After eighteen perfect impersonations of famous and iconic musicians, Halsey has released her aptly-titled fifth album The Great Impersonator. With songs established into four categories, Halsey takes inspiration and pays homage to artists that have influenced her musicianship, not only by posting on Instagram looking like them with her talented makeup skills, but by making tracks as though she had a music career in the 70s, 80s, 90s, and early 2000s. Halsey made this album after being diagnosed with lupus and a rare blood disorder called T-cell lymphoproliferative disorder, thinking it would be their last. Them being sick is one of the overall lyrical themes of the album, along with religion, heartbreak, and betrayal, which are paired with varying genres such as pop, alterative, and rock.
T R A C K L I S T
1. Only Living Girl in LA
2. Ego
3. Dog Years
4. Letter to God (1974)
5. Panic Attack
6. The End
7. I Believe in Magic
8. Letter to God (1983)
9. Hometown
10. I Never Loved You
11. Darwinism
12. Lonely is the Muse
13. Arsonist
14. Life of the Spider (Draft)
15. Hurt Feelings
16. Lucky
17. Letter to God (1998)
18. The Great Impersonator
Halsey is from and grew up in New Jersey, and was based in New York in her early career. She started gaining popularity on Tumblr and after releasing her song "Ghost" on SoundCloud, and shortly after was signed to Atlantic Records. She released her 2014 EP Room 39, which was connected to her 2015 debut album BADLANDS. This caused Halsey to become even more popular, as well as establish a definitive spot in alternative music. In 2017, she released her chart-topping second album Hopeless Fountain Kingdom, which leaned more in the direction of pop music. After this, she was catapulted into fame. In 2020, they released their third album Manic, and just a year and a half later, released their fourth album If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power.
Only Girl Living in LA
Inspiration: Marilyn Monroe
The introduction to the album is a six minute and primarily acoustic song that sets up the main themes for the album, sonically and lyrically. The Great Impersonator is guitar-heavy, but with such sensational production, thanks to multiple virtuoso musicians, including Halsey. Creativity is one of the many aspects that make this album what it is, including the array of sound effects dispersed throughout, such as a subway loudspeaker voice in this song saying "This is Halsey St." after Halsey sings "I guess I have no name", which is where Halsey got her alias. The song ends with an ethereal cacophony of pressurized synths and distorted drums, but not before she takes us through a timeline of her career. She has suffered through the harsh reality of being famous, and has experienced isolation, feeling as though she is the "Only living girl in LA". They also felt this way in New York, where their career began, and also while growing up in New Jersey. They have been through many hardships in their life, and they explain how each one greatly affects them.
Ego
Inspiration: Dolores O'Riordan
The theme of opposing fame from "Only Girl Living in LA" flows into "Ego", except the sound has shifted to alternative rock. Halsey's life has changed a lot since becoming a mainstream pop star, which was seven years ago, with much occurring in that amount of time. She reminisces on the past, whether its a positive or negative memory, and wishes she could return to that. This track can be interpreted as going hand-and-hand with the track "3am" from Manic, especially with the line "I hope that someone comes around // Helps me figure it out".
Dog Years
Inspiration: PJ Harvey
The line "I'm one hundred ninety-six in dog years" is 28 multiplied by 7, which is how you calculate the age of the dog; seven years is reoccurring reference throughout the album. This song is devasting, but the whole vibe changes once the chorus whispers into the track, sensuality now fueling the track. They use their dog, Jagger, passing away as an analogy for euthanasia, saying they want that to happen to them, comparing themselves to an old animal. She has been famous since 2017 (7 years) and unfortunately, a lot of musicians, mostly women, are pushed away from the spotlight as they get older. This is probably referencing the neglect from Halsey's old record label, and how they never promoted her music as much as the other artists signed to them. A distorted and magnetic guitar riff appears in the song, and Halsey harmonizing her vocals by screaming isn't the first time we will be hearing this.
4. Letter to God (1974)
Inspiration: Cher
This is the first of three tracks titled "Letter to God" on the album, subtitled with a year from each one of the album's eras. Each Halsey album has three songs that connect and follow each other, back to back, but this time they are in different spots on the album. "(1974)" appears to be a voice note, with Halsey first singing acapella, and then piano and guitar that was heard at the beginning of the song reappearing as the track continues. There are similar choruses for each Letter, the meaning changing every time. In this Letter, Halsey sings from the point of view of her younger self, singing “I wanna be sick” so she can have the life of a boy she knew who was sick as well, who had a good home life due to this, something Halsey wanted for herself.
5. Panic Attack
Inspiration: Stevie Nicks
“Panic Attack” is slow-paced, lounge, chill music, with a twinge of folk. Reminiscent of the Manic track “Graveyard”, specifically the line “The warning signs can feel like they’re butterflies”, Halsey tries to differentiate between the anxious feeling of a new relationship and actual anxiety. The deep pit in your stomach you get every time you think of this person and/or when you’re around them is not always a good thing. This is a foreshadowing track, as Halsey says this person is not good for her well being, which will be explained further in upcoming songs.
6. The End
Inspiration: Joni Mitchell
Preceding Halsey coming out about her health, they quietly released the album’s first single, “The End”, wanting this as the introduction to their new era of music. This beautiful track primarily features Halsey and a guitar, as she reveals her diagnosis, and how it’s affected her life and herself as a person. She reflects on the hardships she dealt with growing up, and all of her feelings come crashing down on her. She wants someone to be there with her while she is going through these things, and be supportive of and to her, describing it on a Tumblr post of her’s as “please don’t watch me cry, but please don’t leave either”.
7. I Believe in Magic
Inspiration: Linda Ronstadt
Halsey’s son receives his first ever music credit on “I Believe in Magic”, a track dedicated to him. Another remarkable acoustic song, Halsey expresses the love they have for their child. Halsey has struggled for years with endometriosis, and once had to perform a concert right after having a miscarriage. In their album Manic, the track “More” is them expressing how much they want to be a mother, and how painful it is to lose a child. In late 2020, they became pregnant and wrote If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power right after, and came up with a movie concept as well. “I Believe in Magic” is a beautiful song that is filled with love.
8. Letter to God (1983)
Inspiration: Bruce Springsteen
Now with the background ambience of a crowd, the next and second Letter is written during Halsey’s career, now a famous star. Having dealt with multiple illnesses throughout her career, the central line has changed to “I don’t wanna be sick”, regretting and wanting to take back what she said in the past. The production perfectly captures 80s rock and roll, and the reverberated instruments sound as though Halsey is doing a sound check, even with the audience, which was recorded at one of her shows. There is also a soft, singular synth following the instrumentation of the track.
9. Hometown
Inspiration: Dolly Parton
A pitched-up guitar and prominent drums (performed by Alex G as per the first line of the track) combined together make a classic country song, which is perfected by Halsey’s chameleon vocals that have been switching genres for these past nine tracks. This isn’t their first entry into the country genre, having had two songs already on Manic, but this delves more into alternative and folk. In “Hometown”, Halsey sings about a person she knew when she was younger named Davey, who was addicted to drugs and passed away at a young age. He seemed to have dreams of pursuing sports, but is unable to.
10. I Never Loved You
Inspiration: Kate Bush
Strums of a guitar and muffled drums and distinctive piano playing is what makes up the transcendent track of The Great Impersonator “I Never Loved You”, the title in which Halsey belts out during the chorus. Production wise, listening to this track feels like you're traveling into space. A dark truth is that a lot of people, mostly men, slowly start to abandon their partners upon learning they are sick. Men often divorce their wives after this, not before cheating on them. Unfortunately, this situation seems to apply to what Halsey has gone through. Having cancer and raising a young child while also being betrayed by your partner is horrible to process and experience, and something no one should ever have to encounter.
11. Darwinism
Inspiration: David Bowie
“Darwinism” is a sci-fi-esque track, in which Halsey contemplates life and death. If “I Never Loved You” sounded like you’re in a rocket ship being shot into space, “Darwinism” sounds like you’re floating through it, passing by planets bigger than the human brain can comprehend, and flowing in and out of what feels like an infinitely silent darkness. The song grows more brooding with each section, a ballad interrupted by a guitar, which pair perfectly with one another. Distortion is a key element of this album, and as Halsey feels more and more isolated from everyone else, the song becomes stranger and peculiar, before ending with the original production.
12. Lonely is the Muse
Inspiration: Amy Lee
Akin to tracks from Halsey’s 4th album If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power, especially “People disappear here”, “Lonely is the Muse” is an alt rock track that does not contain a single flaw. Its like an immensely powerful, all-seeing god turned into a song. Shifting back and forth from acoustic guitar to electric, Halsey harmonizes her vocals either with whispering close to the microphone or metalcore screaming into it. They have been mistreated in their career over and over again, by their label, critics, and even their own fans. They sing about how they’ve done so much to make a mark in the world of the fame, and even doing so, they are still under appreciated and not taken seriously. Halsey lets out all her anger in the recording studio, through her vocals and the hard rock instrumentation.
13. Arsonist
Inspiration: Fiona Apple
“Arsonist” is a half-sung and half-spoken-word alternative trap song, influenced by beat poetry and reversed vocals. Seven years returns with the line “Did you know the father’s DNA stays inside the mother for seven years?”. Halsey compares the person who wronged her to an arsonist, a lover of destruction and despair, causing pain to others for their own benefit. Rightfully so, she is brutal to this person in her criticisms, and calls them out for all the damage they have caused and have no remorse for. She details actions of control and abuse, and she tells this person that they are not worthy of her or anyone’s love, as they are evil and deserve nothing but the worst.
14. Life of the Spider (Draft)
Inspiration: Tori Amos
This is a heartbreaking track, originally teased in concert visuals, and is now a stripped down ballad where Halsey pours their heart out. Their voice breaking when they sing “I’m hideous” is gut-wrenching. They compare themselves to a spider, which many people are scared of and try to throw out the second they see one. In her worst moments, struggling and in pain, she wasn’t treated with the respect she deserves. She was made to feel like this by her partner, but no one should ever feel like this. This is Halsey’s rawest song, and writing and singing and being able to release a song like this takes lots of strength and courage, which is so commendable and incredibly impactful.
15. Hurt Feelings
Inspiration: Halsey
Pitched vocals take the place of where synths would be in the upbeat production of “Hurt Feelings” that opposes the lyrics. Halsey explains that what happened in her childhood affects her today when it comes to relationships. How she was treated, specifically by her father, may have warped how she views certain interactions. She makes sure not to follow her dad in his footsteps, which is also due to not being that close to him or having a good relationship with him growing up. She tried to push past how he behaved in order to connect with him, but then she decided that was not worth her time or energy.
16. Lucky
Inspiration: Britney Spears
“Lucky” interpolates the chorus from Britney Spears’ iconic song of the same name released in 2000, and it represents what Halsey has been going through. Yes, she’s an international celebrity who’s sold many records and tours and has many adoring fans, but due to what she’s been dealing with in her life out of the limelight, it’s heavily and negatively affected her. Halsey readdresses her childhood and her illnesses. She also references the criticism she has received for having a child whilst having a past of drug use. The song’s production is reminiscent of pop surrounding the Y2K movement, and includes an upbeat guitar and funky synth chords.
17. Letter to God (1998)
Inspiration: Aaliyah
The last Letter of the album, there is no central line. Religion has been a theme of this album, with Halsey having multiple conversations with God, and this one is resentful. Even after having to deal with the hardships of being famous and having to experience the pain of their illnesses, they are still being put through even more pain. They feel alone and are afraid of dying, not wanting to leave their son. They feel so much love, having a son whom they love more than anything, but there’s a chance it could be taken from them. The production is unique, with the exact vibes of a 90s song, but with no drums to be heard.
18. The Great Impersonator
Inspiration: Björk
The final track of the album is the title track, Halsey’s first ever one. Another name for Lupus is The Great Imitator, one of the cancers she was diagnosed with, which most likely inspired the title of the album. The production is made up of string instruments, and also a guitar riff. The track is the last because it means The Great Impersonator has died, which is what Halsey thought was going to happen to them. With more metaphors, and despite the uplifting instrumentation, its a heartbreaking note to end on. Nonetheless, the song is so beautiful, making you feel as though you’re walking through a meadow or a quaint medieval town, and this also applies to the “Ah-ah!”s they sing between lines.
As a Halsey fan since 2016, I absolutely love this album. I have been a huge fan of her’s for so long, and I have witnessed the progression of her music style throughout the years, and in my opinion, this is her best work yet. Everything about this album is so beautifully crafted, from their outstanding vocals to the poetic writing to the production. Halsey is an amazing artist with a worth ethic like no other, so its no surprise that they made such an amazing record with so much content. “Lonely is the Muse” is my favorite song; ever since its come out I haven’t been able to stop listening to it. I’m so proud of Halsey and everything they have done in their music career, and I will be a fan forever.
Written By Ashley Adams
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