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1 & 1/2 Hearts
One & A Half Hearts is a subjective look at the lyrical creation of The Devil Wears Prada's fourth full length Dead Throne. The band's lead vocalist analyzes the fundamentals and the importance behind the album's language and its intentions, while constantly maintaining focus on themes of romance, idolatry, and hope. This detailed account is a must for listeners of the band and those curious to the construction of Mike's lyrics.
165 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2013
About the author
Mike Hranica
5 books97 followersFounding member and lead vocalist of the Christian melodic metalcore band The Devil Wears Prada. He is from Dayton, Ohio, and later relocated to Chicago, Illinois.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
April 13, 2021
“Dead Throne” by The Devil Wears Prada is one of my favorite albums of all-time. This book was written by their lyricist/lead vocalist Mike Hranica, and it immediately became one of my favorite things I’ve ever read as soon as I finished it.
In the book, Mike goes into excruciating detail to elucidate every single line of every song of their album “Dead Throne”. I’ve listened to this album more times than I can count, and I’ve always had an extremely strong appreciation for his lyrics. Reading through “One & A Half Hearts” gave me a much deeper and clearer explanation of not only what the words mean, but also a stronger understanding of each lyric’s place in the album, the motivation and inspiration behind them, as well as a dive into the singer’s mind to learn where his head was while he was crafting the songs.
The album centers around themes of idolatry, gloom, and love lost. Having the connection between the lyrics and those themes analyzed so meticulously was fascinating. It was also surprisingly inspiring to me. Understanding how many things can come between me and my truth or my goals was eye-opening. I never realized just how profound the lyrics to this album were (or, quite frankly, what a strong writer Mike Hranica is).
I’ve never read anything like this, and I’m so grateful I found it. I wish there were more works like it, but at the very least I’m going to cherish the rare experience I was able to enjoy. If you’ve ever been a fan of The Devil Wears Prada and their album “Dead Throne”, I cannot recommend this book highly enough.
In the book, Mike goes into excruciating detail to elucidate every single line of every song of their album “Dead Throne”. I’ve listened to this album more times than I can count, and I’ve always had an extremely strong appreciation for his lyrics. Reading through “One & A Half Hearts” gave me a much deeper and clearer explanation of not only what the words mean, but also a stronger understanding of each lyric’s place in the album, the motivation and inspiration behind them, as well as a dive into the singer’s mind to learn where his head was while he was crafting the songs.
The album centers around themes of idolatry, gloom, and love lost. Having the connection between the lyrics and those themes analyzed so meticulously was fascinating. It was also surprisingly inspiring to me. Understanding how many things can come between me and my truth or my goals was eye-opening. I never realized just how profound the lyrics to this album were (or, quite frankly, what a strong writer Mike Hranica is).
I’ve never read anything like this, and I’m so grateful I found it. I wish there were more works like it, but at the very least I’m going to cherish the rare experience I was able to enjoy. If you’ve ever been a fan of The Devil Wears Prada and their album “Dead Throne”, I cannot recommend this book highly enough.
June 29, 2017
I've never read anything quite like One and a Half Hearts. While the peek into Mike Hranica's songwriting is detailed,the personal narrative the chapters include is a truly unique reading experience. I will admit, this book may not appeal to people who are not familiar with Hranica's band, The Devil Wears Prada, but I consider this to be essential material in order to fully grasp and appreciate the author, the band, and Dead Throne, the album these words helped to create.
May 2, 2021
Mike Hranica, the vocalist of the band "The Devil Wears Prada", shows us the inspirations and overarching concept behind their record "Dead Throne". Love, love lost, and idolatry are the prevalent themes in the record and in this book. If anyone is a fan of the band and/or is interested in how a band's lyricist goes through the process of writing for a record, then I would highly recommend this book.
February 24, 2026
As a longtime fan of TDWP, I was thrilled to track this down. “Dead Throne” is a brilliant album and Hranica is an eminently talented lyricist.
As a reader, there’s not much here to sink your teeth into here. “O&AHH” is a track-by-track explanation of each song’s inspiration, and mostly, they’re exactly what you’d expect. “This song is about love lost” or “this song is about artists who are in music for the wrong reasons.” Each lyric is singled out for an analysis. Hranica writes at length about his beliefs, his recollections of the songwriting process, and his collaboration with other artists. Occasionally he explains the sources of his inspiration (The Screwtape Letters, The Bible). This makes some neat lore for a fan, but the commentary adds little depth or dimension to the songs. Much of it is bloated with redundant adjectives and themes that were already effectively communicated in the lyrics. Hranica’s true talent is in being concise. Check this book out if you’re a die-hard fan of the band. Otherwise, just read the lyric booklet.
As a reader, there’s not much here to sink your teeth into here. “O&AHH” is a track-by-track explanation of each song’s inspiration, and mostly, they’re exactly what you’d expect. “This song is about love lost” or “this song is about artists who are in music for the wrong reasons.” Each lyric is singled out for an analysis. Hranica writes at length about his beliefs, his recollections of the songwriting process, and his collaboration with other artists. Occasionally he explains the sources of his inspiration (The Screwtape Letters, The Bible). This makes some neat lore for a fan, but the commentary adds little depth or dimension to the songs. Much of it is bloated with redundant adjectives and themes that were already effectively communicated in the lyrics. Hranica’s true talent is in being concise. Check this book out if you’re a die-hard fan of the band. Otherwise, just read the lyric booklet.
October 23, 2017
I personally enjoyed reading thru Mike's thoughts and comments on each line of the album Dead Throne. The book offered some additional insight and context beyond pure lyrics.
April 15, 2021
Amazing! It's good if you listened to The Devil Wears Prada. If you never listened to their music, specifically their album Dead Throne, then you probably won't like this.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews