I feel like I have been anticipating this album since my birth and in some senses, I have. The second Hopeless Fountain Kingdom was released in 2017, I was already hungry for the next album. It’s not that I didn’t love the album we had just been gifted with, it was a masterpiece, but sixteen songs was not enough to quench my thirst for more Halsey. She would have to release a new song a week to do that. Naturally, I ravished the entire album and various mashups made up by random Youtubers, and used it to get myself to Manic.
My first taste of Manic was “Without Me,” and I had no idea that was connected to Manic. I thought it was just a response to “Him & I.” SO much can be traced back to G-Eazy.
Then there was “Nightmare,” which ended up not being on the album, but I was seriously impressed. The song has rock elements and tackles social issues that had not been addressed in Hopeless Fountain Kingdom, since that followed the story of Romeo and Juliet.
“Graveyard” and “clementine” came next, showing a slower side of Halsey that was less connected to a storyline. Next was “SUGA’s Interlude”, which was also slow, but featured a lot of rap. On that same day, Halsey released “Finally // beautiful stranger,” which had country vibes. The songs were all over the map and I was confused as to what the album was going to be like. Halsey’s previous albums followed a fairly strict storyline, while this one seemed to traverse different genres in each song.
The brilliant thing is, as a Halsey stan, she can virtually do no wrong, and I loved the album once it came out in its entirety. I love it so much that my favorite songs on the album change daily, since I listen to the entire thing multiple times a day. For example, I had a whole ranked list done, and then after a walk in the Common, I came home and changed the entire order before I went to class. I am changing it again now. The problem with genuinely being obsessed with every song at some point or another is that it is hard to decide which ones are best.
So, this list ranks the songs of Manic based on how I am feeling at this point in my life.
1. Forever … (is a long time)
This song was not originally at the top of my list; it was somewhere near the middle. But, that last section really gets to me, with “Build love, build God, build provinces.” It’s so different from all of her other songs and therefore makes its way to the top. A touching lyric is: “Cause I could never hold a perfect thing. And not demolish it.” A lot of us view others as perfect and we place them on pedestals, hoping we don’t ruin these others with ourselves, but maybe we were perfect all along.
2. You should be sad
First off, this music video makes me want to slither around in a pile of hay without any concern for my hay allergies. The song is another G-Eazy diss (he’s really provided some great source material. I hope she outlives his career by a mile), so the content is not different. She sings about how G-Eazy made her feel sad, but looking back on it, he should be sad because he lost her. I mean, based on the video, I feel sad and I never even had her. G-Eazy, do better.
3. Alanis’ Interlude
I’m a sucker for a bisexual anthem, since there aren’t many of them, and I needed something to cleanse my pallet after “Both Ways,” which was gross and didn’t even showcase Liam’s singing abilities. Alanis Morisette makes an appearance I never would have expected to sing the chorus in her usual voice seen in “You Oughta Know,” and it strangely works. I want more bi anthems in 2020, please make it happen.
4. 3am
Leave it to Halsey to make a dial tone sound good. This song sounds fun, upbeat and sassy, however, the lyrics reveal something deeper and sadder that relates back to “I HATE EVERYBODY.” Her album is meant to be listened to in order, and “3am” is right after that song, so it makes sense that the content would be similar. “3am” is about someone who is insecure and is seeking validation from others to feel worthy. Sound like anyone you know?
5. Finally // beautiful stranger
This song is breathtakingly gorgeous, as is she in the music video. I seriously cannot play enough of it. This song also marks a turning point in the story, where Ashley is finding love and happiness, and who doesn’t want that for her and themselves? It also expresses fears of being wronged by a man, which reflects Halsey’s relationship with G-Eazy, but a willingness to finally fall in love again.
6. I HATE EVERYBODY
I feel that there are few songs that do a good job of showing what it feels like to be indecisive. This song encapsulates it perfectly. The lyrics: “If I could make you love me,
maybe you could make me love me” hits the nail on the head. We are told that if we don’t love ourselves, that no one will ever love us, and then we go on streaks of trying to get others to love us so that we finally see what they see in us. Perhaps being alone is what scares us the most.
7. Ashley
When I first heard this song, I was disappointed. It’s the first song on the album, so it was the first one I heard. Also, the title of it is Halsey’s real name, so I had big expectations, not that I was expecting anything in particular. But, once I looked at the lyrics, I realized that this song is one of her most vulnerable. It speaks of her past, her future and what she will leave behind when she dies. It’s a complex song that took me about fifteen listens to really get into, but now it is one of my favorites.
8. Still Learning
This is another deeply personal song like “Ashley.” It talks about her life after fame and how she is still learning to love herself. Yes, she may be a celebrity, and most of us are not, but we can all relate to the feeling of others thinking they know us, but not knowing us at all. It’s kind of like if I were to die today, many people would show up at my funeral and say, “We miss her so much, she was such a great friend.” Meanwhile, I am up above, asking, “Who are these people? They weren’t my friend in real life.” But maybe that’s just me.
9. More
This song is about wanting children, but not being sure if you are capable of conceiving and carrying to term. Halsey has endometriosis, which is a condition where tissue similar to the lining of the womb starts to grow in other places such as the ovaries and fallopian tubes, and has suffered several miscarriages because of it. Endometriosis can also cause difficulty getting pregnant. At the moment, she is unsure if she can have kids, and this song reflects that uncertainty and hopefulness.
10. Dominic’s Interlude
I was surprised about how much I liked this song, considering it is so short and I still have no idea who Dominic is. The tune reminds me of old Twenty One Pilots songs, and is overall nostalgic. If only the magic lasted longer…
11. clementine
I love “clementine.” It’s soothing and reminds me of fish from the music video. It also talks about needing to surround yourself with others in order to feel whole again. It’s a relatable concept, so I get why she talks about it so much in the album. We all surround ourselves with others so we don’t have to be alone with our thoughts, even though learning to be comfortable and live with ourselves would serve us best in the long run, that is too hard of a task to even think about. Even in the song, Halsey is not alone; there is another version of herself echoing the words in the background. We are never really alone.
12. Without Me
Oh hey G-Eazy! It’s another diss! Technically, this is the OG G-Eazy diss and a great song, I have just heard it so much that I couldn’t rate it higher than other songs that are fresh and new.
13. Graveyard
Don’t get me wrong, I love “Graveyard” and I especially loved it when it first came out. But, it pales in comparison to the other songs on Manic. It doesn’t build up as much and the chorus repeats much more than the other songs. It’s still better than most of the songs on the radio nowadays, but not as good as the rest of the album.
14. 929
I had a struggle ranking this one. It’s easily the most vulnerable and raw song on the album, but it was so all over the place that it lacked a coherent storyline. “929” takes you through her personal doubts and fears. Not the big existential doubts and worries about fame, but doubts about people she has lost and nicotine and her childhood. To me, this isn’t a song, it’s a small piece of an autobiography.
15. killing boys
As a mega Jennifer’s Body fan, this song made my middle school heart sing. But, that’s it. It’s fun and larger than life, but in terms of message, there just isn’t much to it, other than: “Screw you, G-Eazy.”
16. SUGA’s Interlude
I was most disappointed by this song. It sounds stunning, but it doesn’t build up to anything. It ends nowhere, right back where it started. I still listen to it at least once a day.