Lzzy Hale: Explains ‘I Get Off’
Lzzy Hale has been writing and performing with her band Halestorm for over half of her life. Over the past two decades, she’s released gold and platinum-selling albums with plenty of chart-toppers at rock radio, all while shattering the status quo with her powerhouse vocals and bold lyrics.
In this installment of How I Wrote That Song, WMMR’s Sara asks Lzzy about her biggest hits, going back to when Halestorm came out swinging in 2009 with the single “I Get Off.” Despite the saucy title, the song’s first draft was actually about how the band won over a few hardened record executives in the audience at a live showcase. When Lzzy developed the lyrics further with a writing collective called The Girls, she explains: “I was telling them this story [about the show] and one of them – and this is why I love writing with women, because our sense of humor is the same – was like, ‘Oh, so you got off on them enjoying what you do’… and we took over this piano, in the lobby of this hotel, and were singing ‘I get off on you, getting off on me,’ just totally annoying everybody around us.”
She adds with a laugh, “It originally didn’t start from sex, but it definitely grew its own legs!”
Sara and Lzzy also discuss the Grammy-nominated song “Uncomfortable” and a new track called “Terrible Things.” Along the way, they touch on her unexpected radio hit with Daughtry this year, swapping gender perspectives in song lyrics, and how activism plays a role in her writing process.
Note: This interview was originally recorded in March 2023.
Halestorm: Their 20 Best Songs, Ranked
Halestorm debuted in 2009 with their self-titled studio album. In the years since, they’ve grown into one of rock’s most popular acts.
So far, Halestorm has had 13 top-ten hits on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Airplay chart. Six of those songs have topped the chart. They included “Freak Like Me,” “Apocalyptic,” “Amen,” “Uncomfortable,” “Back From The Dead” and “The Steeple.”
Halestorm first formed in 1997 with siblings Lzzy and Arejay Hale. While the band went through various lineup shakeups, guitarist Joe Hottinger and bassist Josh Smith would join in 2003 and 2004, respectively. Since 2004, Halestorm has featured this lineup, which is a rare feat in the rock world. Few bands have maintained the same lineup for such a lengthy period of time. It’s yet another example of what sets Halestorm apart from other bands today.
Since their 2009 self-titled debut album, Halestorm has consistently released a mix of LPs and EPs. Notably, the band’s EP releases have consisted of covers collections. Halestorm has covered a diverse collection of artists over the years. They’ve included Lady Gaga (“Bad Romance“), Daft Punk (“Get Lucky“), Sophie B. Hawkins (“Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover“), Temple of the Dog (“Hunger Strike“) and more.
While these covers are outstanding, Halestorm’s loyal fans are here for the originals. Their catalog currently contains five studio albums. Following their aforementioned debut was 2012’s The Strange Case Of… That album featured “Love Bites (So Do I),” which won the Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance in 2013. Halestorm’s third studio album was 2015’s Into the Wild Life, which debuted on the Billboard 200 at number five. This is currently the highest-charting album in Halestorm’s catalog. Halestorm’s fourth studio album was 2018’s Vicious, and their latest album is 2022’s Back from the Dead.
To celebrate the band, here are Halestorm’s 20 best songs ranked.
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