“The Tradition” by Halsey

“The Tradition” is a pretty deep song, with that being the type of statement we have found ourselves uttering plenty while analyzing Halsey’s latest offerings. And the reason we’re compelled to make such exclamations, well, take a track like “The Tradition” for instance. At center stage is a female subject who apparently is suffering from afflictions like the following:

• low self-esteem
• lack of genuine affection
• loneliness

These are factors which negatively impact her entire life, especially from a romantic perspective. 

That foundational premise right there is deep enough in and of itself. But then Halsey isn’t the type to just plainly come out and make such statements. Rather there is a slew of metaphors contained therein. These metaphors let the listeners know for instance that any romantic relationship this lady gets into is pretty much doomed from the start.

Thesis Sentiment of “The Tradition”

Indeed reading in between the lines, the thesis sentiment isn’t a sympathetic or even empathetic one. Rather it would be one along the lines of this “girl”, once again primarily from a romantic perspective, having become more of an object than an actual human being, so to speak. 

And you may be saying to yourself, ‘well, there’s more to life than romance’, which is true. But anyone familiar with youth knows that such relationships, especially for a female we would say, tend to be the most important thing in the lives of young people, a determinant of their self-worth even. 

And as the title of this song alludes to, it’s as if this particular lady was fated to go through such an ordeal, i.e. living a life devoid of a meaningful romance. So we can even put forth a notion like, in a roundabout way Halsey is criticizing the society at large, one in which a girl so emotionally devastated can not only remain so without any caring person intervening but to the contrary, the men in her life even taking advantage of her vulnerabilities.

When was “The Tradition” released?

This is the opening track on “If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power”, Halsey’s fourth standard album. Capitol Records made both song and album public on 27 August 2021.

Did Halsey write this?

This is a project in which Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, otherwise known as the Nine Inch Nails, are heavily involved. For instance, they co-wrote “The Tradition”, in addition to serving as the track’s producers. And the other co-writers of the tune are Halsey and Greg Kurstin.

Did Halsey release “The Tradition” as a Single?

No. As of this writing, there are only two official singles from Halsey’s “If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power”. They are:

• “You Asked for This”
• “I Am Not a Woman, I’m a God”