, 2021. Retrieved December 19, 2019.
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  12. ^ Smith-Engelhardt, Joe (May 11, 2019). "Halsey launches 'NIGHTMARE' lyrics scavenger hunt across US cities". Alternative Press. Retrieved May 14, 2019.
  13. ^ Campbell, Rachel (May 20, 2019). "Halsey Gives 'Nightmare' Live Debut at Free Pop-Up Show". Alternative Press. Retrieved May 21, 2019.
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  16. ^ @etnow (May 17, 2019). "Oh, and did you catch the iconic superstar cameos from @Caradelevingne, @sukiwaterhouse, @RyanDestiny & Debbie Harry?! 👀" (Tweet). Retrieved May 24, 2019 – via Twitter.
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