Alanis’ Interlude

Halsey recently released her third album, Manic, where she highlights various artist collabs to represent different relationships in her life that impacted her. In Alanis’ Interlude, Halsey invited Alanis to sing with her, an artist that Halsey noted as having an “irrevocable impact” on her life. [1]

When you listen to the track, it may take a few replays to catch onto the storyline. It refers to innocence, sex, and power. Ultimately you discover the lyrics reference a relationship in Halsey’s teen years. In an interview with Billboard[2] , Halsey mentions that she discovered she was bisexual while working at a sleepaway camp, hooking up with “a redhead” every night of the summer.

The lyrics “'Cause he and she is her. And her and he are love. And I have never felt the difference.” I interpret as Halsey’s reference to her discovering her sexuality and accepting herself for loving a man or a woman just the same. Through this realization, the song then morphs from a short pop hit to a sort of coming-of-age story, expressing the experience of adolescence and self discovery.

Halsey wraps up the song with the lyric, “A child in all these labels.” Undoubtedly, this short and blunt ending to an emotional and sexual song is meant to jab at the idea of the labels of “straight,” “gay,” “bisexual,” etc. Being so young and impressionable at the time of her sexual awakening, Halsey uses this final lyric to, what I can only assume, say that labels are what makes it so difficult for adolescents (and adults) to feel safe and loved in their own self discovery; unable to explore parts of themselves that they may be curious of out of fear of the label it would give them.

1- https://halsey.fandom.com/wiki/Alanis%27_Interlude 2- https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/cover-story/7940978/halsey-charli-xcx-interview-billboard-cover-story-2017

It seems appropriate that the song “Alanis’ Interlude” from Halsey’s new album Manic, stirs memories of a certain hit song from Alanis herself nearly 25 years ago. No, “You Oughta Know” tackles different situations from “Alanis’ Interlude”, but the female empowerment element is definitely there. “Alanis’ Interlude” is full of innuendo and language that you should know are not safe for work. Halsey, and Alanis, as she is credited top songwriting credit for this song, delve into a world of high school same-gender attraction and gender-bending roles.

But to me, the underlying point is that she doesn’t want any labels attached to it. She sings “Cause he is, she is her/And her and he are love/ Towering all these labels.”

For me personally the chorus comes off a bit cringey. I know I will be in the minority of this, but the straightforward crudeness and explicitness of some of the lyrics left me feeling a bit blah about the song. Being vulgar doesn’t equate to being empowered and bold.

Upon first listening to Halsey and Alanis Morissette’s new song, Alanis’ interlude, I was immediately struck by how generationally appropriate it is. Moving into the future, there is a tangible trend towards the fluidity of attraction and pushing for true freedom of sexual expression. There is an urgent desire in modern generations to eliminate the historical habit of boxing people into categories that suppress their desires and cause them to hide in the bathroom stalls.

Here, in this song, are two women passionately begging not to be boxed in by these defined gender norms. That is why the teaming of these two artists for this song is so engagingly symbiotic. Alanis Morissette has built a career on songs which actively complained about the shortcomings of traditional relationships and sexual encounters during a generation still entrenched in traditional gender and sexual labeling. Meanwhile, Halsey is growing her career representing a younger generation who take pride in their ability to liquify gender norms and relationship definitions while hovering on the cusp of actual, true sexual freedom.

A common binding principle, this desire to live and love freely, has drawn these two women together to fight side by side for change of the sexual status quo. Let this new generation guide us into a more accurate definition of what it means to be free in our desire to be loved. These are urging society to behave progressively for the very reason laid out in the final lines of the song, sung hauntingly by Alanis, “‘cause he and she is her, and her and he are love, and I have never felt the difference...tired of all these labels.”

Halsey’s “Alanis’ Interlude” is a rhythmic little piece about not getting what you want romantically. The lyrics “All these beautiful laughs and beautiful thighs they always keep me up at night But I can’t change my appetite,” sets us up to learn about the artist’s desire to be with a woman. This is a desire that can only be realized in private and not publicly as the song goes on to state “he and she is her and her and he are loved And I have never felt the difference”. This leads us to ask why would the artist need to change her appetite? Well it’s because even today it’s more commonplace for a woman to be with a man. Therefore “her and he are loved”, indicating that if the relationship were her and she it would not be acceptable.

Then we have the artist comparing herself to the kind of man that the woman that she wants is currently with. This is unveiled in the lyrics “your pussy is a wonderland and I could be a better man..”. The artist is a woman, but if she were a man, or if she adopted the role in the romantic relationship that the man currently has, she would be better than him. The artist is a secret lover of the girl that she wants to be with openly. This is evidenced in the lines “and my girl, she always wore a skirt in the classroom Eating my dessert in the bathroom Can’t get caught so we stiller than a statue Bad news, think I’ll probably die before I have you”.

The artist laments the labels of he and her being the go-to for couple descriptors. The labels are imposing and confusing to her, thus “a child in all these labels.” Children are known for their innocence and unconditional love. Our artist compares her own feelings for her secret lover to those feelings that children often personify. Our artist hints at the depth of her secrecy in the line “bit my nails down so they wouldn’t scratch”. If she were to leave marks of any kind on the body of her lover during intercourse, then the man would discover their relationship. This is a personal tale about growing up on the outside and loving someone while not being able to show it.

Art imitates life. It seeks to make sense of the world while challenging new and old conventions. In a post “Me Too” society, young women like Halsey work at defining this moment in their art. Halsey has masterfully challenged gender roles and an outdated patriarchal view of relationships in her new song, Alanis' Interlude. Halsey is shifting the focus of the differences between men and women, promoting the idea that we are indeed one.

Noticeably the track begins with an autotuned call to not chain your innocence.T-Pain? Is that you? This sentiment reminds the listener to follow one's true nature and not conform to societal pressure. The first verse examines what's required of a man and women physically. Does the man wear the suit? Is it ok for a woman to bite her nails? Halsey's response is simple, “who believes in needs like these”. In the second verse Halsey creates the image of a school girl eating in the bathroom out of shame. This adds another level of complexity to her social statement by putting body shaming in her crosshairs.

The song shifts between a chorus and a post chorus, highlighting two main points. The chorus works as commentary on the men who must change in the face of this social revolution. Halsey sings as if she is the desperate man, pleading for sex and promising change. The post chorus omits the need for labels, stating that men and women are equals. Further claiming the unity between the two as just love.

Halsey’s artistic expression in the post me too world will inform a new generation of boys, girls and every other gender identification out there. With heavy emboldening drums, the track feels reminiscent of the energetic and determined flow embodied in the movement.

Featuring Alanis Morissette, the song “Alanis’ Interlude” by Halsey unabashedly speaks to supporting men and women with sexual orientations outside the norm. Honest and vaguely explicit lyrics from Halsey and Alanis describe the way they feel about sexuality, celebrating the eschewing of traditional labels in favor of embracing love.

The song itself keeps itself short and sweet, never overstaying its welcome, nor leaving you begging for very much more. A simple verse/chorus structure helps to keep the listener invested, as both Halsey and Alanis describe sexual experiences they’ve had outside the norm. The chorus again reinforces this, decaring “'Cause he and she is her / And her and he are love / And I have never felt the difference”, suggesting that the feeling of love that they share becomes more important than the traditional values of that person’s gender identity. In a world where the lines between gender are becoming ever more transparent, this song seeks to capture that movement and present it in a fun, pop-fueled package that delivers in under 3 minutes.

The music itself is driven by a well-worn drum beat, carefully placed around a subtle organ track laying the foundation. One can also hear dulcet guitar tones carrying the organ, with the occasional plucked synthesizer indicating transitions in the song. Most of the instrumentation, however, is mixed way down to make room for the voices of these two powerful women. The two join in on the chorus, giving it a meaningful, evocative vibe. It becomes clear that these women truly believe in the message conveyed with their song, and hearing the pair in tandem makes for a wonderful listening experience.

Singers Halsey and Alanis Morissette have teamed up to deliver a heartfelt ode to the hardships of love with Alanis’ Interlude. The song is a cry out to a world where it remains a struggle to be a member of the LGBT+ community. The lyrics portray the feelings of a girl who loves both men and women alike, and struggles to keep her relationship with a female lover hidden from the world. Halsey sings that although thoughts of “beautiful loves and beautiful thighs” keep her up at night, she lives “...for loving in the light”. This inner turmoil of craving love but dreading having to keep your lover a secret is a sad reality faced by many people in same-sex relationships.

When I hear the lyrics of Alanis’ Interlude I can feel the conflict of emotions in Halsey and Alanis’ voices- a portrayal of a deep and aching pain that sits at the core of the LGBT+ community. While the song has echoes of sadness and longing, it also has a melody of hope. The world is changing, and every year more people are “tired of all these labels”. It shouldn’t matter who you love. Whether you love men, women, both, or neither- you shouldn’t have to keep your feelings a secret and hide them from the world.

When artists release songs like Alanis’ Interlude or come out as a fellow member of the LGBT+ community, it gives me great hope. I feel that the world really is changing for the better and that someday songs like this will just be a reminder. They will be something that we can look back on and appreciate how far we have come, when we finally live in a time where people are free to follow their hearts without fear.