Strangers (Halsey song)

"Strangers"
Promotional single by Halsey featuring Lauren Jauregui
from the album Hopeless Fountain Kingdom
Released May 26, 2017 (2017-05-26)
Format Digital download
Genre Synth-pop[1]
Length 3:41
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) Greg Kurstin
Hopeless Fountain Kingdom track listing
"Bad at Love"
(10)		 "Strangers"
(11)		 "Devil in Me"
(12)

"Strangers" is a song recorded by American singer and songwriter Halsey featuring Lauren Jauregui from Fifth Harmony. It was released on May 26, 2017 by Astralwerks as the second promotional single from Halsey's second studio album, Hopeless Fountain Kingdom (2017).[2][3]

Background

The album's track listing was revealed on April 29, 2017 on Halsey's Instagram account, where it was first known that Halsey would collaborate with singer Lauren Jauregui on a song called "Strangers".[4] In April during several radio interviews that Halsey attended to promote the album, she further commented about the song:

I was thinking to myself, if I want this song to be believable, it needs to be real, so I'm not going to put a girl on the song to sing who's straight. I'm just not going to do it. So I reached out to Lauren and she came in and she cut the vocal and it sounds awesome. Our voices sound really cool together because we both have really raspy voices, mine's a little more delicate than hers. Hers is like really powerful and big and raspy, and mine is kind of like light and raspy. But it's really cool. I just love that Lauren and I are two women who have a mainstream pop presence doing a love song for the LGBT community, it's unheard of. It's very rare to see it from a female perspective.[5]

Composition

"Strangers" incorporates a '80's-inspired production,[6] with echoed synths and strong drumline[7][8] Analyzing its lyrical content Alexia Shouneya from Billboard wrote, "Strangers is about two women longing for one another,"[9] while Christina Lee of Idolator opined, "The lyrics actually tell a straightforward story about a dissolved relationship, and the loneliness that quickly follows."[10]

Critical reception

AllMusic's journalist Stephen Thomas Erlewine noted that "same-sex love songs remain a rarity in the pop music of the 2010s and while that's a sly reveal of how Halsey represents a generational shift."[11] In her review for Billboard, Alexia Shouneya noted "in the first verse alone, she uses the female pronoun four times, once in every line, making it impossible to miss, skim over or interpret as anything other than what it was meant to be: a strong, unapologetic acknowledgement of lesbian and bisexual women."[9] Anna Caga of Spin believed that "Strangers" is the "best Halsey's song" and described it as "slinky and addicting." Regarding Jauregui participation, she wrote that "the best moments of “Strangers” are Jaruegui’s ad-libs, the way she slurs the word “innocent” with the kind of spontaneous passion Halsey never allows herself."[12] In Pitchfork, Katherine St. Asaph said the song "shimmers and yearns like a recent Tegan and Sara cut... is Halsey’s stated attempt to get a love song between two women onto pop radio. Not coincidentally, it contains the album’s most nuanced lyrics, the coupling that’s most promising yet most out of reach."[13]

Live performances

Halsey and Jauregui performed "Strangers" on Today on June 9, 2017.[14] The following day, the two performed the song at iHeartSummer '17 Weekend in Miami Beach, Florida.[15]

Charts

Chart (2017) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[16] 93
France (SNEP)[17] 137
New Zealand Heatseekers (RMNZ)[18] 3
Philippines (Philippine Hot 100)[19] 90
Portugal (AFP)[20] 57
Scotland (Official Charts Company)[21] 45
Slovakia (Singles Digitál Top 100)[22] 89
US Billboard Hot 100[23] 100

References

  1. ↑ Villa, Lucas (May 30, 2017). "Listen: Halsey and Fifth Harmony's Lauren Jauregui take on a girlfriend gone cold on 'Strangers'". AXS. Retrieved June 5, 2017.
  2. ↑ "hopeless fountain kingdom (Deluxe) by Halsey". iTunes Store (US). Retrieved May 26, 2017.
  3. ↑ Gaca, Anna (May 25, 2017). "Halsey – 'Strangers' (ft. Lauren Jauregui)". Spin. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
  4. ↑ Wass, Mike (April 28, 2017). "Halsey's 'hopeless fountain kingdom' Tracklist Reveals Surprise Features". Idolator. Retrieved June 5, 2017.
  5. ↑ Wass, Mike (May 17, 2017). "Halsey & Lauren Jauregui's Duet Is 'A Love Song For The LGBT Community'". Idolator. Retrieved June 5, 2017.
  6. ↑ "Halsey – "Strangers" (ft. Lauren Jauregui)". Spin. May 25, 2017. Retrieved June 19, 2017.
  7. ↑ "Halsey & Lauren Jauregui Sing About Ex-girlfriends On Sexy 'Strangers' Song: Listen". Fuse. May 26, 2017. Retrieved June 19, 2017.
  8. ↑ Weiss, Dan (June 7, 2017). "Halsey – Hopeless Fountain Kingdom". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved June 9, 2017.
  9. 1 2 "Halsey & Lauren Jauregui's 'Strangers' Is a Long-Overdue Bisexual Milestone In Mainstream Music". Billboard. June 6, 2017. Retrieved June 19, 2017.
  10. ↑ Lee, Christina (May 26, 2017). "Halsey & Lauren Jauregui’s Epic "Strangers" Arrives: Listen". Idolator. Retrieved June 19, 2017.
  11. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Hopeless Fountain Kingdom – Halsey". AllMusic. Retrieved June 9, 2017.
  12. ↑ ""Strangers" Is Halsey’s Best Song". Spin. May 26, 2017. Retrieved June 19, 2017.
  13. ↑ St. Asaph, Katherine (June 7, 2017). "Halsey: hopeless fountain kingdom". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 9, 2017.
  14. ↑ Bell, Sadie (June 9, 2017). "Lauren Jauregui Joins Halsey for 'Today Show' Performance". Billboard. Retrieved June 10, 2017.
  15. ↑ "Halsey Brings Out Lauren Jauregui For 'Strangers' During iHeartSummer '17". 103.5 KTU. June 10, 2017. Retrieved July 7, 2017.
  16. ↑ "ARIA Chart Watch #423". auspOp. June 3, 2017. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  17. ↑ "Le Top de la semaine : Top Singles Téléchargés – SNEP (Week 22, 2017)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  18. ↑ "NZ Heatseekers Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. June 5, 2017. Retrieved June 2, 2017.
  19. ↑ "BillboardPH Hot 100 - June 19". Billboard Philippines. June 19, 2017. Retrieved June 19, 2017.
  20. ↑ "Portuguesecharts.com – Halsey feat. Lauren Jauregui – Strangers". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved June 9, 2017.
  21. ↑ "Archive Chart: 2017-06-02". Scottish Singles Top 40. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  22. ↑ "SNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201723 into search. Retrieved June 13, 2017.
  23. ↑ "Halsey – Chart history" Billboard Hot 100 for Halsey. Retrieved June 6, 2017.
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