Get ready, because Billie Eilish’s third and possibly best studio album yet, Hit Me Hard and Soft, is finally out. Written by Billie and her brother FINNEAS, who also produced the album, the LP is a musical journey consisting of 10 songs that takes listeners through the whole spectrum of emotions. They are what Billie calls “a family of songs,” and are best when listened to from beginning to end in one sitting, much like a concept album.
Ahead of its release, fans had the chance to celebrate the album in its entirety with two free listening events in New York and Los Angeles. The events attracted 16,000 fans at Brooklyn’s Barclay Center and 13,500 at the Kia Forum in LA.
Starting off with the hauntingly beautiful first track “SKINNY,” Eilish takes us through the struggle with self-acceptance and the body image. In a delicate dance between soothing guitar music and Eilish’s ethereal voice, listeners are met with heartbreaking lyrics.
“People say I look happy
~ “SKINNY”
Just because I got skinny But the old me is still me and maybe the real me
And I think she’s pretty”
With body-shaming being omnipresent, Eilish makes clear that her outside appearance does not reflect her inner well-being. Although she changed on the outside, she is still the same person at heart. With the endless, oppressive pressure of beauty standards, especially with the omnipresence of the internet, self-love should always be prioritized.
The minimalist guitar smoothly transitions into a magical orchestra of violins and cellos before kicking off the beat with which track two begins.
“LUNCH” promptly wakes us from the dreamy trance that was the first track. Contrasting the melancholic Billie Eilish fans know and love, we get to see a more energetic version of her in a love letter to the girl that “tastes like she might be the one” for her. Throughout the song, she stays consistent with the lunch and food references.
“It’s a craving, not a crush”
~ “LUNCH”
Along with the single, Eilish also released a catchy music video that feels like straight from the 2000’s.
See full music video below:
As the title of track number three, “CHIHIRO,” suggests, this song leans into the themes of the 2001 Studio Ghibli hit anime film Spirited Away. Furthermore, the song is representative of the album cover, mirrored in the following lines,
“Open up the door, can you open up the door?
~ “CHIHIRO”
I know you said before you can’t cope with any more
You told me it was war, said you’d show me what’s in store
I hope it’s not for sure, can you open up the door?”
Similar to Eilish pleading the other person to open up to her and let her in to their struggles, she seems to fall through this door, drowning in said struggles. This also ties in with a scene in Spirited Away. Yubaba, the witch who runs a bathhouse in the film, lets the protagonist, Chihiro, inside.
Entering through a heavy door, Yubaba takes Chihiro’s freedom away by having her sign a contract to work at the bathhouse. Similar to Chihiro walking through that door and signing the contract, thereby losing her freedom, this “war” and whatever the person in the song is coping with behind closed doors, is shackling them.
“BIRDS OF A FEATHER” flock together. A beautiful love song about loyalty and the longing to stick together with the other person for life. With queerness being a recurring topic of the album, it is possible that the hints of uncertainty in some of the lyrics deal with the struggle of self-acceptance, with this self-loathing being perpetuated by homophobia.
“Say you don’t see it, your mind’s polluted
~ “BIRDS OF A FEATHER”
Say you wanna quit, don’t be stupid”
Lyrics like these in particular address the inner conflict and the disbelief when the other person loves and accepts her for who she is.
Starting off with the soothing sound of gentle rain and an acoustic guitar, is track number five, “WILDFLOWER.” We are once again treated to deceptively sweet-sounding melodies, carrying a topically heavy song on honeyed notes.
“WILDFLOWER” deals with Eilish comforting another girl after she went through a breakup. However, she ends up falling in love with the girl’s ex. While wanting to be with them, she is constantly troubled by the thought of the girl and how much the breakup hurt her, as well as the moral question behind their relationship.
“But I see her in the back of my mind all the time
~ “WILDFLOWER”
Like a fever, like I’m burning alive, like a sign
Did I cross the line?”
Either tragically sarcastic, or legitimately self-validating is the agonizing sixth track, “THE GREATEST.” It touches on the sad reality of unrequited love and the terror of burning out due to being someone who gives more love than they receive. Eilish intimately portrays the emotional suffering that comes with giving love persistently in an unequal relationship, congratulating herself either sarcastically, or genuinely, for prevailing.
“Man, am I the greatest
~ “THE GREATEST”
My congratulations”
How the tables turn in the following song “L’AMOUR DE MA VIE,” translating to “love of my life.” Eilish’s partner is the one who loves her more than she does them. The song goes into detail about how confusing and emotionally exhausting such relationships can be. She questions if she did something wrong, or hurt the other person, even though they made her feel trapped, or suffocated.
“Did I break your heart?
~ “L’AMOUR DE MA VIE”
Did I waste your time?
I tried to be there for you
Then you tried to break mine”
“THE DINER” sheds light on the dark side of fame. The story of this song being told from the perspective of an obsessive stalker, rather than from hers. The stalker wants to be her “lover” and follows her around, observing her at every opportunity they get.
“I came in through the kitchen lookin’ for something to eat
~ “THE DINER”
I left a calling card so they would know that it was me”
Lyrics like these illustrate the dangers celebrities face in the spotlight. The diner that’s referred to in the song might be a metaphor for the stalker familiarizing themselves with the places their victim frequents, so they know where to find her. She ends the song with a phone number that when called, plays a message recorded by her.
The title “BITTERSUITE” plays with substituting the word “sweet” in “bittersweet” with the homophone “suite.” This possibly references an unpleasant experience Eilish had in a hotel suite, maybe after a particularly bad date.
It is a song in which the conflict with her emotions and desires is a clear topic. Eilish dreams of a healthy relationship while she knows she needs to be careful and protect herself. The song features several references to previous tracks on the album, notably, “L’AMOUR DE MA VIE” and “CHIHIRO.”
“L’amour de ma vie
~ “BITTERSUITE”
Love so bittersweet, mm
Open up the door
For me, for me”
The grand finale of Hit Me Hard and Soft, “BLUE,” continues this trend,
“I thought we were the same
~ “BLUE”
Birds of a feather, now I’m ashamed
I told you a lie, désolée, mon amour
I’m tryin’ my best, don’t know what’s in store
Open up the door (Blue)
In the back of my mind, I’m still overseas
A bird in a cage, thought you were made for me”
In the first verse, Eilish refers to every song on the album, except for “THE DINER,” presumably because it is the only one that tells its story from the perspective of someone else. Making up the masterpiece we now know and love as “BLUE” are two unreleased songs, “True Blue” and “Born Blue,” revised and combined into one. Aside from the doors in “CHIHIRO,” “BLUE” might be the second most representative song of the album, given the color of the cover. The final single of this remarkable album ends with another hauntingly beautiful orchestra before letting us go with the line,
“But when can I hear the next one?”
~ “BLUE”
Leaving a lot of room for speculation. Is it simply a reference to how some fan bases increasingly expect artists to be content creators, wanting them to endlessly produce more hits like a machine? Or is Eilish hinting at a potential second part of Hit Me Hard and Soft? We will have to wait and see.
Until then, we can be excited about Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft tour, later this year in North-America and throughout 2025 in Europe and Australia.
Leave a comment