With HIT ME HARD AND SOFT, Billie Eilish creates her most personal and varied album to date. She explores themes of love, self-discovery, and public scrutiny through a blend of electronic and acoustic elements, demonstrating her artistic development.
Almost three years after releasing her second album, Billie Eilish released her highly anticipated album HIT ME HARD AND SOFT. Teaming up with her brother and Finneas, Billie Eilish created an overall diverse album. This 10 song album played with acoustic guitar and distorted vocals, shows off a side of Eilish’s artistry which has not been seen by fans. HIT ME HARD AND SOFT demonstrates a range of emotions, themes, and tones, making it palatable and relatable for any listener.
A noticeable theme of HIT ME HARD AND SOFT, is that of love and self discovery within a romantic relationship. While Eilish keeps a relatively private and low-profile lifestyle, some of Eilish’s relationships have been public: such as with singer Jesse Rutherford and rapper Brandon ‘Q’ Adams.The heartfelt song, “THE GREATEST” considers the sacrifices made for love, possibly hinting at one of her past relationships. In the chorus, Eilish details the pains of being used in a relationship with the lyrics, “All my love and patience/All my admiration/All the times I waited/For you to want me naked/Made it all look painless/Man, am I the greatest.” Eilish uses tones of resentment and sarcasm to drive a message that hits close to the heart. The song ends full circle with Eilish saying “You could’ve been the greatest,” which reflects a sentiment of broken trust and lost hope in the relationship. Appearing later in the album, “BITTERSUITE” is not the typical sounding love song. However, when looking into the lyrics, “BITTERSUITE” exemplifies themes of romance. Eilish starts the song with the lyric “I can’t fall in love with you,” but by the end of the song, Eilish switches to a more romantic tone with “L’amour de ma vie/Love so bittersweet/Open up the door for me.”
Eilish also explores sexuality in her album. The singer first publicly discussed her sexuality in a cover story with Variety and has become more open about it. In her album, she discusses themes of her sexuality and queer discovery. “LUNCH” has a catchy, almost RNB vibe to it, making it a fun listen. The song can be taken from the perspective of a girl craving for another girl’s love. The song has a seductive and sexy vibe to it, with heavy breathing at the ending. The lyrics can be interpreted in different ways. Lines like “I could eat that girl for lunch/Yeah, she dances on my tongue/Tastes like she might be the one/And I could never get enough/I could buy her so much stuff/It’s a craving, not a crush” might suggest a sensual meaning.
In the album, Eilish discusses the events of her life, including her life in the public eye and betrayals with friends. Over the years, Eilish has been the target of public criticism over her body image and appearance. “SKINNY” delves into fitting into societal standards and life in the public eye. Eilish discusses her body image in lyrics such as “People say I look happy
“Just because I got skinny/But the old me is still me and maybe the real me/And I think she’s pretty.”
“Skinny” by Billie Eilish
Eilish also talks about the idea of female singers being criticized or ostracized for aging: saying “Am I acting my age now?/Am I already on the way out?” “SKINNY” discusses the difficult aspects of Eilish’s life as a public figure. In addition, Eilish discusses a more personal event: namely her relationship and friendship. “WILDFLOWER” is supposedly about Eilish’s friendship with Jesse Rutherford’s ex-girlfriend, Devon Carlson. The song delves into comforting a friend through a breakup, then committing the betrayal of dating the person they broke up with. Eilish alludes to this with lyrics “She was cryin’ on my shoulder/All I could do was hold her/Only made us closer until July/Now I know that you love me/You don’t need to remind me.” Eilish also portrays her doubt and guilt over her actions by saying “But every time you touch me, I just wonder how she felt” and “I see her in the back of my mind all the time/Feels like a fever, like I’m burning alive, like a sign/Did I cross the line?” With songs such as these, Eilish gives fans a more intimate look into her feelings and the events of her life.
Eilish’s lyrics always amaze, but her stylistic choices truly shone in HIT ME HARD AND SOFT. This album is dynamic: the first songs have a more acoustic tone, then shifting to a more electric and synthpop style. The beginning of the album tends to have a more acoustic sound, with lots of guitar. “L’AMOUR DE MA VIE” marks a shift from this, with the middle of the song gaining a more 80s, funky sound. The later songs of the album gain this more electronic sound. “THE DINER” has a more electronic and even creepy sound to it. Reminiscent of Eilish’s debut album, “THE DINER ” employs more vocal filters and sound effects. Musically, this album feels the most authentically like Billie Eilish.
“BLUE” closes off the album with an ambiguous ending. At the end, Eilish says “But when can I hear the next one?”, conveying the message that Billie Eilish is only just getting started. By combining many elements of her signature style, HIT ME HARD AND SOFT feels like a full circle album. Eilish is able to blend the styles of WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO? and Happier Than Ever to create a diverse album which exemplifies Eilish’s unique artistry.
I write for my school's newspaper, the Panther Prints, and serve as the Creative Director. I am a life-long music fan and I love listening to all types of music: from Bollywood to 70's rock to 2010's pop. Some of my favorite artists include: Arijit Singh, Queen, Troye Sivan, and Jorja Smith. In addition, I learn Hindustani music and piano. Outside of music and writing, I love watching movies, listening to music, and reading. In college, I hope to pursue a minor in journalism and keep up with my love for writing!
