"Halfway Right" is the eighth track off Linkin Park's seventh studio album One More Light.
Background[]
The existence of "Halfway Right" became known to the public after Joe posted a video on Instagram that featured a clip of Brad playing an acoustic guitar. The band's song board could be seen in the background.[1]
Style[]
In his final Australian interview, Chester described "Halfway Right" to be a lyrically dark song.[2]
Writing[]
Lyrics[]
Mike talked about how One More Light was different compared to Linkin Park's other albums in the sense that it was way more personal and specific to the members' lives. He referred to the lyric "Used to get high with the dead end kids / Abandoned houses where the shadows lived" as an example of a song using its lyrics to describe a specific place and time.[3]
The song's lyrics describe Chester's struggles with drug addiction. The lyric "I'd never been higher than I was that night / I woke up driving my car" is more than likely a reference to a moment in Chester's life when he blacked out while driving high and woke up going down a dirt road in the middle of a farm. He uses the lyric "I scream at myself when there's nobody else to fight" and the rest of the chorus to describe the "insanity" of his situation, calling the song his very own reality check.[2]
Music[]
"Halfway Right" was a difficult song to write for One More Light. The song had gone through multiple challenges and transformations during the writing process. Despite these issues, the band collectively agreed that the song had potential and that it was worth putting the extra work into. Ross Golan, who also provided backing vocals for the song, helped create the song's final rendition, which had changed to a different key.[4]
Linkin Park[]
- Chester Bennington – lead vocals, writer
- Mike Shinoda – producer, writer
- Brad Delson – guitar, backing vocals, producer, writer
- Dave Farrell – bass guitar, backing vocals
- Joe Hahn – programmer, backing vocals
- Rob Bourdon – drums, backing vocals
Lyrics[]
I scream at myself when there's nobody else to fight
I don't lose, I don't win, if I'm wrong then I'm halfway right
Used to get high with the dead end kids
Abandoned houses where the shadows lived
I'd never been higher than I was that night
I woke up driving my car
I couldn't see then what I see right now
The road dissolving like an empty vow
Couldn't remember where I'd been that night
I knew I took it too far
All you said to do was slow down
I remember, now I remember
All you said to do was slow down
But I was already gone
I scream at myself when there's nobody else to fight
I don't lose, I don't win, if I'm wrong then I'm halfway right
I know what I want but it feels like I'm paralyzed
I don't lose, I don't win, if I'm wrong then I'm halfway right, halfway right
Told me "Kid, you're going way too fast
You burn too bright, you know you'll never last"
It was bullshit then, I guess it makes sense now
I woke up driving my car
Said I'd lose you if I lost control
I just laughed because what do they know?
Here I am standing all alone
Because I took it too far
All you said to do was slow down
I remember, now I remember
All you said to do was slow down
But I was already gone
I scream at myself when there's nobody else to fight
I don't lose, I don't win, if I'm wrong then I'm halfway right
I know what I want but it feels like I'm paralyzed
I don't lose, I don't win, if I'm wrong then I'm halfway right, halfway right
Na na na na na na na na
Nana nana, na nana nana
Na na na na na na na na
But I was already gone
I scream at myself when there's nobody else to fight
I don't lose, I don't win, if I'm wrong then I'm halfway right
Na na na na na na na na
Nana nana, na nana nana
Na na na na na na na na
But I was already gone
I scream at myself when there's nobody else to fight
I don't lose, I don't win, if I'm wrong then I'm halfway right
References[]
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkdALK1fEiI
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/music/in-his-last-australian-interview-linkin-parks-chester-bennington-spoke-of-his-dark-thoughts/news-story/9d3bceec9a1018deef9eaa66a42326ff
- ↑ https://www.lpassociation.com/forum/threads/lpassociation-interview-mike-shinoda-discusses-new-linkin-park-album-one-more-light.42860/
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/nmemagazine/videos/10155973936744167/