"Halfway Right" is the eighth track on One More Light. The song was written in collaboration with Ross Golan.
Background
The title "Halfway Right" was first seen in a picture posted on Joe Hahn's Instagram story on September 6, 2016 of Brad playing acoustic guitar with the band's song board behind him.[1] The band went through some challenges while working on the song. It went through structural issues and when they started recording the vocals, they didn't quite work the way the band thought they would and the song didn't feel natural. Nevertheless, they thought it had a lot of potential and it was worth putting a extra work into. They ended up changing the key and asking Ross Golan to come back in to help creating its definitive version.[2]
In an interview with LPAssociation, Mike Shinoda said, "In a way, this album is personal because it's more specific. Maybe because each song started with concept and lyrics. Often on One More Light, the words paint a picture which puts you in a time and place. For example, on Halfway Right, Chester sings, "I used to get high with the dead end kids / in abandoned houses where the shadows live." That's a very specific image, and probably one that wouldn't appear on any of our other albums."[3]
In his last Australian interview, Chester Bennington told the story behind the song, “I was strung out on some really f---ing heavy drugs and I was really young and I was driving my car and I blacked out. I woke up driving in a field, down a dirt road, in the middle of a farm. I didn’t know how I got there. It was crazy. I was remembering this constant f---ing battle I have with myself, this constant cycle I couldn’t see at that time where these choices and these behaviours and where this journey would take me in my life. But when I was a guy in my 20s getting out of it, I didn’t realise I’d have these problems for my whole life. I didn’t think I’d be in one of the biggest bands in the world with a beautiful family at 41 going ‘F---, I could have easily have blacked out driving my car again two months ago’. It’s a dark song, it’s a reality check for me. The chorus is the insanity of my situation — ‘I scream at myself when there’s nobody else to fight”. It’s f---ing crazy.”[4]
Versions
Note: Only the date of the very first release of each version is listed.
| Title | Album | Length | Recorded | Released | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Halfway Right | One More Light | 3:37 | 2016 | May 19, 2017 | |
| Halfway Right | One More Light Instrumentals | 3:35 | 2016 |
|
Live
Personnel
Linkin Park
- Chester Bennington - Vocals
- Rob Bourdon - Drums, Background Vocals
- Brad Delson - Guitar, Background Vocals
- Joseph Hahn - Programming, Background Vocals
- Phoenix - Bass, Background Vocals
- Mike Shinoda - Keyboards, Programming, Vocals
Additional Musicians
- Background vocals by Ross Golan
Production
- Written by Mike Shinoda, Brad Delson, Chester Bennington and Ross Golan
- Produced by Mike Shinoda and Brad Delson
- Additional production by Michael Keenan and Alexander Spit
- Vocal production by Andrew Bolooki
- Music performed by Linkin Park
- Vocals by Chester Bennington and Mike Shinoda
- Chester's vocals recorded at The Pool Recording Studio, London, UK
- Mike's vocals recorded at The Warehouse Studio, Vancouver, CA
- Music recorded at Larrabee Studios, North Hollywood, CA and Sphere Studios, North Hollywood, CA
- Engineered by Ethan Mates, Mike Shinoda and Josh Newell
- Assistant engineer: Alejandro Baima
- Studio B assistant engineer: Warren Willis
- Studio drum tech: Jerry Johnson
- Mixed by Manny Marooquin at Larrabee Studios, North Hollywood, CA
- Mix engineer: Chris Galland assisted by Jeff Jackson and Robin Florent
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
I used to get high with the dead-end kids
In abandoned houses where the shadows live
I’ve 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
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
Na na na na, na na na na na
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
Na na na na, na na na na na
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
Gallery
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YouTube background image
External Links
Stream
- Halfway Right (Official Audio): LPTV
References
- ↑ LP7 New Album Updates - Page 7 - Everything Linkin Park - Linkin Park Live - Page 7, September 07, 2016
- ↑ NME - 🚨Attention Linkin Park fans🚨 – Mike and Chester are..., March 31, 2017
- ↑ LPAssociation Interview - Mike Shinoda Discusses New Linkin Park Album 'One More Light' | LP Association Forums, February 21, 2017
- ↑ Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington’s final interview, July 21, 2017