Halfway To Hell

Album: Whitsitt Chapel (2023)
Charted: 48
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Forget pews and hymns, "Halfway to Hell" throws open the saloon doors of Jelly Roll's soul. This whiskey-soaked anthem blends country twang with a rocking riff and a rap-infused honesty that's pure Jelly Roll. He wrestles with his inner demons, tossing out religious references one minute, then confessing to downing a bottle of bourbon the next. It's a battle for redemption where the angels and the devil are both slinging mud.
  • The chorus hits like a shot of redemption chaser.

    One foot in the fire and I still can't tell
    Am I halfway to Heaven
    Halfway to Heaven or Hell?


    Jelly Roll has no easy answers, but he lays it all bare, the good, the bad, and the downright ugly.
  • This isn't the first time Jelly Roll got real about his struggles. Tracks like "Son Of A Sinner" and "Need A Favor" proved he isn't afraid to stare his demons down. "Halfway to Hell" ups the ante, reminding us all that sometimes looking in the mirror isn't pretty, but it's the only way to clean up your act.
  • "Halfway To Hell" is the opening track of Jelly Roll's first country album, Whitsitt Chapel. All of Whitsitt Chapel's central themes are laid out in this song: life's a mess, whiskey's a comfort, and God's still there.
  • While "Whitsitt Chapel" might have a church on the cover, Jelly Roll isn't preaching to the faithful. This album is for the folks who find salvation with a shot of Jack in their hand, not a hymn book.

    "You'll never see a man pray harder than as soon as s--t gets tight," Jelly Roll said to Billboard. "I was like, 'What if worship music is honest? What would my worship song sound like to God?'"
  • Jelly Roll wrote "Halfway to Hell" with Jesse Frasure, Matt Jenkins, and Jessie Jo Dillon. Frasure also co-produced the track with Whitsitt Chapel's primary producer, Zach Crowell.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Director Mark Pellington ("Jeremy," "Best Of You")

Director Mark Pellington ("Jeremy," "Best Of You")Song Writing

Director Mark Pellington on Pearl Jam's "Jeremy," and music videos he made for U2, Jon Bon Jovi and Imagine Dragons.

Why Does Everybody Hate Nu-Metal? Your Metal Questions Answered

Why Does Everybody Hate Nu-Metal? Your Metal Questions AnsweredSong Writing

10 Questions for the author of Precious Metal: Decibel Presents the Stories Behind 25 Extreme Metal Masterpieces

Greg Lake of Emerson, Lake & Palmer

Greg Lake of Emerson, Lake & PalmerSongwriter Interviews

Greg talks about writing songs of "universal truth" for King Crimson and ELP, and tells us about his most memorable stage moment (it involves fireworks).

Paul Williams

Paul WilliamsSongwriter Interviews

He's a singer and an actor, but as a songwriter Paul helped make Kermit a cultured frog, turned a bank commercial into a huge hit and made love both "exciting and new" and "soft as an easy chair."

Harry Wayne Casey of KC and The Sunshine Band

Harry Wayne Casey of KC and The Sunshine BandSongwriter Interviews

Harry Wayne Casey tells the stories behind KC and The Sunshine Band hits like "Get Down Tonight," "That's The Way (I Like It)," and "Give It Up."

Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath, Heaven And Hell

Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath, Heaven And HellSongwriter Interviews

Guitarist Tony Iommi on the "Iron Man" riff, the definitive Black Sabbath song, and how Ozzy and Dio compared as songwriters.