Lunch (song)

Last updated

"Lunch"
Single by Billie Eilish
from the album Hit Me Hard and Soft
ReleasedMay 17, 2024 (2024-05-17)
Genre
Length3:00
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) Finneas
Billie Eilish singles chronology
"What Was I Made For?"
(2023)		"Lunch"
(2024)
Music video
"Lunch" on YouTube

"Lunch" is a song by American singer-songwriter Billie Eilish and the lead single from her third studio album, Hit Me Hard and Soft (2024). It was released on May 17, 2024. The song features a heavy bassline and lyrics that detail Eilish's same-gender sexual attraction, following her public confirmation that she liked both men and women. In the lyrics, which she wrote after realizing that she wanted to try cunnilingus, she describes that desire (and her general sexual appetite), saying she "could eat that girl for lunch".

Contents

Background

Speculation around Eilish's sexual orientation began when she released the music video for the single "Lost Cause" in 2021. [1] The video features Eilish in a slumber party with several women, doing various activities such as twerking, [2] playing Twister, [3] and spraying silly string. [4] Many fans and media outlets saw the video as homoerotic, [5] while others accused her of queerbaiting. [6] In response, Eilish posted behind-the-scenes pictures from the video on Instagram with the caption "I love girls". [7]

In November 2023, Eilish appeared for a Variety cover story, in which she discussed her relationship to sexuality and womanhood, as well as her frustration with people speculating on her sexual orientation. She said that she had always felt an emotional attraction to women alongside physical attraction, admitting that she can be overawed with women she found beautiful. [8] A month later, during a red carpet for the magazine's "Hitmakers" event, a reporter asked Eilish if her comments during her interview were meant as a coming out statement, to which she said that it was not the intention and that she thought her sexual orientation was already obvious. [9] When the event concluded, she took to Instagram to criticize the reporter for their question, accusing them of outing her and confirming she liked both men and women. [10]

Music and lyrics

During a 2024 Rolling Stone interview, Eilish spoke more about her sexual orientation while discussing her upcoming third studio album, Hit Me Hard and Soft (2024), and her creative process behind one of its songs. She said that writing "Lunch" helped her explore and confirm her same-gender attraction. [11] She created "Lunch" before her first sexual encounter with a woman and finished the song afterwards, fueled by the realization that she "wanted [her] face in a vagina". [12]

The song has been described as electro, [13] synth-rock, [14] and synth-pop. [15] Set over a heavy bassline, the song discusses Eilish's strong sexual desire for a woman and compares sex with her to eating lunch. [16] In the chorus, she describes how the woman tastes as she "dances on [Eilish's] tongue" and calls the experience irresistible. [17]

Release

Eilish debuted "Lunch" alongside two other songs from Hit Me Hard and Soft during a secret DJ set at Coachella 2024. [18] It is the second track on the album, released on May 17, 2024. [19] "Lunch" is the lead single from the album, released concurrently with the album's release. [20] The song was released to contemporary hit radio in the United States, [21] while Universal Music promoted it on radio airplay in Italy. [22] The music video for "Lunch", directed by Eilish, was released on May 17, 2024. [23]

Some music critics opined "Lunch" as one of the best songs from the album. Kitty Empire from The Guardian wrote the song as "a Sapphic synth-pop banger in which Eilish smacks her lips, wanting to devour someone tasty. Even better, towards the end of the song, the Eilish siblings pull out some of their most dancefloor-facing music to date. It ends too soon, on some panting". [15]

Charts

Chart performance for "Lunch"
Chart (2024)Peak
position
Australia (ARIA) [24] 5
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders) [25] 7
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia) [26] 24
Canada CHR/Top 40 ( Billboard ) [27] 21
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista) [28] 9
Germany (Official German Charts) [29] 5
Iceland (Plötutíðindi) [30] 5
Ireland (IRMA) [31] 5
Italy (FIMI) [32] 33
Japan Hot Overseas ( Billboard Japan ) [33] 10
Lithuania (AGATA) [34] 9
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) [35] 31
Netherlands (Single Top 100) [36] 4
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) [37] 3
Norway (VG-lista) [38] 4
South Korea BGM (Circle) [39] 42
South Korea Download (Circle) [40] 88
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan) [41] 9
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade) [42] 3
UK Singles (OCC) [43] 2
US Adult Top 40 ( Billboard ) [44] 24
US Mainstream Top 40 ( Billboard ) [45] 17
US Rock Airplay ( Billboard ) [46] 17

Release history

Release dates and formats for "Lunch"
RegionDateFormatLabel(s)Ref.
ItalyMay 17, 2024 Radio airplay Universal [22]
United States Contemporary hit radio
[21]

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References

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  2. ↑ Mamo, Heran (June 2, 2021). "Billie Eilish & Her Girl Squad Host PJ Dance Party in 'Lost Cause' Video". Billboard . Archived from the original on June 2, 2021. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
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