Billie Eilish first captivated audiences with Ocean Eyes, a track she released at 15, illuminated by flickering lights. A young girl, entranced and "cursed" by the deep blue eyes of her crush, finds herself submerged in that metaphorical ocean.
Returning with her debut album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?, Billie created a bedroom scene where she and other girls lie on their beds scrolling through photos and messages on their phones. She calls herself the "bad guy", suggesting that all good girls go to hell. And if she can't have her crush, she wishes they were gay.
Success came quickly, causing Billie’s “deep blue eyes” to shed tears under pressure. Then came Happier Than Ever, an attempt to show that the girl you see on your phone or tablet screen is happier than ever.
However, Billie Eilish soon fell into a crisis, questioning her existence: "What Was I Made For?" Her third studio album, Hit Me Hard And Soft, might offer some answers to that question.
Blue is the saddest color
Let's start with Skinny, a ballad reminiscent of the earlier What Was I Made For?. The guitar notes scatter softly over Billie Eilish's introspective, whisper-like vocals. She sings quietly, as if not wanting anyone else to hear her innermost thoughts.
The girl in that song seems to have just fallen in love for the first time. It’s not just romantic love; it could also be a love for the life she’s living. She feels loved but quickly realizes something is amiss. It turns out that people think she looks happier because she looks skinnier.
But the old me is still me,
And maybe the real me,
And I think she's pretty.
Billie sings before entering the chorus, unable to compromise or deceive herself any longer:
And I still cry, cry,
And you know why
Skinny sets the stage for this album to reach the audience as a loop of confessions from a girl. At this moment, the protagonist is a new girl, slimmer, seemingly happier, but still sad deep inside, yet still in love with the love of her life.
Following Skinny, the song Lunch shows a “swap”. Billie Eilish no longer wishes the person she loves but who doesn’t love her back would turn gay, instead, she becomes… gay. Lunch at a cheap restaurant, with a waitress standing behind the counter like “she dances on my tongue”.
This is perhaps the first time Billie has expressed her sexual orientation so strongly in her songs. In reality, Billie has also admitted to being bisexual.
Lunch connects to Chihiro from the Ghibli's animated film Spirited Away. She has passed through the "tunnel" of adolescence, now returning to the real world but no longer the person she once was.
From Birds of Feathers, the album begins to change in terms of sound and narrative. The middle of the album is marked by quieter moments like WildFlower and The Greatest, contrasting with the earlier tracks.
The song L'Amour De Ma Vie introduces a twist to the album’s storyline. It turns out the love confessions in “Skinny” and The Greatest were lies.
The album concludes with Blue, an older song that had previously leaked online. Unlike the demo version, this song is now orchestrated to match the overall sound of the album. It not only recalls the melancholic blue of Ocean Eyes but also the essence of the protagonist in Hit Me Hard And Soft. Blue, therefore, is the saddest color.
Between Contrasts
From the beginning, Billie Eilish did not intend to release a single for Hit Me Hard And Soft. Listening to the entire album, the audience understands her reasoning. Though Billie could have picked any song from the album as a single to attract listeners, the cohesive narrative flow from the second track, Lunch, onward creates a seamless auditory experience. This continuity allows Billie Eilish’s introspective lyrics to unfold naturally.
Right here, the audience can see the “hard” and “soft” aspects of the narrative, as well as the “heavy” and “light” elements in the harmony. Most songs feature introspective lyrics typical of ballads, sometimes even fragmented, but they are arranged with dense, rhythmically rich instrumentation.
This contrast between heavy (in terms of sound) and light (in lyrics and delivery) creates a high level of contrast in the album. Thus, even when Billie sings about heartbreak, the audience doesn’t feel overly gloomy, and when she is cheerful, it doesn’t necessarily signify happiness.
Compared to her previous albums, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? and Happier Than Ever, Hit Me Hard And Soft shows more diversity and flexibility in orchestration and arrangement. As a result, it’s hard for the audience to predict the direction of the melody, arrangement, or even the whole album.
Both Billie Eilish and FINNEAS seem not to limit themselves to this musical product. They create diversity while balancing opposing elements to produce a sonically impressive album. If there were a companion album to Hit Me Hard And Soft, it would be feasible and make this album the must-listen product of summer 2024.