In just a few years, Billie Eilish has changed pop music. With her brother and producer Finneas, Eilish creates dark, ambient confessionals while fusing jazz, emo and alternative electro-pop.
With the announcement of his upcoming third studio album Hit me hard and softSet to release on May 17, here’s a list of Eilish’s essential songs ranked to keep you up to date with highlights from her old catalog.
5. “When the Party’s Over” by When we all fall asleep, where do we go? (2019)
The song begins with Eilish singing over a layered chorus of her own voice. Meanwhile, Finneas transforms some of the voices into scant, digitized echoes that sound like competing characters in Eilish’s head. “When the Party’s Over” is a heartbreaking breakup song, featuring Eilish’s desperate admission: And I could lie, say I like it that way, I like it that way. The haunting ballad is halfway to a stunning debut and might be her best vocal performance.
Don’t you know I’m not good for you?
I learned to lose you. I can’t afford it
I tore my shirt to stop you from bleeding
But nothing stops you from leaving
4. Single “Ocean Eyes” (2016)
“Ocean Eyes” started it all for Eilish. Her brother had written the song for his band but decided it would sound better if his sister sang instead. She was only 13 years old. Then the track went viral on SoundCloud and Eilish quickly signed a record deal. “Ocean Eyes” sounds like Lana Del Rey’s Californian dream pop. Del Rey also changed the sound of pop music, and “Ocean Eyes” was a passing torch, even though Eilish’s complete takeover of pop was still three years away.
I’ve been watching you for a while
I can’t stop looking at those ocean eyes
Cities on fire and napalm skies
Fifteen flares in those ocean eyes
Your ocean eyes
3. “Happier than ever” by Happier than ever (2021)
The title track from Eilish’s second album sounds like she’s singing in a smoky Paris club in the 1930s. “Happier Than Ever” is split into two distinct halves. First, on tender guitar chords, Eilish expresses a sad ballad. But the second half turns into a busted emo purge where Eilish unleashes her rage. The second part of the song wouldn’t sound out of place on a Paramore album, and it’s the kind of lyric that Hayley Williams would be proud of. Eilish is known for reaching emotional heights without raising her voice, sometimes above a whisper. But “Happier Than Ever” is a therapeutic release that feels like years of pent-up anguish. Yet it’s in the song’s final phrase that Eilish delivers the most brutal cry to her ex: “Just fucking leave me alone.”
When I’m far from you, I’m happier than ever
I wish I could explain it better
I wish it wasn’t true
Give me a day or two to think of something clever
To write me a letter
To tell me what to do
2. “Why was I made?” from the movie barbie (2023)
Eilish and Finneas wrote the song for the Greta Gerwig film barbie. “What was I made for?” is a complaint about identity. Using the Barbie doll as a metaphor, Eilish explained to Variety how she sometimes felt like she was floating growing up, but “things change, and you grow up, and sometimes you just feel like you don’t know how to float anymore.” The song is also about despair and surviving the malaise of life. The earnest ballad parallels the film’s fashion doll, but the emotional connection to sadness and loneliness is also a hallmark of Eilish and Finneas’ songwriting.
When did it end? All the pleasure
I’m still sad, don’t tell my boyfriend
That’s not what it’s made for
What was I made for?
1. “nasty” Since When we all fall asleep, where do we go? (2019)
“Bad Guy” introduced Eilish to the world, and she introduced the song by vacuuming and removing her Invisalign. Once she removes the mouthpiece, Finneas’ 808 bass and four kick drums back her up as Eilish hums with detached distance before changing the pop landscape in three minutes and fourteen seconds. On her single, Eilish’s voice is the antithesis of the loud, dizzying runs that cause judges to turn their chairs around on reality TV singing competitions. While everyone else was singing the high notes, Eilish took the music world by storm.
So you’re a badass
I like it, really tough guy
I just can’t get enough, man
Chest still so swollen dude
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