Habits (Stay High)

. "Habits (Stay High)" was written by Tove Lo alongside Ludvig Söderberg and Jakob Jerlström, while produced by Söderberg and Jerlström under the production name the Struts. and co-wrote songs for Icona Pop and Girls Aloud. She later released her debut single, "Love Ballad", in October 2012, which drew the attention from some music blogs. This encouraged her to start a career as an independent singer so she could record her most personal songs. Initially, the verses of the song were part of a poem written by Lo when she was going through a difficult time in a relationship. Later, Lo's boyfriend became part of a Buddhist movement but she refused to join, which led the relationship to an end. After that, she started using drugs and drinking in order to forget him. When the apartment lost electricity and heat, Lo went on to stay at her friend's studio in Midtown, New York City, where she wrote the chorus. The process of writing and finishing the song had taken around three years in total, Lo revealed in 2024 for Queen of the Clouds' tenth anniversary, as it went through five different versions of the chorus. On 11 December 2012, she announced through her Facebook account that she did not get to finish some of the projects she was working on in New York and that she was collaborating in the studio with the Struts in Sweden. The singer decided to use the vocals she recorded for the demo on the song because her vocal performance "was really coming from the heart". In an interview with Coup de Main magazine, Lo said that: "[While writing the song, I was thinking about] my way of getting through a hard time in 'the best' possible way. It's a big relief to just think 'fuck it all' for a while. We all have to be so perfect, and absolutely no one can live up to it." She later confessed to The Huffington Post that she recovered from the break-up after writing the song. On 15 March 2013, the singer released the track, under the title "Habits". The song drew the attention of music blogs, which gained Lo an online following. Welsh singer Marina and the Diamonds and New Zealand artist Lorde praised the song through their Twitter accounts. It was made available for digital consumption in the United States on 14 January 2014. On 17 June 2014, it was sent to US contemporary hit radio. About the song's re-release, the singer explained in an interview with The Untitled Magazine that, after the attention the track gained from music blogs, she signed a record deal with Universal Music. Then, the label representatives decided to re-release it with proper promotion as they believe it still had commercial potential. == Composition ==

"Habits (Stay High)" is a pop and electropop song. In an interview with AP Entertainment, the singer stated that the song's lyrics describe her behaviour during the time she wrote it, when she was devastated and trying to overcome a former relationship. She also remarked that the main theme of "Habits (Stay High)" is the suffering she experienced despite her attempts to numb the pain. Echoing this thought, Lo further confessed that: "I can't lie. What I'm singing about is my life. It's the truth. I've had moments where [drug-taking] has been a bigger part than it should be. It's hard to admit to, and I could filter it or find another metaphor for it – but it doesn't feel right to me." Following the narrative of the EP, Lo indicated that the track talks about the part when the relationship is over and she is trying to get on with her life in "not the healthiest way". The recording was also included in "The Pain" section of Lo's debut studio album, Queen of the Clouds, a concept album that describes the pattern of the singer's relationships. The song is composed in the key of D minor and set in common time signature, with it having a dance pop tempo of 110 beats per minute. Lo's vocals span from the low note of B3 to the high note of C5.The song has a minimal and upbeat electronic instrumentation which consists of drums, bass, backup vocals and Lo's voice. The song starts with the words "oh oh", which repeat after every sentence of the verses. The song contains a total of 18 4-note millennial whoops, a vocal melody repeating on the fifth and third notes in a major scale. Some critics noted a contrast between the track's lyrics and production. Carrie Battan of Pitchfork stated that the song "contrasts a giant hook and chorus with snappy verses filled with quietly distinct, often strange imagery: of [Lo] eating her dinner in the bathtub, getting drunken munchies, seducing dads on playgrounds". Chris Jordan of Asbury Park Press described "Habits (Stay High)" as a "synth-based pop song with a sweeping chorus", but noted that the lyrical content of the track was similar to that of Rock 'n' Roll music. The song's lyrics delve into Lo's hedonistic attempts to forget her former boyfriend. According to Markos Papadatos of Digital Journal, the narrator describes her attempts to overcome a failed relationship through binge eating and alcohol, as indicated in the lyrics about having the munchies, eating Twinkies, and throwing up during the first verse. In the chorus, she sings about drug abuse: "You're gone and I gotta stay high / All the time, to keep you off my mind". The singer confessed to iHeartRadio that the song's bridge is her favorite part of the track because "that just says everything [that the] song is about for me". However, Billboard Jeremy D. Larson considered the song's message untrue because "staying high does not keep anyone off your mind". == Critical reception ==

"Habits (Stay High)" was well received by most critics. Harley Brown of Billboard wrote that the track is "one of the most easily identifiable pop songs [she has] heard in recent memory: everyone's gotten high, maybe eaten too many Twinkies, and regretted life decisions, but not everyone makes a really superb song about it". Pitchfork's Carrie Battam stated that the track's hook and production make the lyrics "sound gracefully sad instead of tragic". In her review of Queen of the Clouds, Battam called it "a big, sticky song, but not so big that it stuns your senses or numbs you into enjoyment". while Sam Lansky of Idolator stated that it "has a little of the texture of Kesha's no-fucks-given party-girl pop but with the languorous sadness of Robyn" and that "It'll get stuck in your head, which is right where it deserves to be." Nick Murray of Rolling Stone labeled it as Truth Serums best track, and compared it with the music of American rapper Kendrick Lamar. Bradley Stern of MuuMuse called it "the younger, more Swedish-sounding sister" to Sia's "Chandelier" (2014), while Markos Papadatos of Digital Journal considered it an "anthem of female empowerment". Michael Cragg of The Guardian called it the stand out track from Truth Serum and deemed it as "brilliantly frank". --> == Recognition and accolades ==

The staff of The Line of Best Fit ranked "Habits (Stay High)" at number 6 on their list of the 50 Best Tracks of 2013 and wrote that it was "easily one of the most vital pop songs of the year". Rolling Stone ranked the recording at number 23 on their list of the 50 Best songs of 2014 and compared the song's production to that of Lorde's music and the lyrics to those of Kesha's songs. Chris Jordan of Asbury Park Press deemed it as one of the best singles of that year and stated that "it was refreshing to hear the debauchery depicted" in the song. Echoing this thought, Chris DeVille of Stereogum ranked the track at number 26 on his list of Top 50 Pop Songs of 2014 and confessed that: "For a song that derives much of its appeal from being out-of-control and over-the-top, 'Habits' is a work of extreme poise and precision from a pop songwriter with a blindingly bright future." Entertainment Weeklys Miles Raymer selected the line "I eat my dinner in my bathtub / Then I go to sex clubs / Watching freaky people gettin' it on" on his list of the best lyrics of 2014 and wrote that it was "one of the most interesting images to come out of a pop singer's mouth this year". "Habits (Stay High)" received the accolade for Song of the Year at the Swedish Grammis Awards of 2015. At the ASCAP Pop Music Awards, it was recognized by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) as one of the most performed songs of 2014. The single was further awarded with a Pop Award at the 2015 BMI London Awards. At the 2015 iHeartRadio Music Awards, "Habits (Stay High)" received a nomination for the Best Lyrics award, but lost to "Blank Space" (2014) by Taylor Swift. It was also nominated for Top Streaming Song (Audio) at the 2015 Billboard Music Awards. == Commercial performance ==

In the United States, "Habits (Stay High)" became a sleeper hit. It made its first appearances on the Billboard charts when it debuted at number 34 on the Rock Airplay and at number 36 on the Alternative Songs. It eventually debuted at number 66 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the issue dated 14 June 2014. On 15 October 2014, the song became part of an all-female top five on the Hot 100 when it ascended from number six to number four on the chart. In its twenty-second week on the chart, the track peaked at number three, and held that position the following week. In doing so, it became the highest-charting song by a Swedish act on the Billboard Hot 100 since "The Sign" by Ace of Base peaked at number one in 1994. "Habits (Stay High)" topped the Radio Songs chart on the issue dated 22 November 2014, becoming the sixth song by a debut artist to reach the top of the chart in 2014. On the Pop Songs chart, it debuted at number 40. "Habits (Stay High)" topped the chart on the issue dated 15 November 2014, becoming the seventh song by a debut artist to reach the number one spot in 2014. It remained on the top of it the following week. On the Rock Songs chart, "Habits (Stay High)" debuted at number nine on the issue dated 14 June 2014. In its twelfth week, it climbed to number one, becoming the third song by a woman or female-led act to top the chart, after Lorde's "Royals" (2013) and Paramore's "Ain't It Fun" (2014). The recording topped the chart for six consecutive weeks. As of January 2016, it had sold 2.6 million copies in the United States and was certified eight-times Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It eventually peaked at number three, and was certified double-platinum by Music Canada, which denotes 160,000 downloads. In Mexico, the song peaked at number ten on the Mexico Airplay chart and spent 16 weeks on it. It spent a total of 75 non-consecutive weeks on the chart between 2014 and 2016. In Hungary, the recording peaked at number nine on the sales chart and at number eight on the streaming chart, both published by the Association of Hungarian Record Companies (MAHASZ). It eventually topped the chart for four consecutive weeks. In Denmark, the song debuted and peaked at number ten on the Track Top 40 chart. It further reached number six on the Airplay Top 20 chart, and received a Platinum certification accorded by IFPI Denmark, denoting 2,600,000 streams in the country. "Habits (Stay High)" peaked at number three in both Austria and Switzerland, and was certified Gold in both countries by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI). In Romania, the song topped the International Airplay Songs Chart on the issue dated 15 December 2014. It reached the top ten on the digital chart of Czech Republic, Luxembourg, Portugal and Slovakia. In Spain, it peaked at number 13 on both the sales and airplay singles charts published by the Productores de Música de España (PROMUSICAE). == Music videos ==

First version On 1 February 2013, Motellet Film announced on their Twitter account that they were shooting a music video for Tove Lo. On 27 February, they announced that they had finished it and posted a photo of Lo on the set. The duo directed the video, with the singer co-directing it and writing its script. The video was produced by Swedish production company IAM with Martin Roeck Hansen as Creative Producer and Fredrik Bjelke as producer. Swedish website PSL premiered it on 15 March 2013, The video begins with the singer recalling memories from a hangover, including images of whiskey, a shoe in a chandelier, and her making out with a man flash on the screen, particularly getting a bottle of whiskey and drinking it with him. In the following scene, Lo is seen at a tea party with four other women and the waitresses, where they drink champagne amongst an array of cakes and cupcakes. As the video flashes white, it shows a glimpse of the other women's fantasies. Then, Lo becomes drunk, takes her shirt off, smears cake on her face, pours champagne on herself and starts to dance with her guests and the waitresses. In the following scene, she makes out with the man she was drinking with. The visual ends with the singer being at home while vomiting into a sink. Scenes interspersed through the main plot portray Lo in a dark room, with mascara dripping from her eyes while doing activities such as blowing bubble gum, eating melting ice cream, and smoking a cigarette. Despite the video's plot, Lo wanted to depict the imagery in an "artistic" perspective, explaining that "the dark undertone is key for the whole video". However, it was made private that same month, becoming unavailable to view. The video was made public again in March 2023. Second version channel on YouTube, and was made available for consumption on the iTunes Store the next day. The video begins with Lo waking up at a friend's house after a night of partying. Then, she returns home, where she recovers from her hangover and prepares for another night of partying while trying on numerous outfits. She meets with her friends and goes to a club, where she gets drunk and starts to make out with them. Subsequently, she goes to the bathroom stall alone and starts to cry. After that, she returns home and collapses into her bed. Scenes interspersed through the main plot of the visual display Lo staring at the camera while lip syncing the lyrics of the song. Sonya Mann of Bustle considered it "kind of boring". The clip was the fifth most-popular video on VH1 during 2014. Additionally, it won the accolade for Best Alternative/Rock video at the 2014 VEVO Hot This Year Awards. == Live performances ==

television program in 2014. The singer performed "Habits (Stay High)" alongside "Love Ballad", "Out of Mind" and "Not Made For This World" at Swedish radio station, P3, on 10 April 2013. On 7 May, Lo sang the song in a live session for PSL in Sweden. Rich Thane of The Line of Best Fit said that, despite the "smoky room and poor light", the performance was "wonderfully emotive". On 27 February 2014, Lo performed the track at the Norwegian festival by:Larm. The following month, she sang the song alongside "Not on Drugs" and other songs from Truth Serum at the South by Southwest festival. On 25 March, the singer held a concert at the Tavastia Club in Helsinki, Finland and performed the track among other material from Truth Serum. Lo also sang "Habits (Stay High)" alongside the other songs from Truth Serum and "Run On Love" for her first show in the United Kingdom at Notting Hill Arts Club on 2 April 2014. Michael Cragg of The Guardian rated the show with four stars out of five and deemed it as "a punchy UK debut". Lo performed the same set list at her Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen show on 6 May 2014. On 8 May, the singer sang the track during the Great Escape Festival in the United Kingdom. On 18 June, Lo made her first appearance on US TV when she performed "Habits (Stay High)" on Late Night with Seth Meyers. On 1 July, Lo sang it in a live session for The Line of Best Fit. In that same month, Lo sang the song alongside "Not on Drugs" on KROQ-FM radio station. On 26 July, the singer performed the track on the Sommarkrysset television program in Gröna Lund, Stockholm. The following month, Lo appeared on the Conan talk show where she sang the song, as well. On 17 May 2015, the singer performed the single at the Hangout Music Festival. The artist also sang it during Lollapalooza Chile in April 2017, and two months later on her Glastonbury Festival set. Lo performed "Habits (Stay High)" during the encore of her tours, the Queen of the Clouds Tour (2015) and the Lady Wood Tour (2017). == Charts ==

Weekly charts Year-end charts == Certifications ==

A remix of "Habits (Stay High)" by American record production duo Hippie Sabotage, alternatively titled "Stay High", was released on 25 February 2014 as the third single from Truth Serum. but lost to "Knäpper Mina Fingrar (Remix)" by Linda Pira. Background and composition Initially, a shortened version of the remix was featured on Stay High, a two-minutes short film directed by Aris Jerome and starring model Chanelle Elise, posted on Jerome's Vimeo and YouTube accounts on 11 April 2013. On 18 September 2013, Hippie Sabotage posted the remix's official version on their SoundCloud account and released it as a free digital download. However, it was later removed. The singer and the duo never met; Lo first listened to "Stay High" when a friend of hers showed her a surf video with the remix on it. She eventually found Hippie Sabotage's Twitter account and asked them to send her the track via email. After that, both the duo and the singer agreed to feature it on Truth Serum. Lo stated that "Stay High" wasn't planned to be released as a single until radio programmers in the United Kingdom started to feature it on their playlists. and Lo's "distorted" vocals. Miles Raymer of Entertainment Weekly wrote that the original track was arguably better than the remix and expressed that the latter "lacks the directness" of the former. Commercial performance (pictured) posted it on her Instagram account. "Stay High" charted in Australia, New Zealand and some European countries. In March 2014, British singer Ellie Goulding shared the remix through her Instagram account. In its sixth week on the chart, it peaked at number six. On 4 May 2014, it peaked at number eight. It reached a peak of number 49 on 5 June 2014, and spent a total of 29 weeks on the chart. Additionally, the single opened at number 16 on the Euro Digital Songs on 26 April 2014. and went on reaching position 13, with it spending a total of 70 weeks on the chart between 2014 and 2015. In Norway, "Stay High" debuted at number 15 on the Topp 40 Singles chart. It eventually reached the number 25 in its fifth week on the chart. In Australia, "Stay High" entered the ARIA Singles Chart at number 65 on the issue dated 12 May 2014. It peaked at number three, The duo used the same footage of the second music video for "Habits (Stay High)" and applied slow motion in all the scenes. Also, Michael Cragg of The Guardian said that "the woozy remix perfectly suits the permanently dazed, alcohol-fuelled feel of the slow motion video". The Guardian's website premiered the video on 4 April 2014, On 11 April 2014, it was released on the iTunes Store. On 29 December 2022, the clip surpassed the one-billion views on YouTube. Charts Weekly charts Year-end charts Certifications == Cover versions and other remixes ==

covered "Habits (Stay High)" during her Piece by Piece Tour (2015). On 14 October 2014, band Against the Current posted their cover version of "Habits (Stay High)" on YouTube and released it on the iTunes Store. Five days later, Alex Goot also premiered a cover version with Madilyn Bailey through the same platform. Diane Cho of VH1 gave the cover a positive review, in which she stated that Goot and Bailey voices "complement each other perfectly". In November 2014, post-hardcore band Our Last Night posted their cover of the track on their YouTube channel. Diane Cho of VH1 wrote that the band "gives 'Habits' that rock 'n roll edge that works really well for this song". Canadian rock band Theory of a Deadman released an acoustic cover version in April 2015, which was later included on their record Angel Acoustic EP (2015). In May 2015, Kygo performed a piano version with vocals by Parson James on BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge. In that same month, actor Vin Diesel posted a cover version of the song on his Facebook page as a tribute to his late friend Paul Walker; in the background of the performance images were projected of Diesel with Walker. Kelly Clarkson covered the song as part of her "Fan Requests" during her Piece by Piece Tour on 26 July 2015. Entertainment Tonights John Boone ranked it at number one on his list of Kelly Clarkson's 11 Best Tour Covers, further adding that the singer sounded "amazing" and that he "loved" to hear her "darker and edgier side". "Habits (Stay High)" has been covered twice on The Voice: la plus belle voix, the first time by Madeleine Leaper during the fourth season in 2014, and by Amandine on the show's following season the next year. In January 2014, American DJ duo the Chainsmokers remixed "Habits (Stay High)" and released it as a free digital download. Idolator's Sam Lansky felt that the producers transformed "the melodic original into something glitchy, twitchy and dark". On 17 June, a radio edit as well as an extended version of their remix were distributed on the iTunes Store. On 17 June, a remix version by Swedish DJ Oliver Nelson was released on the iTunes Store, and was later included on the re-issue of Truth Serum. On 9 December 2014, a remix version by American DJ duo FIXYN was made available for consumption through the same platform. In June 2020, the song was covered in a performance by Louriza Tronco and Sarah Grey as their respective characters in an episode of the Netflix web series, The Order. The performance on the show led to "Habits (Stay High)" entering the Billboard Top TV Songs chart at number 4 in June 2020. In 2023, a version titled "Stay High" by Diplo and Hugel featuring Julia Church on vocals was released which interpolates "Habits (Stay High)". It reached No. 36 on the US Billboard Dance/Electronic Songs chart. == Formats and track listings ==

Digital download • "Habits (Stay High)" – 3:29 • "Habits (Stay High)" music video – 3:26 Digital download – Hippie Sabotage remix • "Stay High" – 4:18 == Credits and personnel ==

Credits were adapted from the liner notes of Queen of the Clouds. Recording locations • Recorded at Warner/Chappell Studios, Stockholm. • Mixed at Ramtitam Studios, Stockholm. • Mastered at Cutting Room, Stockholm. Personnel :For "Habits (Stay High)": • Lead vocals, background vocals – Tove Lo • Songwriting – Tove Lo, Jakob Jerlström, Ludvig Söderberg • Production – The Struts • Mixing – Lars Norgren • Programming – The Struts • Mastering – Björn Engelmann • Keys – The Struts • Strings – Filip Runesson :For "Habits (Stay High)" – Hippie Sabotage remix: • Songwriting – Tove Lo, Jakob Jerlström, Ludvig Söderberg • Musical arrangement – Jeffery Saurer, Kevin Saurer • Remix and additional production – Hippie Sabotage == Release history ==