my thoughts on Billie Eilish’s album “Happier Than Ever”
Hey everyone! In this post, I’ll be reviewing the highly anticipated album by Billie Eilish Called Happier Than Ever. This is the first full length Billie Eilish album that I’ve listened to from start to finish. She kicks the album off strong with a great intro with the song Getting Older. My favorite part of the song is the chorus when she says, “Things I once enjoyed
Just keep me employed now”. That line made me think about how outside things can make what was once more of a hobby than a job become more of a job and less of a hobby. For example, you could get a job that you really like, and then new management comes in and makes your job more of a pain and less enjoyable than it used to be. Another memorable line from the song is when she says, “Things I’m longing for, someday, I’ll be bored of”. It’s crazy how that happens with new products when we get them. For example, we get a new car or new shoes and we’re super excited for the first week or so, but then after about a month, that excitement wears off and it just becomes this car that we’re used to driving or shoes that we’re used to wearing. When she says, “It’s so weird
That we care so much, until we don’t” it made me think about girls I had crushes on from high school or college and back then it hurt me when things didn’t work out. It hurt me even more because at that time in my life I prioritized women way more than I should have. But now, as I look back on those situations, what was once a major heartbreak, I now feel indifferent towards the situation because I understand that life went on regardless and even though I thought I needed that person to be happy, it turns out I can be happy without them too. With the line, “I’m happier than ever, At least that’s my endeavor, To keep myself together and prioritize my pleasure” it reminded me of the ups and downs in dental school, trying to find balance to keep from burning out and just failing more than I ever have at something. So with this line, its a reminder to strive to make time for things like listening to music, spending time with friends, and working out that will keep me happier than ever and bring me pleasure.
On the 2nd song, I didn’t change my number, Billie Eilish talks about the process of cutting someone like an ex out of her life. I also love how the best changed towards the end of the song. On the 3rd song, Billie Bossa Nova, she talks about one person having an obsession with another and it kind of gave me vibes of Eminem’s song Stan. On the 4th track my future, she talks about the struggle prioritizing yourself when you’re chasing your dreams. She says, “‘Cause I, I’m in love, With my future, Can’t wait to meet her.” When she says can’t wait to meet her, she’s saying she can’t wait to see all her hard work pay off. When she says, “I know supposedly I’m lonely now, Know I’m supposed to be unhappy, Without someone, But aren’t I someone?” I love this line because it talks about how we tend to compare ourselves to others and whether that’s because we have friends that are in relationships or getting married and starting families, we tend to feel like we need to be in a relationship to keep up. But in reality, the key is to find yourself before you find your soulmate because you can’t find the person you’re meant to be with if you don’t find yourself.
When she says, “But I know better, Than to drive you home”. I feel like she’s talking about hanging out with a person who she knows is gonna distract her from reaching her goals. On the 5th song, oxytocin, I had forgotten what exactly oxytocin does so I looked it up and found out that it’s known as the love hormone because it increases when you give someone a hug. And this was the first song I didn’t really like on the album after a first listen. I think it was something with the beat that I wasn’t really feeling. She picked right back up with the 6th song Goldwing though.
I love the intro and it reminded be of something I would have read in Romeo and Juliet or something so let me know in the comments below if the opening is from a movie or something. She says, “Gold winged Angel, Go home, Don’t tell, Anyone, What you are”. I believe she was alluding to how people want to use someone for their talents just to disown them when being associated with them no longer benefits them. This can be a good thing because at the same time, adversity will reveal a person’s true colors. For example, looking back, I’m sure Justin Bieber is glad he went through the things he went through because he got to see who was still by his side when it seemed like the world had turned its back on him.
When she says ”Gonna’ claim you like a souvenir, Just to sell you in a year.” It reminded me of Simone Biles and the situation she’s in with the Olympics in Tokyo. Even though there have been some people that were quick to criticize her, she said in an interview that because of the outpouring of support people have shown her, for the first time she feels valued for being more than a gymnast.
On track 7, lost cause, Billie Eilish talks about how she used to want someone who had no goals or ambitions and used “the system” as an excuse to not apply themselves. On track 8, Hailey’s comet, I’m a big fan of the beat and how soothing it is. The song appears to be about a long distance relationship because of the line, “I haven’t slept since since Sunday, Midnight for me is 3 AM for you.” Track 9 is called not my responsibility and I like the switch up of the whole song being spoken word. The line, “Some people use it to shame others, Some people use it to shame me”. It reminded me of the double standard that can exist with women in the industry where people want women to wear clothes, but not too much clothes or clothes that fit too big because then it could be harder to market them.
On the 10th track overheated, it seems like she is talking about being fed up with the media and it seems like a big FU to the tabloids and people who make up false stories. On track 11, everybody dies, she gets very honest about our mortality and she explores it from the mindset of a child with curiosity. I already did a review for the 12th track, Your Power, but with the opening line, when she says, “try not to abuse your power” it reminded me of a person or a manager who recently got a promotion and now has more power than they ever have and it’s important to not let that power get to their head.
I also did a review for track 13, NDA, but I love the beat and how it makes me feel like I’m either following someone, or being followed. Track 14 is called therefore I am and one of the quotes from the song is “top of the world, but your world isn’t real, your world’s an ideal”. It seems like the song is about an ex who was very full of himself and the title seems to making fun of him based on its placement in the song. On track 15, Happier than ever, she says, I could talk about every time that you showed up on time, But I’d have an empty line ’cause you never did”. I love that line because it reminds me of times when I was really into a certain girl, and they didn’t reciprocate the energy I was giving them, so I just tried harder. I also like how she brought up the idea of being a kid again and just knowing much better at the time. I also liked the beast switch up at the end that made it feel like a rock song. On the last track of the album, we get male fantasy and in this song, it seems like she’s struggling to get over a past relationship. In the song she say, “Guess it’s hard to know, When nobody else comes around, If I’m getting over you”. Sometimes I think this can be the opposite because if the person comes around too fast, you won’t know then either because then it can be tough to tell if you’re getting with someone because you’re lonely and wanna be with someone or if you’re truly over your ex.
Overall, this was a really good album and I definitely enjoyed my first listen of Happier Than Ever. I would rate the album a 9/10 with my favorite tracks being, getting older, my future, goldwing, Halley’s comet, and NDA. The only song I didn’t like on here was oxytocin. Let me know what you guys think about Billie Eilish’s album in the comments below!
