I still remember the first time I listened to Billie Eilish—alone in my dimly-lit bedroom with my earbuds pressed in, the outside world fading away. As a quiet, timid person, I was a bit hesitant to try out her music. What would my parents think if they walked in on me listening to the notoriously “weird” singer? Slowly, the eerie strums of you should see me in a crown entered my ears, then the intake of air like a building tsunami — CROWN! — my body jolted alive, a shockwave that unraveled the quiet, careful person I had been. That’s how my love and passion for Billie Eilish’s music began.
In this article, I’ve chosen my favorite song from each Billie Eilish album. Over the years, my favorites have changed, so these are my most recent choices. Instead of the most obvious and popular tunes, I’m diving into the songs that have resonated deeply with me and made my heart race, just like that very first listen.
dont smile at me
idontwannabeyouanymore
This song has such compelling and heartbreaking lyrics as Eilish speaks to herself about her own insecurities:
If "I love you" was a promise
Would you break it, if you're honest?
Tell the mirror what you know she's heard before
I don't wanna be you
Anymore
She also addresses body-image and society’s beauty standards with the lyric: “If teardrops could be bottled / There’d be swimming pools filled by models“. The poignant imagery highlights the way that society’s beauty standards reflect what we see in ourselves. When we look in the mirror, we don’t see ourselves; we see someone that we don’t want to see because we’ve been conditioned to think we aren’t enough as we are. This feeling of not wanting to be yourself is sadly far too common amongst people nowadays, and idontwannabeyouanymore is a moving tribute to how many people feel.
WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?
ilomilo
I’m going against the grain here. This album is packed with so many AMAZING hits (bad guy, bury a friend, when the party’s over, and more), yet I say my favorite is a little song called ilomilo. That word comes from the title of a video game about reuniting two characters named “Ilo” and “Milo”. (The lyric “I can’t lose another life” is even reminiscent of video games). This lends itself to the song’s theme about losing someone and then finding them again.
So, where did you go? I should know, but it's cold And I don't wanna be lonely So tell me you'll come home Even if it's just a lie This song talks about letting someone go and hoping you'll find each other again. Yet there's a tinge of desperation as the chorus subtly changes each time it's sung. By the end of the song, she sings: "Was hoping you'd come home / I don't care if it's a lie". There's such a tragicness to that loneliness that you'd rather pretend it's love than be left alone.
(Easter Egg: In the order of songs on the album, listen to the end of bury a friend (track 10) and then immediately to the beginning of ilomilo (track 11) – the beat for ilomilo actually begins during track 10!)
Happier Than Ever
GOLDWING
The beginning of this song sounds angelic and spiritual, a jolt from the other songs on the album. It actually is based Gustav Holst’s 1907 choral translation of a Hindu sacred text “Hymn to Vena” that depicts “the sun rising through the mist”. Eilish’s acapella here is stunningly beautiful, with lyrics talking about a heavenly creature. This part of the song in relation to the rest of the album—like the Goldwing creature to the rest of the world—feels breathtakingly out-of-place.
Then the song changes tempo as the word “goldwing” is looped, building the perfect base to transition into Billie’s usual dark-pop style. The lyrics tell the Goldwing creature to keep its head down so it doesn’t get hurt or taken advantage of, since it is too pure for this world to leave untainted. Personally, this resonates with me, as many times in my life I’ve felt like I’ve had to hide myself and my talents to be protected.
Eilish has said that she wrote this song with Olivia Rodrigo in mind when Rodrigo was becoming a rising star. Eilish felt protective of Rodrigo and other young women coming into fame. Goldwing became a symbol for them.
HIT ME HARD AND SOFT
CHIHIRO
CHIHIRO stands out in this album for its haunting melody and Billie’s ethereal, echoing voice. The symbolism of doors (like the door on the album cover) highlights how she wants to open doors for connection, such as the repetition of the line “Can you open up the door? ” However, other parts of the song suggest that perhaps doors would also be useful as barriers, boundaries that could protect her from getting hurt by relationships.
Did you take
My love away
From me? Me
Me
Her voice is so beautiful and the emotion behind it so rich. The idea that your love can be taken away from you and that couldn’t love someone else again is so terrifying. Yet that is the inherent risk human relationships carry. I love the dual nature of what a door represents and how this song’s haunting melody and lyrics mean you can’t shut it out of your mind.
What do you think? What are your favorite Billie Eilish songs? Your favorite album? Tell us in the comments!
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