“Lilith (Diablo IV Anthem)” by Halsey (ft. SUGA)
June 5th, 2023, the day “Lilith (Diablo IV Anthem)” was dropped, also marked the release date of Diablo IV, of which Lilith serves as the anthem. Diablo IV, as of this writing, marks the latest installment in the videogame series known as Diablo, which dates back to 1997.
Said series has proven highly successful, so much so that it can employ a couple of A list vocalists in Halsey and Suga to drop a theme song. And to note the former, who hails from the US, did feature the latter, a South Korean artist, on a previous track, that being 2019’s “Suga’s Interlude“.
“LILITH”, A NEW SINGLE YET OLD SONG
“Lilith” has been in circulation for some time before its official release. For instance, Halsey performed it at the 2022 edition of The Game Awards in December of last year. This song is also serving as the third single from her album “If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power”, being part of the LP’s standard playlist, which came out through Capitol back in mid-2021. Furthermore, “Lilith” was actually the first song written for that album.
That said, the original Lilith does not feature Suga. So this particular track is actually being listed as a remix or, as Halsey put it, “reimagined version” of the original.
THE COMPOSERS OF THE SONG
Besides Halsey and Suga, the other credited writers of “Lilith” are:
- Atticus Ross
- Trent Reznor
- Jasper Sheff
- John Cunningham
Cunningham, an L.A.-based behind-the-scenes’ musician who has most notably worked alongside the late Xxxtentacion, also produced this track. And to note, the director of the song’s music video, which was shot inside of the Chapelle des Jésuites de Cambrai (which is located in France), is Henry Hobson.
THE LYRICS OF “LILITH (DIABLO IV ANTHM)”
“Lilith”, as you probably already know, is an ancient religious figure and one that is even referenced in the Old Testament. Furthermore, a depiction of her serves as the chief antagonist in Diablo IV.
So it appears as if, to some degree, Halsey may be taking on the role of said character in this song. For example, the vocalist delineates her characteristics to include the likes of being indiscrete, having anger-management issues, being shifty, admittedly “disgusting” and “corrupted” and possessing the inclination to ‘do things she’s not supposed to’.
But more to the intended point is Halsey making these confessions to a specific addressee. Said addressee, all lyrics considered, may well be her boyfriend or romantic interest. For instance, in the first verse she seemingly refers to this person as “baby”.
Later on, she also alludes to the less-than-ideal state of her sex life (seemingly in the sense of being promiscuous). And as for the basis of this interaction, the vocalist is under the impression that the addressee perceives her as being “too mean”. In other words, this is someone Halsey has obviously mistreated in one way or another and now may be feeling guilty about doing so.
Or put otherwise, it’s as if she (and Suga) are letting the addressee know that said mistreatment isn’t anything personal but rather a reflection of the vocalist’s own internal negativity. So as Suga implies in the bridge, ideally the other party involved will not read too deeply or personally into his (and Halsey’s) actions.
“You know I get too caught up in a moment
I can’t call it love if I show it
I just f–k things up if you noticed
Have you noticed? Tell me, have you noticed?”
As relayed in the chorus, the thesis sentiment of this piece seems to revolve around the vocalist admitting that s/he is a less-than-ideal lover. Therefore, reading in-between the lines, it’s as if they’re telling their respective partners not to expect too much from this relationship, as Halsey and Suga are too “focused” to “fall in love” to begin with, and s/he has the tendency to “f*-k things up” either way”.
So videogames and music video aside, this song really doesn’t have anything to do with religion or demons or anything of the sort. What the lyrics actually speak to is the vocalists acknowledging, most simply interpreted, that they are akin to toxic romantic partners.
