"Habits (Stay High)" was well received by most critics, who commended its lyrics and production. The track became a sleeper hit; it entered the music charts in 2014, one year after its original release. It peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States and became the highest-charting song by a Swedish artist on that chart since "The Sign" by Ace of Base peaked at number one in 1994. It was certified five-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and sold over 2.6 million copies in the country. The song topped the charts in Poland and Romania, and peaked inside the top ten in Austria, Canada, France and Switzerland, among others.
Two music videos were filmed for the song, both directed by Motellet Film. The first version, released on 15 March 2013, featured the singer in a tea party while getting drunk with her guests. It reached half-a-million views on YouTube before it was made private one year after its release. The second version was filmed at a Swedish club for three days and depicts Lo in a night of partying with her friends. The singer performed the single at festivals such as South by Southwest and the Hangout Music Festival and included it on the set list of her first tour, the Queen of the Clouds Tour. It was awarded with the Song of the Year award at the Grammis of 2015 in Sweden. A remix by record production duo Hippie Sabotage, titled "Stay High", was released as the fourth single from Truth Serum and reached the top ten in Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and other countries in Europe. The song has been covered by artists such as Vin Diesel, whose performance was a tribute to his late friend Paul Walker, and Kelly Clarkson, who performed the track on her Piece by Piece Tour.
Habits
Tove Lo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I eat my dinner in my bathtub
Then I go to sex clubs
Watching freaky people getting it on
It doesn't make me nervous
If anything I'm restless
Yeah I've been around and I've seen it all
I get home, I got the munchies
Binge on all my Twinkies
Throw up in the tub, then I go to sleep
And I drank up all my money
Dazed and kinda lonely
You're gone and I gotta stay high
All the time to keep you off my mind, woo ooh, woo ooh,
High all the time to keep you off my mind, woo ooh, woo ooh
Spend my days locked in a haze
Trying to forget you babe, I fall back down
Gotta stay high all my life to forget I'm missing you, woo ooh, woo ooh
Pick up daddies at the playground
How I spend my daytime
Loosen up the frown, make them feel alive
I make it fast and greasy
I'm numb and way too easy
You're gone and I gotta stay high
All the time to keep you off my mind, woo ooh, woo ooh
High all the time to keep you off my mind, woo ooh, woo ooh
Spend my days locked in a haze
Tryin' to forget you babe, I fall back down
Gotta stay high all my life to forget I'm missing you, woo ooh, woo ooh
Staying in my play pretend
Where the fun ain't got no end, oh
Can't go home alone again
Need someone to numb the pain, oh
Staying in my play pretend
Where the fun ain't got no end, oh-oh
Can't go home alone again
Need someone to numb the pain
You're gone and I gotta stay high
All the time to keep you off my mind, woo ooh, woo ooh
High all the time to keep you off my mind, woo ooh, woo ooh
Spend my days locked in a haze
Tryin' to forget you babe, I fall back down
Gotta stay high all my life to forget I'm missing you, woo ooh, woo ooh
Uh-uh
The lyrics of Tove Lo's song "Habits" talk about a person's desperation to forget someone they miss. The first verse begins with the singer eating their dinner in the bathtub, which sets the tone for the rest of the song, showing how disconnected they are from reality. The lyrics state that after dinner, the singer goes to sex clubs, where they watch others indulge in sexual activities. The singer confesses that they've been around and seen it all, revealing their numbness toward sex.
In the second verse, the singer talks about how they eat too much and throw up in the bathtub, emphasizing their erratic and unhealthy behavior. The singer reveals their substance abuse when they mention that they've drunk up all their money and are dazed and lonely. The chorus of the song is a repetition of how the singer needs to stay high all the time, so they don't think about the person they miss. The lyrics also reveal that the singer's coping mechanism is picking up strangers at the playground and having casual sex with them. The song's ending shows how the singer can't go home alone again and needs someone to numb their pain.
Overall, the lyrics highlight how addiction and substance abuse can be a coping mechanism for people trying to forget someone they miss. The song portrays a dark and unhealthy lifestyle that people can fall into when they're struggling emotionally.
Line by Line Meaning
Uh-uh uh-uh uh-uh
The start of a chorus without any explicit meaning.
I eat my dinner in my bathtub
This line means that the singer is in a state of self-isolation and uses the bathtub to eat his/her food.
Then I go to sex clubs
After eating, the singer visits sex clubs and watches people engage in sexual activities.
Watching freaky people getting it on
The artist spends time in sex clubs observing the sexual activities of people that are different from a 'typical' person.
It doesn't make me nervous
The artist is not concerned even though he/she is in an unconventional environment.
If anything I'm restless
The singer has a constant need for stimulation and excitement.
Yeah I've been around and I've seen it all
The singer has experienced most things in life and is not easily surprised or shocked.
I get home, I got the munchies
After being out and watching sexually explicit activities, the artist returns home with an increased appetite.
Binge on all my Twinkies
The artist eats her Twinkies excessively.
Throw up in the tub, then I go to sleep
After overindulging in food, the artist vomits in the bathtub before going to sleep.
And I drank up all my money
The singer has spent all of her money on alcohol.
Dazed and kinda lonely
The artist is feeling confused and isolated.
You're gone and I gotta stay high
The singer uses drugs to cope with the loss of her partner.
All the time to keep you off my mind, woo ooh, woo ooh
The singer uses drugs all the time to prevent thinking about her partner.
High all the time to keep you off my mind, woo ooh, woo ooh
Repeated line reiterating the singer's drug use habit.
Spend my days locked in a haze
The artist spends most of her days under the influence of drugs.
Trying to forget you babe, I fall back down
The artist's drug use is an attempt to forget about her loss, but it ends up causing problems instead.
Gotta stay high all my life to forget I'm missing you, woo ooh, woo ooh
The singer is choosing to use drugs permanently to avoid feeling the pain of her loss.
Pick up daddies at the playground
The singer visits playgrounds to approach older men and engage in sexual activities with them.
How I spend my daytime
The artist details her daytime activities in the line above.
Loosen up the frown, make them feel alive
The artist is attempting to make the older men feel rejuvenated and alive by providing them with sexual experiences.
I make it fast and greasy
The artist offers quick and nonintimate sexual interactions.
I'm numb and way too easy
The singer has shut down emotionally and feels she is allowing for easy access to her body.
Staying in my play pretend
The artist reflects on her avoidance of reality by engaging in reckless behavior.
Where the fun ain't got no end, oh
The singer views her activities as an opportunity for enjoyment that has no finish line.
Can't go home alone again
The singer feels that she cannot spend time alone.
Need someone to numb the pain, oh
The singer needs companionship to escape the emotional pain that she is feeling.
You're gone and I gotta stay high
The artist is still struggling to cope with losing her partner.
All the time to keep you off my mind, woo ooh, woo ooh
The artist uses drugs consistently to prevent thinking about her lost partner.
Spend my days locked in a haze
The singer's days are consumed by the use of drugs.
Tryin' to forget you babe, I fall back down
The singer's attempts to forget about her partner through drugs leads to further problems in her life.
Gotta stay high all my life to forget I'm missing you, woo ooh, woo ooh
The artist uses drugs to live a life without having to face the pain of her loss.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, O/B/O DistroKid, Sentric Music, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Daniel Ledinsky, Jakob Jerlstrom, Ludvig Soderberg, Tove Lo
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@hanik7142
0:41
You're gone and I gotta stay high,
all the time, to keep you off my mind
Ooh - ooh - ooh - ooh,
ooh - ooh - ooh - ooh.
High, all the time,
To keep you off my mind,
Ooh - ooh - ooh - ooh,
ooh - ooh - ooh - ooh.
Spend my days locked in a cage,
Tryna forget you, babe
I fall back down
Gotta stay high,
All my life, to forget I'm missin' you
Ooh - ooh - ooh - ooh,
ooh - ooh - ooh - ooh.
The part you're looking for? :)
@7clouds
How can you stop a bad habit?
@suchismitagupta
Don't ruin your life over a loss.
@aiyamhalover426
It depends what your habit is mine was eating my hair so I put some stuff on it that makes it taste disgusting but that was made for that habit
@thomasamy9755
What do you mean by stop a bad habit?
@Snurkkoc
i can’t :<
@viniccius7229
i can't boi
@luca0831
The meaning is so devastating, you're actually losing yourself trying to forget someone who doesn't really care for you
@s_hotgirls
Well said :(
@imokay1467
@LIM ERN Moe it's about how she's not able to get over someone's death
@imokay1467
@LIM ERN Moe oh I see:)