Who is the New Americana?
The term, popularized by up and coming singer Halsey, stands for us. It stands for the generation ‘Y’, or Millennials. Millennials are considered anyone born between the 1980‘s and the 2000‘s. They followed the generation ‘X’, who were born after the Baby Boom generation. The New Americana is a term used to explain Millennials, and the song recorded by Halsey explains all the things this generation is currently living through. Between social and political issues, and our society in general, this song touches on different aspects of the life being lived by a Millennial. The song titled New Americana speaks about what exactly the term means. I’m going to break down the song into four parts to analyze:
Cigarettes and tiny liquor bottles, just what you'd expect inside her new Balenciaga
Vile romance, turned dreams into an empire. Self-made success, now she rolls with Rockefellers.
This first verse really sets the tone for the rest of the song. References are made in the first line to alcohol and cigarettes littering a girl’s new designer purse. It’s typically looked at as most successful business leaders have a form of an addiction to something, and this may be making reference to an alcohol or tobacco addiction found in high power business leaders. The second line speaks about turning dreams into an empire which is looked at as the American dream. You’re supposed to wish to get to the top, to make your dreams a reality and to not take no for an answer. The last line, about rolling with Rockefellers, brings up the idea of this successful woman on the same line as the Rockefellers, meaning she’s high power and high status.
Survival of the richest, the city’s ours until the fall. They’re Monaco and Hamptons-bound, but we don’t feel like outsiders at all.
Repeated twice as the pre-chorus throughout the song, this is meant to emphasize the richest in the city. Specifically speaking about the rich of New York City, summers spent by the elite in New York are either vacations in Monaco or another European destination, or the Hamptons on Long Island. “The city’s ours until the fall” means that until the rich return for the fall season from their vacations, the rest of the citizens will take control of the city.
We are the New Americana, high on legal marijuana. Raised on Biggie and Nirvana, We are the New Americana.
The chorus of the pop song has to do with the changes made recently regarding legal marijuana. This is a very debatable topic to be spoken about, but one thing to be said is that it’s looked at as one of the most defining points on laws created within our society in the past four years. This is just an example of some of the laws and bills that have been passed recently that sparks debates. ‘Raised on Biggie and Nirvana’ is supposed to bring up the music generation Y has been raised on, The Notorious B.I.G (Christopher George Latore Wallace) and the band Nirvana. Both are two different genres of music, but have also had claims of how they would give the wrong idea to the listener that makes them similar.
We know very well who we are, so we hold it down when summer starts. What kind of dough have you been spending lately? What kind of bubblegum have you been blowing lately?
The bridge here talks about “we hold it down when summer starts”. Throughout the song, Halsey sets up a feeling between her and the listener being one in the same. She sets the scene for a modest class person trying to a name for themselves in a world full of Rockefellers. Them holding it down is to show that they have the control as soon as the rich leave for the summer beginning. The second line speaking about dough being spent is another reference to the high level of power money has over our society. The last part, about the ‘kind of bubblegum have you been blowing’ is a second reference throughout the song to marijuana.
