Happier Than Ever

No, this isn't an announcement of a magical cure to all my problems and that fat grey cloud that seems to be obsessed with hanging over my head. But it's almost as good! I'm quite fond of Billie Eilish's music, especially her album WWAFAWDWG. Favourite songs off of that album would have to be bury a friend and i love you, but I'll go over that another day.

When I heard she was going to be releasing another album I was super excited, and I even got lucky enough to get tickets to her concert next year. Upon first listen-through of Happier Than Ever, I wasn't nearly as impressed or moved as by WWAFAWDWG, but the album has really been growing on me. So, to avoid the scary chapter of complex analysis I should be reading right now, I thought I'd put on the album in order, listen through, and type out my thoughts as I go. Call it self care, I need to take a break from studying.

I'll be listening through Apple Music (not an ad, just think it's a great platform), and if there's any specific parts of the song I want to reference I'll use timestamps. Enjoy, and listen through as you read!

1. Getting Older

Okay, right off the bat, I love the vibe this song is giving off. The synth line is lovely and very... cozy. Lyrics seem to really speak to her growth, especially when you consider she was 15 upon the release of her previous album and she's now 19. That's a big enough jump in age, but if you also consider her fame then you realize that there has been a TON of wisdom accumulated by her. 

1:36, still a very cozy, calm feeling. I can imagine listening to this on a rainy day, sitting under cozy blankets drinking a cup of hot cocoa. 2:18, love the addition of the extra sounds to go with the synth. "Things I once enjoyed / Just keep me employed now", this line makes me wonder if she went through a bit of a moment of being overwhelmed by her passion, music, becoming a job. I think it's a relatable line for anyone who has gone into a career that they used to love, but got sick of doing every day over and over again. Hence why I'm not building a career out of a hobby I love.

3:23, absolutely LOVE the addition of the gentle drum. The overall musicality of this song is really pleasant and I enjoyed the gentle changes made in each verse. 8/10

2. I Didn't Change My Number

Okay, the first time I listened to this album was the night of its release and it was 11pm or so, I had my lights off, lying in bed with earbuds in, the music was pretty loud, and then after Getting Older I absolutely jumped out of my skin with the start of this song. It was unexpected but I got a good laugh out of it afterwards.

Definitely very different from the first track. This was when I started getting the vibe that this album would be a lot about relationships and self-worth. 

The groove of this song isn't my favourite, but definitely something I can see myself jamming out to if I'm in the right mood. 1:51 to the end is probably my least favourite part of the album. Personally I just don't really like the sound of the synth they used and it grates a bit on my ears. However, it's very much personal taste as I know of a number of people who absolutely love it. 6/10

3. Billie Bossa Nova

This one has really grown on me. Upon first listen through, I was reading the lyrics of each song too, and I was super surprised by how NSFW this song was since it was quite out of the character I used to be used to from her. However, the more I listen to this song, the more I love it. It sounds like the kind of song someone would sing if they were a young adult, growing into their sexuality, and gaining confidence. Not to mention the groove of this song is fantastic. 

I think the sultry groove, the lyrics, the light breathing in the choruses, all of it together makes for a great song. Just maybe not the best for little kids. 8/10

4. my future

This one was released as a single long before the album was even announced, and to be honest I overplayed it and started to hate it. At the time of its release it was super weird compared to her usual music, so I just wasn't as fond of it to start with.

As such, I'm still quite biased against the song, but I'm trying not to listen to it too often in order to hopefully gain back some liking for it. 

Lyrically, I now I understand where the theme is coming from because it fits in very well with the rest of the album. It has those same lines of growing up, having self-worth, and trying to remain optimistic about the future. As much as I don't like the song, I think it's one of the most representative songs of what the overarching themes of the album are. 5/10

5. Oxytocin

Okay haha this song really caught me off guard. Definitely NSFW. It gave me some Die Antwoord vibes with the breath-iness and the the musicality. 

I can totally see this being played in a night club, or some kind of teenage party with the popular kids attending. Personally not my favourite song, it's a little too lude for my usual comfort, but the beat has been growing on me and I can see how it can be a really fun party song. I wonder how awkward it must've been to write this song with her brother. 5/10

6. GOLDWING

Total 180 from the last song. The first half was a WTF moment because a hymn was the last thing I expected from her. I'd love an interview where she talks about this song since it's very unique for her usual style.

I'm not religious and I don't usually like hymns, they're just not my kind of music, so initially I thought I'd hate the rest of the song. And then 0:55 came and I thought, wait, what? And suddenly it became one of my favourite songs on the album. I love the transition, I love the vibes, I love her voice in this song, and above all I love 1:40 onwards. There is just something about the musicality that gives me goosebumps and this is the one song I can't get enough of. Part of me wishes the song was longer (it's 2:31 long), but at the same time I recognize that the shortness of it is part of what makes it so special, because its this short moment where you're so confused and amazed and then it's over before you know it, so you can't get enough of it. If it was longer it may have lost some of that magic. 9/10

7. Lost Cause

Oh boy, so this song is a weird one for me. I watched it with the music video when it came out a few months ago, and the music video kind of ruined it for me. It's cool that she was having a good time, but I'm not a party girl, and the music video with the constant shot changes made me a bit disoriented. 

Since then I haven't listened to it much, but I've been listening to it without the video and it's gotten a bit better. This song is the one that really solidified the relationships aspect of the album for me. I feel like this would be a great angry-breakup kind of song. The musicality isn't as impressive as some of the other songs, but I can see myself enjoying this song more over time. 4/10

8. Halley's Comet

What a cute little song! "But in my dreams, I seem to be more honest / and I must admit, you've been in quite a few" is such a sweet line. I always thought "Halley" was pronounced "hah-lee" rather than "hey-lee", and the line "I haven't slept since Sunday" makes me wonder which day of the week it is right now, so those were two interesting points for me. Besides that though, this song is sweet, it's nice to hear a love song on the album along with the countless breakup songs. 2:45 is an interesting transition, I think I like the first half of the song more, but the second half fits well with the album too. 7/10

9. Not My Responsibility

As far as I know, this actually started out as a video with audio that she played at some of her concerts. As such, I'm not going to treat this as a song, but rather just comment on the message of it.

This came at a time of really heavy judgement from various people of her body and weight. She's not your typical stick-thin plastic celebrity, and apparently that offends some people. I think this track was brave of her to write and produce, and it's such a slap in the face of judgemental idiots who think that women are objects, or that the only pretty woman is a skinny one, or that there is such a thing as the "perfect proportion". The track also touches on some double standards that women deal with. As a message? 10/10

10. OverHeated

I had to rewind to the end of track 9 to hear the clean transition again. This is why I love to listen to albums in order, they tell a story and sometimes there's these wonderful transitions between songs. It starts at 3:38 of the previous track, and cleanly turns into this track.

Anyways, this song confuses me lyrically, so I'm still trying to understand what exactly the song is about, so not much comment there.

Musically, I enjoy the beat of the song, probably something I'd listen to in the evening while doing my stretches. I really like the layering of several voice tracks in the choruses. I quite like the short instrumental bit at the end. 7/10

11. Everybody Dies

Her voice sounds so soothing and beautiful in this song. I like that they didn't edit out her breaths, they make the song more raw (not sure of the right word to use). I like the addition of the bass line (or whatever it is) at 1:30, and the overall tone of the song is something I've been enjoying a lot. "It's just a lot to think about / the world I'm used to / the one I can't get back / at least not for a while" sounds like something I'd think about the global pandemic. I wouldn't be surprised if that's what the phrase of the song was intended to be about. As important as the changes to our daily lives have been to protect each other, I think a lot of us miss the "old days" where we could hang out with friends, go to a grocery store without being afraid, and be social face to face. 

I think this song is something I'd listen to if I lost a loved one, the song feels like a big warm hug and the lyrics are ones a lot of people can probably relate to. 8/10

12. Your Power

Another one that was released before the rest of the album, and again I overplayed it and started to dislike it... But it's growing on me again.

Based on her Instagram post when this song was released, I think it's about a lot of things, including police brutality and domestic violence. The music video was quite stunning so I highly recommend watching it.

At 1:16, the bass which is added (and then stays for the rest of the song) is super cool and I think it grounds the song a lot.

This song puts her voice on display and the acoustic feel of the song makes it a great display of her raw talent. 6/10

13. NDA

Ahhhhhhh. Watch the music video okay? Okay.

This song is probably in my top two favourites of the album. It talks about the absurdities of dating while famous, the groove is SO catchy, and I just cannot get enough of this song. It's the song that gives me the most WWAFAWDWG vibes on this album.

Right at 1:00 consistently gives me goosebumps. The musicality of this song is just so amazing. Whatever the little thing at 1:28 is, I also love that. At 1:40 the chain of lyrics includes a couple of the other song names on the album, which I didn't even notice until the entire album was released: "I've been having fun, getting older now / didn't change my number, made him shut his mouth / [...] / I thought about my future but I want it now". I thought that was a really nice addition and links together a lot of the album. 

Again at 2:19, chills man. There's just something about this song that really clicks with me. 10/10

14. Therefore I Am

Another gorgeous transition! Right from 3:03 of the previous track, through this song, it's so clean.

It took me a while to realize that this is a breakup song, but after looking closer at the lyrics I think it's about breaking up with someone on bad terms and not wanting the news to editorialize it. 

The song is super catchy, was definitely overplayed when it was released as a single, but I stopped listening to it for a while and now I really enjoy it again. 

This song is fun to sing along or dance to. I enjoy the groove, and the music video is kinda funny. Definitely a fun song. 8/10

15. Happier Than Ever

It's rare for me to even like a title song, but this is my favourite song on the album.

It starts out so chill, really mean if you look at the lyrics, but chill. Definitely a breakup song. I can totally see myself going through a breakup and just sobbing to this song. 

The guitar, the vocals, the melody, all of it in the beginning is just so lovely. I definitely didn't expect the transition upon my first listen-through. Major chills at 2:28. My brain legitimately went ????? the first time. This is like the anger part of a breakup. "You made me hate this city" at 2:57, just wow. I don't want to know what this person did to her to make it hurt that badly. 3:03 is the second wave of chills. And then the very end, "just f**king leave me alone", I really really love this song. 10/10

16. Male Fantasy

I think Happier Than Ever would've been a better final track than this one, since after HTE this song was a little bit of a let down. However it's still a great song.

Again, I love her vocals here. The acoustic sound is once again a nice change, I don't have too much comment on the song but I think it's fitting for the album. 8/10

I love her music so I'll write something similar up for her other albums, if there's an album, song, or artist you think I should check out then let me know in the comments.