Bad at Love

"Bad at Love"
Single by Halsey
from the album Hopeless Fountain Kingdom
ReleasedAugust 22, 2017 (2017-08-22)
Recorded2016
GenrePop
Length3:01
LabelAstralwerks
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Halsey singles chronology
"Now or Never"
(2017) 		"Bad at Love"
(2017) 		"Him & I"
(2017)
Music video
"Bad at Love" on YouTube

"Bad at Love" is a song by American singer Halsey from her second studio album, Hopeless Fountain Kingdom (2017). It was released on June 2, 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 6× Platinum in the US, and 3× Platinum in Canada.

"Bad at Love" earned Halsey two award nominations: one at the Teen Choice Awards, and one at the iHeartRadio Much Music Video Awards. Between 2017 and 2018, she performed the song live on Ellen, Saturday Night Live, Good Morning America. On the original setlist of her Hopeless Fountain Kingdom World Tour, it was listed at number 11, and on the changed setlist, it was an encore.

Background and composition

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"Bad at Love"
A 17-second sample from the chorus of "Bad at Love" by Halsey.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

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

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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

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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 solo 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]

Live performances

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In 2017, Halsey performed "Bad at Love" at the iHeartRadio summer festival,[22] the iHeartRadio Music Festival,[23] and the Ellen show.[24] In 2018, she performed the song on Saturday Night Live,[25] Good Morning America,[26] and at the 2018 iHeartRadio MMVAs.[27]

Track listing

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  • Digital EP – "Bad at Love (Remixes)"[28]
  1. "Bad at Love" (Dillon Francis Remix) – 3:20
  2. "Bad at Love" (Hook N Sling Remix) – 2:51
  3. "Bad at Love" (Klangkarussell Remix) – 3:50
  4. "Bad at Love" (Autograf Remix) – 3:21
  5. "Bad at Love" (Generik Remix) – 2:46

Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[56] Platinum 70,000‡
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[57] 2× Platinum 120,000‡
Canada (Music Canada)[58] 3× Platinum 240,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[59] Silver 200,000‡
United States (RIAA)[60] 6× Platinum 6,000,000‡
Streaming
Sweden (GLF)[61] Gold 4,000,000†

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
† Streaming-only figures based on certification alone.

Release history

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Region Date Format Label Ref.
Various June 2, 2017
United States August 22, 2017 Contemporary hit radio [1]
October 9, 2017 Hot adult contemporary radio [62]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Top 40/M Future Releases". AllAccess. Archived from the original on August 7, 2017. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  2. ^ "Bad At Love | Track Review". Plugged In. Retrieved 2019-06-23.
  3. ^ "Halsey Explains How Leonardo DiCaprio Inspired Her Single 'Bad at Love'". Billboard. Retrieved 2017-09-21.
  4. ^ Murray, Gordon (12 August 2017). "Halsey Hoists 'Bad at Love' to No. 1 on Dance Club Songs Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
  5. ^ Zhao, Zilun (21 January 2019). "Song review: Bad At Love by Halsey". Medium. Archived from the original on 25 January 2020. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
  6. ^ Unterberger, Andrew (14 January 2018). "Watch Halsey Perform "Bad at Love" & "Him & I" on SNL". SPIN. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
  7. ^ "Halsey "Bad at Love" Sheet Music". Musicnotes. 27 June 2017.
  8. ^ Daly, Rhian (June 2, 2017). "Halsey – 'Hopeless Fountain Kingdom' Review". NME. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
  9. ^ Jack (June 3, 2017). "Halsey - hopeless fountain kingdom (album review 2)". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
  10. ^ Hornett, Sorcha (June 17, 2017). "Album Review: Halsey – hopeless fountain kingdom". Redbrick. Archived from the original on August 31, 2017. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
  11. ^ Bulayo, Ashley (June 10, 2017). "Album Review: Halsey – 'Hopeless Fountain Kingdom'". The Young Folks. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
  12. ^ Krieger, Deborah (June 7, 2017). "Halsey: Hopeless Fountain Kingdom". Pop Matters. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
  13. ^ Imgur. "Imgur". Imgur. Retrieved 2019-01-29.
  14. ^ ""Bad at Love" by Halsey". 14 February 2018.
  15. ^ Sundstrom, Mark (August 31, 2017). "Halsey's a Wanted Woman in New 'Bad At Love' Video". Fuse. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
  16. ^ Wass, Mike (August 30, 2017). "Halsey's Dystopian Saga Continues In Her 'Bad At Love' Video". Idolator. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
  17. ^ Iasimone, Ashley (August 30, 2017). "Halsey Is On the Run in New 'Bad at Love' Video". Billboard. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
  18. ^ "Nielsen SoundScan charts – Digital Songs – Week Ending: 09/28/2017" (PDF). Nielsen SoundScan. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 2, 2017. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
  19. ^ The 5 Best Halsey "Bad at Love" Remixes from Billboard (October 6, 2017)
  20. ^ "Halsey Hoists 'Bad at Love' to No. 1 on Dance Club Songs Chart" from Billboard (December 7, 2017)
  21. ^ "Halsey's 'Bad at Love' Leads Dance/Mix Show Airplay Chart" from Billboard (December 28, 2017)
  22. ^ "Halsey - Bad at Love (Live at iHeartRadio Summer 2017) -". abc.action.news. Retrieved 2019-01-15.
  23. ^ "iHeartVillage: Halsey Spills On Infusing Her Bisexuality Into 'Bad At Love' | Daytime Stage at the iHeartRadio Music Festival | 98.1 The Breeze". Daytime Stage at the iHeartRadio Music Festival. Retrieved 2019-01-15.
  24. ^ "Halsey Performs "Bad At Love" On "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" (Watch Now)". Headline Planet. 2017-11-09. Retrieved 2019-01-15.
  25. ^ "Watch Halsey Perform 'Bad at Love' & 'Him & I' on 'SNL'". Billboard. Retrieved 2019-01-15.
  26. ^ Chochrek, Ella (2018-06-02). "Halsey Goes for White-Hot Look in Crop Top and Dr. Martens on 'Good Morning America'". Footwear News. Retrieved 2019-01-15.
  27. ^ "Halsey Lights Up The Stage With Performance Of 'Sorry' And 'Bad At Love'". MMVAs. Retrieved 2019-01-15.
  28. ^ Bad at Love (Remixes) - EP by Halsey on Apple Music, 2017-10-06, retrieved 2024-07-04
  29. ^ "ARIA Australian Top 50 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. October 16, 2017. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
  30. ^ "ARIA Dance Singles Chart – Week Commencing 16 October 2017" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-10-17. Retrieved 14 April 2017.
  31. ^ "Halsey Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved January 30, 2018.
  32. ^ "Top 100 Colombia" (in Spanish). National-Report. Archived from the original on April 2, 2018. Retrieved July 22, 2019.
  33. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 44. týden 2017 in the date selector. Retrieved November 7, 2017.
  34. ^ "Halsey - Bad At Love". Dutch Charts (in Dutch). Retrieved May 9, 2022.
  35. ^ "NZ Heatseekers Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. June 12, 2017. Retrieved August 8, 2017.
  36. ^ "Halsey – Bad at Love". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved November 10, 2017.
  37. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 47. týden 2017 in the date selector. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
  38. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 44. týden 2017 in the date selector. Retrieved November 7, 2017.
  39. ^ "Halsey Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
  40. ^ "Halsey Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved January 30, 2018.
  41. ^ "Halsey Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved February 27, 2018.
  42. ^ "Halsey Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved December 2, 2017.
  43. ^ "Halsey Chart History (Dance Mix/Show Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved December 28, 2017.
  44. ^ "Halsey Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
  45. ^ "Halsey Chart History (Radio Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
  46. ^ "Halsey Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved January 9, 2018.
  47. ^ "Anglo" (in Spanish). Record Report. 24 March 2018. Archived from the original on 30 March 2018.
  48. ^ "Canadian Hot 100 – Year-End 2018". Billboard. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
  49. ^ "Hot 100 Songs – Year-End 2018". Billboard. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
  50. ^ "Adult Pop Songs – Year-End 2018". Billboard. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
  51. ^ "Dance Club Songs – Year-End 2018". Billboard. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
  52. ^ "Dance/Mix Show Songs – Year-End 2018". Billboard. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
  53. ^ "Pop Songs – Year-End 2018". Billboard. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
  54. ^ "Radio Songs – Year-End 2018". Billboard. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
  55. ^ "Resumen Anual 2018". recordreport.com.ve. Retrieved December 28, 2018.
  56. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2018 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved November 15, 2021.
  57. ^ "Brazilian single certifications – Halsey – Bad at Love" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
  58. ^ "Canadian single certifications – Halsey – Bad at Love". Music Canada. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
  59. ^ "British single certifications – Halsey – Bad at Love". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
  60. ^ "American single certifications – Halsey – Bad at Love". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
  61. ^ "Halsey – Bad at Love" (in Swedish). Grammofonleverantörernas förening. Archived from the original on April 14, 2024. Retrieved April 14, 2024.
  62. ^ "Hot/Modern/AC Future Releases". All Access Music Group. Archived from the original on 6 October 2017. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
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