"Wish You Were Gay" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Billie Eilish | ||||
from the album When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? | ||||
Written | c. 2015–2016 | |||
Released | March 4, 2019 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:41 | |||
Label |
| |||
Songwriter(s) |
| |||
Producer(s) | Finneas | |||
Billie Eilish singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Audio | ||||
"Wish You Were Gay" on YouTube |
"Wish You Were Gay" is a song by American singer-songwriter Billie Eilish and the fourth single from her debut studio album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? (2019). It was released on March 4, 2019, through Darkroom and Interscope Records. Eilish wrote "Wish You Were Gay" with its producer, her brother Finneas O'Connell, when she was 14 years old. A classic pop song, it incorporates an acoustic guitar, a sound of cracking knuckles as percussion, canned laughter, and applause from an audience. In the lyrics, she seeks a reason for why a male love interest does not like her back; she hopes that he may be attracted only to men.
Music critics had mixed opinions about its themes. Some liked its relatability and honesty, and others deemed it insensitive. It received backlash from some of Eilish's fans, who interpreted the title and lyrics as an act of queerbaiting. In response, she stated the lyrics were not intended to be offensive to the queer community. About the production, some critics appreciated what they deemed an unconventional yet catchy composition, while some thought that "Wish You Were Gay" took an unsuccessful risk sonically.
The song's commercial performance helped to propel Eilish to mainstream fame. It peaked at number 31 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and it reached the top 5 of singles charts in Australia, Latvia, Lithuania, and New Zealand. Among its many certifications are a platinum one from the Recording Industry Association of America and a triple-platinum one from the Australian Recording Industry Association. Throughout 2019, Eilish performed "Wish You Were Gay" in two concerts and three music festivals. She embarked on two world tours in support of When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?—one in 2019 and another in 2020—the set lists for which featured the song.
Billie Eilish wrote "Wish You Were Gay" when she was 14 years old, about a boy in whom she took a romantic interest. [1] [note 1] She introduced the song and previewed a demo of it to her fans through her Instagram account in July 2018. Eilish explained that the boy did not reciprocate her feelings; she felt distraught that he did not love her back. Seeking a rationale for his disinterest in her, she hoped that he was attracted only to men: "[The song] literally means I wish he was gay so that he didn't like me for an actual reason, instead of the fact that he didn't like me." Some time after songwriting, the boy approached Eilish and came out to her as gay. About the situation, she commented that she "wrote the song and made him fuck a dude. I'm fucking proud bro except not really though because I was really into him, like so into him, he's so hot oh my god." She stated that the lyrics were not meant to be offensive to the queer community. [3] [4]
"Wish You Were Gay" was released as the fourth single from Eilish's debut studio album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? (2019), [5] on March 4, 2019. Eilish announced in a press release that for the next 48 hours, a portion of proceeds from her online merchandise store would go to the Trevor Project, a crisis and suicide prevention program for queer children. [6] [7] A supplementary YouTube video accompanied the release, in which Eilish and the song's producer, her brother Finneas O'Connell, broke down the inspiration behind "Wish You Were Gay". She explained: "This was a situation where I was fucking all for this kid, like oh my god. It was the kind of love where everything was thrown out there and nothing was latched onto." [8] The next year, on March 25, Eilish posted to Instagram about the songs that inspired each track from the album. For "Wish You Were Gay", she said that she was inspired by "Body Count" by Jessie Reyez, "Eres Tú" by Carla Morrison, and "Boy" by Anne-Marie. [9] [10]
Music critics classified "Wish You Were Gay" as a pop or classic pop song with influences of jazz music. [11] [12] [13] With a runtime of 3 minutes and 41 seconds, [14] it begins with Eilish's voice over acoustic guitar chords. [11] Later, a rhythm consisting of cracking knuckles appears. [15] Canned laughter and the sound of shouting children play as reactions to some lines she sings. [16] [17] "Wish You Were Gay" closes with a sample of a round of applause; Jon Pareles from The New York Times considered the song's inclusion of an audience an attempt at highlighting its theatrical elements. [11] During an interview with MTV, Finneas shared that he wanted its production to go a "bombastic, triumphant place". He hoped that by using clapping and stomping noises to create a heavy beat, he was able to give it an "exciting" climax. About the laugh track, he remarked: "I don't really have a justification for that. I just thought it would be cool [...] There's something weird about it." [18]
The song centers on Eilish's frustration around her unreciprocated love for a boy, and she sings about how he often ignores her when she tries to interact. To provide herself a reason for his disinterest, she hopes that he lacks any attraction not just for her, but for all girls. [6] [8] She takes a facetious, self-centered tone in the lyrics; [19] [20] [21] to her, any other reason for her unrequited feelings wounds her ego, so she resorts to an explanation that is easier to accept. [22] Eilish makes jokes about her heartbreak to cope with the situation. [23] She summarized "Wish You Were Gay" in an interview with radio personality Zane Lowe: "it's a selfish song. It's a goofy, selfish joke, you know?" [24] Rob Haskell of Vogue analyzed that by singing "I can't tell you how much I wish I didn't wanna stay", Eilish attempts to maintain an impression of ambivalence about her lack of reciprocation through a double negative. [25] The lyrics incorporate a countdown, [6] [26] shown in lines such as "if three's a crowd and two was us, one slipped away". [5]
Some music critics praised "Wish You Were Gay" for what they deemed an unconventional yet catchy production, [17] [27] such as Chloe Gilke of Uproxx , who compared it positively to Eilish's previous works. She commended how Eilish and Finneas used "unexpected vocal flourishes and offbeat sounds" to create, in her view, an "immaculate" tune. [17] Meanwhile, a few considered its production risky but found the risk unsuccessful, saying it caused the album to "stumble" midway through its runtime. [28] [29] Pitchfork 's Stacey Anderson favored Eilish's vocals, [30] and journalist Robert Christgau shared similar opinions, calling her voice "tunefully cooed". [27] However, Anderson was less positive about the use of a laugh track and self-centered lyrics. [30]
The song received backlash for its lyrics related to homosexual attraction. [5] [31] [32] Some of Eilish's fans—many of whom were queer—expected her to release a gay anthem or come out as being attracted to women based on the title. Once they found out what "Wish You Were Gay" was about, they criticized it for what they perceived as queerbaiting, which is an act of hinting at the possibility of a same-gender romance but never depicting it explicitly to draw attention. [note 2] A number of fans were mad at Eilish's remark about making the song's subject "fuck a dude". [38] Others suggested that she was objectifying gay men, [33] while some said that critics were misinterpreting "Wish You Were Gay" or should not have expected it to be for the queer community. [39] Eilish responded to the criticisms, clarifying the meaning of the song and stating that detractors might have missed the point of the lyrics. [34] She reiterated that she sought to portray herself as a "selfish ass" and write as inoffensively as possible, [36] but she expressed understanding that to use the word "gay" in such a manner was insensitive. [31] She also commented that listeners could still interpret "Wish You Were Gay" from a queer character's perspective. Eilish cited how a female friend who was attracted to women liked the song because she felt the lyrics resonated with her experiences with same-gender attraction. [40]
Music critics' reactions to the lyrics were mixed. Many appreciated its relatability in spite of childish or problematic undertones some thought were present within it. [note 3] Sean Ward for The Line of Best Fit wrote that the song "may be problematic in its desire to change someone's sexual orientation, yet the burning teenage frustrations of unrequited lust are captured exceptionally here". [45] Some were positive about the honest and humorous way Eilish handled her situation; [23] [46] [47] one praised the countdown incorporated in the lyrics as clever. [26] On the other hand, Vulture 's Craig Jenkins was unimpressed with the song, of the opinion that Eilish had a "silly" way of dealing with her rejection. [48] A few staff members for Atwood Magazine criticized its central theme as insensitive. One of them acknowledged that Eilish meant no offense with "Wish You Were Gay" but argued that if she knew that homosexuality was a sensitive topic to discuss, she should have thought twice about writing lyrics that could be interpreted as trivializing gay life. [26] The Atlantic 's Spencer Kornhaber countered arguments to this effect. He wrote in a review of When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go: "Eilish isn't shading a guy’s effeminacy; she's just treating sexuality as no big deal by wishing that he had an ulterior motive for rejecting her." [49]
"Wish You Were Gay" helped to propel Eilish to mainstream success; [46] [50] in 2021, Billboard ranked it as her 10th biggest song on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. [51] The song debuted on the chart at number 74, and it climbed to number 59 the next week, making it Eilish's third song to reach the chart's top 60. [52] [53] On April 13, 2019, 14 of Eilish's songs were on the Billboard Hot 100—"Wish You Were Gay" was one of them. This broke the record for the most simultaneous Billboard Hot 100 entries by a woman, until Taylor Swift took the record with all 18 tracks from Lover (2019). [54] [55] "Wish You Were Gay" reached its chart peak that day at number 31. [54] [51] By May, the song acquired over 175 million streams on Spotify. [5] "Wish You Were Gay" is certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), denoting track-equivalent sales of 1,000,000 units in the US based on sales and streams. [56]
When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? was released on March 29, 2019. [57] After the album's release, during the start of April 2019, "Wish You Were Gay" jumped from number 42 to its peak of number 13 in the UK Singles Chart. It joined other album tracks "Bad Guy" and "Bury a Friend" in the top 20. [58] [59] In the Irish Singles Chart, where the three songs reached the top 10, "Wish You Were Gay" climbed to a new, all-time peak of number 6. [60] [61] By mid-April, the three were also in the top 10 of the singles chart published by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). "Wish You Were Gay" placed at number 9 during that time, [62] and it eventually peaked at number 5 in the chart. [63] The song reached the top 20 in Austria, [64] Canada, [65] the Czech Republic, [66] Finland, [67] France, [68] Latvia, [69] Lithuania, [70] Malaysia, [71] New Zealand, [72] Norway, [71] Portugal, [73] Singapore, [74] and Sweden. [75]
Less than 24 hours after its release, Eilish performed "Wish You Were Gay" alongside other songs from her debut extended play, Don't Smile at Me (2017). [76] She shared a video of the performance to YouTube around a month later, on April 30. [77] Eilish also sang "Wish You Were Gay" in a concert she hosted in the Greek Theatre of Los Angeles on July 12, 2019. [78] The song was in the set lists of tours in support of When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?: one in 2019 and another in 2020. [79] [80]
During 2019, Eilish performed "Wish You Were Gay" at three music festivals: Coachella in April, [81] Glastonbury in June, [82] and Pukkelpop in August. [83] She performed the song for BBC Radio 1 at Maida Vale Studios, London. [84] During a show for MTV Push, Eilish sang it alongside two other tracks from When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?, "Xanny" and "When the Party's Over". [85] "Wish You Were Gay" was one of many songs that Eilish played after receiving Artist of the Year during the first annual Apple Music Awards in December 2019. [86]
Credits adapted from Tidal. [87]
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA) [111] | 3× Platinum | 210,000‡ |
Austria (IFPI Austria) [112] | Platinum | 30,000‡ |
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil) [113] | Diamond | 160,000‡ |
Canada (Music Canada) [114] | Gold | 40,000‡ |
Denmark (IFPI Danmark) [115] | Platinum | 90,000‡ |
Italy (FIMI) [116] | Gold | 35,000‡ |
Mexico (AMPROFON) [117] | Diamond+Gold | 330,000‡ |
New Zealand (RMNZ) [118] | Gold | 15,000‡ |
Norway (IFPI Norway) [119] | Gold | 30,000‡ |
Poland (ZPAV) [120] | Platinum | 20,000‡ |
Portugal (AFP) [121] | Platinum | 10,000‡ |
Spain (PROMUSICAE) [122] | Gold | 30,000‡ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [123] | Platinum | 600,000‡ |
United States (RIAA) [56] | Platinum | 1,000,000‡ |
Streaming | ||
Sweden (GLF) [124] | Gold | 6,000,000† |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
"Bellyache" is a song by American singer Billie Eilish from her debut EP, Don't Smile at Me (2017). The song was released as the EP's second single on February 24, 2017, through Darkroom and Interscope Records. It was written by Eilish and Finneas O'Connell, with production being handled by the latter. A midtempo electropop, R&B, and alternative hip hop song, it has hip hop, deep house and Latin macabre influences. Lyrically, the song is written from the perspective of a psychopathic murderer. A remix by Marian Hill was released on May 5, 2017. The song received mainly positive reviews from music critics, several of whom praised the production and lyrics.
"Ocean Eyes" is a single by American singer Billie Eilish and was released as the lead single from her debut EP, Don't Smile at Me, and the soundtrack album to the film Everything, Everything (2018). The song was written and produced by Eilish's older brother, Finneas O'Connell, and was originally written for his band. Finneas gave the song to Eilish for her dance performance after realizing the song suited her vocals. It was originally released on SoundCloud on November 18, 2015, but was later re-released commercially on November 18, 2016, as a single through Darkroom and Interscope Records.
Billie Eilish Pirate Baird O'Connell is an American singer and songwriter. She first gained public attention in 2015 with her debut single "Ocean Eyes", written and produced by her brother Finneas O'Connell, with whom she collaborates on music and live shows. In 2017, she released her debut extended play (EP), Don't Smile at Me. Commercially successful, it reached the top 15 of record charts in numerous countries, including the US, UK, Canada, and Australia.
Don't Smile at Me is the debut extended play by American singer Billie Eilish, released on August 11, 2017, via Darkroom and Interscope Records. Eilish and her brother Finneas O'Connell wrote most of the material on the EP and were solely responsible for its production. It is an electropop and bedroom pop record with elements of R&B and jazz.
"Lovely" is a song by American singers Billie Eilish and Khalid. Darkroom and Interscope Records released it as the lead single from the Netflix drama series 13 Reasons Why's second season soundtrack. The artists wrote the song with Eilish's brother and producer Finneas O'Connell. The song has been described as a chamber pop ballad whose lyrics recount Eilish and Khalid trying to overcome serious depression together. The song also appears on the expanded version of Eilish's EP Don't Smile at Me.
"You Should See Me in a Crown" is a song by American singer-songwriter Billie Eilish and the lead single of her debut studio album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? (2019). It was released on July 18, 2018, through Darkroom and Interscope Records. It was written by Eilish and her brother Finneas O'Connell, who also produced the track. The song received positive reviews and charted in countries including the US, Canada and Australia.
"When the Party's Over" is a song by American singer-songwriter Billie Eilish and the second single from her debut studio album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? (2019). It was released on October 17, 2018, through Darkroom and Interscope Records. It was written and produced by Finneas O'Connell.
American singer-songwriter Billie Eilish has released 3 studio albums, 1 live album, 1 video album, 2 extended plays (EPs), 34 singles, 1 promotional single, and 30 music videos. According to RIAA, she has sold 45.5 million digital singles and 5 million albums. IFPI crowned "Bad Guy" as 2019's biggest selling single globally, selling 19.5 million units in a year span. Eilish is regarded by various media outlets as the "Queen of Gen-Z Pop". At age 17, she became the youngest female artist in UK chart history to score a number-one album. As of October 2021, Eilish has accumulated 76.7 billion career streams worldwide. According to IFPI, Eilish was the 4th best-selling artist of 2019 and 5th best-selling artist of 2020.
"Idontwannabeyouanymore" is a song by American singer Billie Eilish from her debut EP, Don't Smile at Me (2017). Eilish and her brother, Finneas O'Connell, co-wrote the song, with the latter solely handling the production. It was released through Darkroom and Interscope Records on July 21, 2017, as the fifth single from the EP. Musically, the song is pop and R&B track with a jazz and neo soul-influenced melody, that was heavily inspired by Eilish being depressed.
"Come Out and Play" is a song by American singer-songwriter Billie Eilish. It was released for digital download and streaming as a single on November 20, 2018, through Darkroom and Interscope Records. Eilish wrote the song with its producer, her brother Finneas O'Connell. A lullaby-influenced midtempo pop ballad, Eilish's lyrics within the song address several topics, including her attempting to beg a friend to no longer hide away. The song was released alongside a festive commercial for technology company Apple, for which it is used as the soundtrack. Eilish included the song in the Japanese edition of her debut When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? (2019).
When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Billie Eilish. It was released on March 29, 2019, by Darkroom and Interscope Records in the US and Polydor Records in the UK. Eilish, aged 17 at the time of release, largely wrote the album with her brother Finneas O'Connell, who produced it at his small bedroom studio in Highland Park, Los Angeles.
"Bury a Friend" is a song by American singer-songwriter Billie Eilish and the third single from her debut studio album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? (2019). It was released on January 30, 2019, and serviced to US alternative radio stations on February 19, 2019, through Darkroom and Interscope Records. The song was described as synth-pop, electronica, electropop and industrial in press reviews, for which hip hop beats, percussion, and a synthesizer provide minimalist instrumentation. Within the dark and violent lyrics, Eilish sings from the perspective of a monster under someone's bed. Her vocals are subtle and treated with layers of vocal effects. Eilish wrote the song with its producer, Finneas O'Connell.
"Bad Guy" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Billie Eilish and the fifth single from her first studio album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? (2019). It was released on March 29, 2019, by Darkroom and Interscope Records. The song was described by media as electropop, dance-pop, and trap-pop with minimalist instrumentation. In the lyrics, Eilish taunts someone for being tough while suggesting that she is a more resilient bad guy than he is. Eilish wrote "Bad Guy" with its producer Finneas O'Connell. Another version of the song, a collaboration with the Canadian singer Justin Bieber, was released on July 11, 2019.
"Xanny" is a song by American singer Billie Eilish. The song is the first promotional single from her debut studio album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? (2019). The singer and her brother Finneas O'Connell co-wrote it, whilst the latter handled its production. Musically, it was described as a mid-tempo and jazz-influenced pop ballad. Eilish recalled being inspired by several artists during the track's creation, most notably by Frank Sinatra. Productionwise, her distorted falsetto vocals are prominently layered over a similarly deformed bass in the drop of "Xanny", replicating the feeling of secondhand smoke. Lyrically, Eilish addresses substance abuse among teenagers; she was specifically inspired by the negative effects it had on her friends and ultimately on her.
"My Strange Addiction" is a song by American singer Billie Eilish from her debut studio album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? (2019). It was written by her brother Finneas O'Connell, who also produced the song. The song has been certified platinum in the US and Canada and has reached number 43 on the US Billboard Hot 100. It also peaked at number 12 in Australia, 21 in Canada and New Zealand, 39 in Ireland and Norway, 46 in Sweden, 51 in the Netherlands and at 100 in Italy.
"I Love You" is a song by American singer Billie Eilish from her debut studio album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? (2019). Eilish co-wrote the song with her brother Finneas O'Connell, who also handled production. As the 13th track on the album, "I Love You" is an acoustic guitar-based ballad accompanied by various plane-related noises, where Eilish's lyrics describe the resistance to falling in love with someone.
"All the Good Girls Go to Hell" is a song by American singer-songwriter Billie Eilish and the sixth single from her debut studio album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? (2019). It was released on September 6, 2019, through Darkroom and Interscope Records. A pop track, "All the Good Girls Go to Hell" sees Eilish sing about climate change. She wrote the song with its producer, Finneas O'Connell.
"Everything I Wanted" is a song by American singer and songwriter Billie Eilish, and co-written by Eilish and her brother Finneas O'Connell, who also produced it. Darkroom and Interscope Records released the track as a standalone single on November 15, 2019, and later added it to the deluxe edition of Eilish's debut studio album When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? (2019) in December that year. It is a house and electronica-influenced pop and alternative pop track with minimal piano and downtempo bass guitar instrumentation. Inspired by a nightmare she experienced, the song is about Eilish's strong relationship with O'Connell and his protectiveness of her from harm.
"Ilomilo" is a song by American singer-songwriter Billie Eilish and the seventh, and final single from her debut studio album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? (2019). The song was released to Italian contemporary hit radio stations on April 10, 2020, by Universal Music Group, and to US alternative radio on May 26, 2020, through Darkroom and Interscope Records. Musically an electropop, electronic, and industrial track with ska-influenced instrumentation, the song was heavily inspired by the puzzle video game of the same name. The track also references "Bury a Friend", its predecessor on the album track list. Eilish wrote the song with her producer, Finneas O'Connell.