Reviewed By: Kesa Janes
This month last year, Billie Eilish made history by becoming the first person born in the 2000’s to reach number one on the charts for her debut studio album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?. One year later, Billie has won multiple awards, including five Grammy Awards at just eighteen years old. I grew up listening to oldies, so I didn’t think I would fall in love with this album.
The first track of When We All Fall Asleep... , titled “!!!!!!” opens with Billie saying to her brother and co-writer Finneas, “I have taken out my Invisalign and this is the album” before bursting into laughter. The track immediately leads into “bad guy” with a heavy bass and distinct harmonies in Billie’s layers of vocals. Billie has said in an interview that the song was written to poke fun at the way people present themselves. “If you’re going around all the time saying like, ‘Yeah, I’m bad, I’m always breaking rules, and doing this and doing that.’ You’re not.” Billie said. “I know that because I used to say that and I wasn’t.” The song went on to win Record of the Year at the 2020 Grammy Awards.
The album has also brought us hits like “all the good girls go to hell”, with a message about climate change. Many fans have interpreted what the lyrics of this song really mean.
Billie gets real with people on this album, singing songs about topics like drug use, mental health, heartbreak, and suicide. She said in an interview that she wrote the song “xanny” about the glorification of drug use among young adults, saying she didn’t want any more of her friends to die.
“bury a friend” was written about Billie’s struggles with mental health and suicidal thoughts. The song may be dark, but she wanted to show her fans that they are not alone. She has often credited her fans as the reason that she is still alive today.
“wish you were gay” is a song I think that we can all relate to. Billie sings about how it would be easier for her love interest to be gay than to experience the heartbreak she feels around that person. Funny thing is, my middle school crush came out as gay the year after I told him how I felt. Shoutout to Ryan!
The thing that impresses me most about this album is that Billie and her older brother produced music together from their bedroom when they were teenagers. This is all their hard work, in this album. Most people that young can’t even write one song.
Billie Eilish has one of the most unique voices I’ve heard, I love her messages and her unique style. I am so excited for her to release more work in the future.