HIT ME HARD AND SOFT is the third studio album by American singer-songwrite… Read Full Bio ↴HIT ME HARD AND SOFT is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Billie Eilish, released on May 17, 2024, through Darkroom and Interscope Records. It is her first full-length studio album release since 2021's Happier Than Ever. Eilish co-wrote HIT ME HARD AND SOFT with her brother and frequent collaborator Finneas O'Connell, who also produced the album. Stylistically, it has been labeled as an alt-pop and bedroom pop album.
Upon release, HIT ME HARD AND SOFT received universal acclaim from critics, praising the production, songwriting, and vocal performances. It topped the charts in over 20 countries, including Australia, Canada, Germany, Ireland, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. In the United States, HIT ME HARD AND SOFT debuted at number two on the Billboard 200, and charted all 10 of its songs in the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100. The track "LUNCH" was released as the lead single concurrently. "BIRDS OF A FEATHER" was released as the second single from the album to great commercial success, peaking at number two on Billboard Hot 100 and in the top ten of several charts. At the 67th Annual Grammy Awards, the album and its songs received a total of seven nominations, including Album of the Year, Best Pop Vocal Album, Song of the Year and Record of the Year.
To support the album, Eilish has embarked on her seventh concert tour, Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour, which commenced on September 29, 2024.
Background and recording
Eilish co-wrote and recorded her second studio album, Happier Than Ever, at her brother Finneas' home recording studio, located in the basement of his Los Angeles residence. Recording took place weekly between April 2020 and February 2021, with the track listing finalized by the duo during the album's creation. Released on July 30, 2021, Happier Than Ever was met with critical acclaim and commercial success, topping the Billboard 200 and nominated twice at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards. Eilish surprise-released her second extended play (EP) Guitar Songs in July 2022. The following year, she released "What Was I Made For?" for the soundtrack to the fantasy-comedy film Barbie (2023); she was inspired to write the song after seeing unfinished scenes of the film during its production. The song won an Academy Award for Best Original Song and Grammy Awards for Song of the Year and Best Song Written for Visual Media.
In December 2021, Eilish began formulating ideas for her third studio album with O'Connell. In an interview with Zane Lowe for Apple Music, she mentioned that she hoped to start writing the album in 2023. In December 2023, Eilish said on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon that the album was "almost done". Three months later, she confirmed that the album had been mastered.
The album art, which was shot by underwater photographer William Drumm, depicts Eilish falling through a door frame into dark blue water. Eilish described the photoshoot, which took six hours to complete and involved her being repeatedly submerged for two minutes at a time with a weight attached to her shoulders and without goggles or nose plugs, as being one of the most painful experiences of her life.
Promotion and release
Various news articles reported billboards teasing snippets of lyrics for the album that appeared in multiple cities in Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States in April 2024; although it does not mention the artist's name, her signature "blohsh" was recognized. The promotional billboards display cryptic lyrics, such as "She's the headlights I'm the deer" or "Did I cross the line?". Eilish later changed her profile picture to a "blue circle" and shared another image with the caption saying "Do you know how to bend?". Eilish added her followers to an Instagram feature that lets limited accounts see exclusive stories, called "Close Friends". The post features a "lo-fi" image showcasing the artist's hand, and an image of her new midriff tattoo.
On April 29, 2024, Eilish announced Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour, her seventh concert tour, in support of the album. The North American leg of the tour started on September 29, 2024, at the Videotron Centre in Quebec City, Canada. The 2025 leg of the tour, covering Europe and Oceania, started on February 18, at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre.
Eilish previewed the songs "LUNCH", "L'AMOUR DE MA VIE", and "CHIHIRO" during a surprise DJ set at Coachella on April 13, 2024. In an interview published on April 24, she told Rolling Stone that she would not release singles prior to the album's release. She explained that she does not like singles before album releases because she "really like when things are out of context" and compared HIT ME HARD AND SOFT to "a family", adding that she " want one little kid in the middle of the room alone". In May, a preview of "CHIHIRO" was featured in a Fortnite trailer revealing Eilish's second in-game outfit. The song was also made available as a "Jam Track" to use in the Fortnite Festival mode alongside "LUNCH" and "THE DINER". Furthermore, a snippet of "BIRDS OF A FEATHER" was featured in a promotional clip for the third season of the Netflix series Heartstopper. On May 15 and May 16, Eilish held a listening party events for fans respectively at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn and Kia Forum in Inglewood, in both cases premiering the album in its entirety.
HIT ME HARD AND SOFT was released on May 17, 2024. The album was available for cassette, CD, digital download, streaming and vinyl. On May 19 and May 22, Eilish released for digital download the isolated vocals, slowed & reverb and sped up editions of the album, respectively.
Singles and music videos
"LUNCH" was released as the lead single in tandem with the album's release, along with its self-directed music video. The song debuted and peaked at number five on the US Billboard Hot 100. It also found international success, peaking within the top five in the UK, Germany, Australia and New Zealand, and various European countries.
An extended version of "L'AMOUR DE MA VIE" (OVER NOW) was released as a promotional single on May 22, 2024.
The music video for "CHIHIRO", directed by Eilish herself, was released on June 6, 2024. The song debuted at #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and charted for 20 weeks due to its streaming success, despite not receiving an official single release in the United States. It was sent to Italian radio on January 16, 2025.
"BIRDS OF A FEATHER" impacted US contemporary hit radio as the album's second official single on July 2, 2024. The music video for the song, directed by Aidan Zamiri, was released on September 27, 2024. The song was initially a fan favorite, debuting at number 13 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and organically rising into the top ten in subsequent weeks. It eventually grew into a worldwide success, peaking at number 2 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Global 200. The song also became the most-streamed song in a calendar year on Spotify in 2024, surpassing Sabrina Carpenter's "Espresso". It was nominated for Song of the Year, Record of the Year, and Best Pop Solo Performance at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards in 2025.
"WILDFLOWER" impacted US contemporary hit radio as the album's fourth single on February 28, 2025.
Critical reception
HIT ME HARD AND SOFT received widespread critical acclaim. On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized score out of 100 to ratings from professional publications, HIT ME HARD AND SOFT received a weighted mean score of 89, based on 22 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". In a five-star review, Helen Brown of The Independent praised how the album "whispers its way through a marvelous maze of music to deliver some big emotional wallops." Neil McCormick from The Daily Telegraph agreed in his own five-star assessment, opining that the "heartbreak masterpiece" is "rich, strange, smart, sad and wise enough" to stand in comparison with Joni Mitchell's Blue (1971).
Writing for The Guardian, Alexis Petridis complimented HIT ME HARD AND SOFT's "beautiful" melodies and "distinctive" lyrical touches, but wondered if some of its elements could be "a little too opaque" for its own good. NME's Thomas Smith felt that although Eilish wrote the album for herself, she created a record that will "resonate harder" than anything she has done before.
Year-end rankings
HIT ME HARD AND SOFT appeared on several publications' rankings of the best albums of 2024. It was placed second by Mesfin Fekadu of The Hollywood Reporter and Page Six. Top five by BBC, Billboard, Entertainment Weekly, Rolling Stone, Complex, DIY, FLOOD, Hot Press, The Boston Globe, The Guardian, Slant, and The Forty Five, and within the top ten by The New Yorker, NME, Los Angeles Times, Mondo Sonoro, The Sunday Times, KCRW, People Esquire Les Inrocks, and Dork. Publications that featured HIT ME HARD AND SOFT in the top fifteenth of their lists include Dazed, and The Independent. The record was also mentioned in unranked lists by AllMusic, The Associated Press, Cosmopolitan, HuffPost, Uproxx, Hypebeast, Vogue, Evening Standard, and Toronto Star.
On individual critics' lists, while The Philadelphia Inquirer's Dan DeLuca numbered HIT ME HARD AND SOFT at the seventh position, The album was ranked fourth by Variety's Willman, and respectively fourth and twelve by The New York Times' Jon Pareles and Jon Caramanica.
Upon release, HIT ME HARD AND SOFT received universal acclaim from critics, praising the production, songwriting, and vocal performances. It topped the charts in over 20 countries, including Australia, Canada, Germany, Ireland, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. In the United States, HIT ME HARD AND SOFT debuted at number two on the Billboard 200, and charted all 10 of its songs in the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100. The track "LUNCH" was released as the lead single concurrently. "BIRDS OF A FEATHER" was released as the second single from the album to great commercial success, peaking at number two on Billboard Hot 100 and in the top ten of several charts. At the 67th Annual Grammy Awards, the album and its songs received a total of seven nominations, including Album of the Year, Best Pop Vocal Album, Song of the Year and Record of the Year.
To support the album, Eilish has embarked on her seventh concert tour, Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour, which commenced on September 29, 2024.
Background and recording
Eilish co-wrote and recorded her second studio album, Happier Than Ever, at her brother Finneas' home recording studio, located in the basement of his Los Angeles residence. Recording took place weekly between April 2020 and February 2021, with the track listing finalized by the duo during the album's creation. Released on July 30, 2021, Happier Than Ever was met with critical acclaim and commercial success, topping the Billboard 200 and nominated twice at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards. Eilish surprise-released her second extended play (EP) Guitar Songs in July 2022. The following year, she released "What Was I Made For?" for the soundtrack to the fantasy-comedy film Barbie (2023); she was inspired to write the song after seeing unfinished scenes of the film during its production. The song won an Academy Award for Best Original Song and Grammy Awards for Song of the Year and Best Song Written for Visual Media.
In December 2021, Eilish began formulating ideas for her third studio album with O'Connell. In an interview with Zane Lowe for Apple Music, she mentioned that she hoped to start writing the album in 2023. In December 2023, Eilish said on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon that the album was "almost done". Three months later, she confirmed that the album had been mastered.
The album art, which was shot by underwater photographer William Drumm, depicts Eilish falling through a door frame into dark blue water. Eilish described the photoshoot, which took six hours to complete and involved her being repeatedly submerged for two minutes at a time with a weight attached to her shoulders and without goggles or nose plugs, as being one of the most painful experiences of her life.
Promotion and release
Various news articles reported billboards teasing snippets of lyrics for the album that appeared in multiple cities in Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States in April 2024; although it does not mention the artist's name, her signature "blohsh" was recognized. The promotional billboards display cryptic lyrics, such as "She's the headlights I'm the deer" or "Did I cross the line?". Eilish later changed her profile picture to a "blue circle" and shared another image with the caption saying "Do you know how to bend?". Eilish added her followers to an Instagram feature that lets limited accounts see exclusive stories, called "Close Friends". The post features a "lo-fi" image showcasing the artist's hand, and an image of her new midriff tattoo.
On April 29, 2024, Eilish announced Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour, her seventh concert tour, in support of the album. The North American leg of the tour started on September 29, 2024, at the Videotron Centre in Quebec City, Canada. The 2025 leg of the tour, covering Europe and Oceania, started on February 18, at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre.
Eilish previewed the songs "LUNCH", "L'AMOUR DE MA VIE", and "CHIHIRO" during a surprise DJ set at Coachella on April 13, 2024. In an interview published on April 24, she told Rolling Stone that she would not release singles prior to the album's release. She explained that she does not like singles before album releases because she "really like when things are out of context" and compared HIT ME HARD AND SOFT to "a family", adding that she " want one little kid in the middle of the room alone". In May, a preview of "CHIHIRO" was featured in a Fortnite trailer revealing Eilish's second in-game outfit. The song was also made available as a "Jam Track" to use in the Fortnite Festival mode alongside "LUNCH" and "THE DINER". Furthermore, a snippet of "BIRDS OF A FEATHER" was featured in a promotional clip for the third season of the Netflix series Heartstopper. On May 15 and May 16, Eilish held a listening party events for fans respectively at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn and Kia Forum in Inglewood, in both cases premiering the album in its entirety.
HIT ME HARD AND SOFT was released on May 17, 2024. The album was available for cassette, CD, digital download, streaming and vinyl. On May 19 and May 22, Eilish released for digital download the isolated vocals, slowed & reverb and sped up editions of the album, respectively.
Singles and music videos
"LUNCH" was released as the lead single in tandem with the album's release, along with its self-directed music video. The song debuted and peaked at number five on the US Billboard Hot 100. It also found international success, peaking within the top five in the UK, Germany, Australia and New Zealand, and various European countries.
An extended version of "L'AMOUR DE MA VIE" (OVER NOW) was released as a promotional single on May 22, 2024.
The music video for "CHIHIRO", directed by Eilish herself, was released on June 6, 2024. The song debuted at #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and charted for 20 weeks due to its streaming success, despite not receiving an official single release in the United States. It was sent to Italian radio on January 16, 2025.
"BIRDS OF A FEATHER" impacted US contemporary hit radio as the album's second official single on July 2, 2024. The music video for the song, directed by Aidan Zamiri, was released on September 27, 2024. The song was initially a fan favorite, debuting at number 13 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and organically rising into the top ten in subsequent weeks. It eventually grew into a worldwide success, peaking at number 2 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Global 200. The song also became the most-streamed song in a calendar year on Spotify in 2024, surpassing Sabrina Carpenter's "Espresso". It was nominated for Song of the Year, Record of the Year, and Best Pop Solo Performance at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards in 2025.
"WILDFLOWER" impacted US contemporary hit radio as the album's fourth single on February 28, 2025.
Critical reception
HIT ME HARD AND SOFT received widespread critical acclaim. On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized score out of 100 to ratings from professional publications, HIT ME HARD AND SOFT received a weighted mean score of 89, based on 22 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". In a five-star review, Helen Brown of The Independent praised how the album "whispers its way through a marvelous maze of music to deliver some big emotional wallops." Neil McCormick from The Daily Telegraph agreed in his own five-star assessment, opining that the "heartbreak masterpiece" is "rich, strange, smart, sad and wise enough" to stand in comparison with Joni Mitchell's Blue (1971).
Writing for The Guardian, Alexis Petridis complimented HIT ME HARD AND SOFT's "beautiful" melodies and "distinctive" lyrical touches, but wondered if some of its elements could be "a little too opaque" for its own good. NME's Thomas Smith felt that although Eilish wrote the album for herself, she created a record that will "resonate harder" than anything she has done before.
Year-end rankings
HIT ME HARD AND SOFT appeared on several publications' rankings of the best albums of 2024. It was placed second by Mesfin Fekadu of The Hollywood Reporter and Page Six. Top five by BBC, Billboard, Entertainment Weekly, Rolling Stone, Complex, DIY, FLOOD, Hot Press, The Boston Globe, The Guardian, Slant, and The Forty Five, and within the top ten by The New Yorker, NME, Los Angeles Times, Mondo Sonoro, The Sunday Times, KCRW, People Esquire Les Inrocks, and Dork. Publications that featured HIT ME HARD AND SOFT in the top fifteenth of their lists include Dazed, and The Independent. The record was also mentioned in unranked lists by AllMusic, The Associated Press, Cosmopolitan, HuffPost, Uproxx, Hypebeast, Vogue, Evening Standard, and Toronto Star.
On individual critics' lists, while The Philadelphia Inquirer's Dan DeLuca numbered HIT ME HARD AND SOFT at the seventh position, The album was ranked fourth by Variety's Willman, and respectively fourth and twelve by The New York Times' Jon Pareles and Jon Caramanica.
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HIT ME HARD AND SOFT
Billie Eilish Lyrics
BIRDS OF A FEATHER (I want you to stay) I want you to stay 'Til I'm…
BITTERSUITE I can't fall in love with you I've been overseas I've been…
Blue I try to live in black and white, but I'm…
CHIHIRO To take my love away When I come back around, will…
L'Amour De Ma Vie Ooh You wanted to keep it Like somethin' you found 'Til you …
Lunch Oh, mm-mm I could eat that girl for lunch Yeah, she dances…
SKINNY Hmm, hmm Fell in love for the first time With a friend,…
The Diner Don't be afraid of me I'm what you need I saw you…
THE GREATEST I'm trying my best To keep you satisfied Let you get your…
Wildflower Things fall apart And time breaks your heart I wasn't there,…
@LAPIDOT
on BIRDS OF A FEATHER
Real
@LAPIDOT
on BIRDS OF A FEATHER
Billie Eilish Pirate Baird O'Connell (born December 18, 2001), known profes… Read Full Bio ↴
BIRDS OF A FEATHER
Billie Eilish
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(I want you to stay)
I want you to stay
'Til I'm in the grave
'Til I rot away, dead and buried
'Til I'm in the casket you carry
If you go, I'm goin' too, uh
'Cause it was always you (alright)
And if I'm turnin' blue, please don't save me
Nothin' left to lose without my baby
Birds of a feather, we should stick together, I know
I said I'd never think I wasn't better alone
Can't change the weather, might not be forever
But if it's forever, it's even better
And I don't know what I'm cryin' for
I don't think I could love you more
It might not be long, but baby, I
I'll love you 'til the day that I die
'Til the day that I die
'Til the light leaves my eyes
'Til the day that I die
I want you to see, hmm
How you look to me, hmm
You wouldn't believe if I told ya
You would keep the compliments I throw ya
But you're so full of shit, uh
Tell me it's a bit, oh
Say you don't see it, your mind's polluted
Say you wanna quit, don't be stupid
And I don't know what I'm cryin' for
I don't think I could love you more
Might not be long, but baby, I
Don't wanna say goodbye
Birds of a feather, we should stick together, I know ('til the day that I die)
I said I'd never think I wasn't better alone ('til the light leaves my eyes)
Can't change the weather, might not be forever ('til the day that I die)
But if it's forever, it's even better
I knew you in another life
You had that same look in your eyes
I love you, don't act so surprised
Overall Meaning
The lyrics of "BIRDS OF A FEATHER" by Billie Eilish convey themes of deep love, loyalty, and a sense of being intertwined with someone to the point where separation would feel unbearable. The singer expresses a desire for their loved one to stay with them until death, emphasizing their connection by stating that if the loved one were to go, the singer would follow suit. There is a profound intimacy in the sentiment that their bond transcends even physical death, as the singer envisions being together in the grave and beyond, a bond that extends into eternity.
The metaphor of "birds of a feather" highlights a shared identity and a sense of unity between the two individuals, suggesting that they are meant to be together and support each other. The lyrics further explore the idea that while circumstances may change and nothing is certain, the idea of being together forever is a comforting and ideal prospect for the singer. There is a sense of resignation and acceptance in the acknowledgment that even if their time together may be limited, it is enough to have each other in the present moment.
The vulnerability and tenderness in the lyrics are palpable as the singer expresses a deep emotional connection and a willingness to love their partner unconditionally, despite any flaws or challenges. The repeated declaration of loving the other person until death reinforces the idea of a love that endures beyond the temporal and physical realm, reaffirming the depth of their connection. The emotional intensity in the lyrics reflects a profound longing and devotion, encapsulating the complexity and rawness of human relationships.
The lyrical imagery of seeing and being seen, as well as the references to compliments and conflicts, highlight the dynamics of a relationship that is multifaceted and full of contradictions. The acknowledgment of flaws and imperfections within the relationship adds a layer of realism and complexity to the narrative, suggesting that love is not always perfect but is still worth fighting for. The closing lines about recognizing the loved one from another life and expressing love without reservation encapsulate a sense of destiny and timeless connection that transcends the boundaries of time and space, leaving the listener with a feeling of profound and enduring love.
Line by Line Meaning
Eve Rodríguez
on Lunch
Oh, mm-mm
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, huh
"Call me when you're there"
Said, "I bought you somethin' rare
And I left it under 'Claire'"
So now she's comin' up the stairs
So I'm pullin' up a chair
And I'm puttin' up my hair
Baby, I think you were made for me
Somebody write down the recipe
Been tryin' hard not to overeat
You're just so sweet
I'll run a shower for you like you want
Clothes on the counter for you, try 'em on
If I'm allowed, I'll help you take 'em off
Huh
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, huh
Oh, I just wanna get her off, oh
Oh
Oh, oh
Oh
She's takin' pictures in the mirror
Oh my God, her skin's so clear
Tell her, "Bring that over here"
You need a seat? I'll volunteer
Now she's smilin' ear to ear
She's the headlights, I'm the deer
I've said it all before, but I'll say it again
I'm interested in more than just bein' your friend
I don't wanna break it, just want it to bend
Do you know how to bend?
I could eat that girl for lunch
She dances on my tongue
I know it's just a hunch
But she might be the one
I could
Eat that girl for lunch
Yeah, she
Tastes like she might be the one
I could
I could
Eat that girl for lunch
Yeah, she
Yeah, she
Tastes like she might be the one
LilyRockstar2012
on lovely (with Khalid)
Thought I found a way
Thought I found a way out (found)
But you never go away (never go away)
So I guess I gotta stay now
Oh, I hope some day I'll make it out of here
Even if it takes all night or a hundred years
Need a place to hide, but I can't find one near
Wanna feel alive, outside I can't fight my fear
Isn't it lovely, all alone
Heart made of glass, my mind of stone
Tear me to pieces, skin to bone
Hello, welcome home
Walkin' out of town
Lookin' for a better place (lookin' for a better place)
Something's on my mind (mind)
Always in my head space
But I know some day I'll make it out of here
Even if it takes all night or a hundred years
Need a place to hide, but I can't find one near
Wanna feel alive, outside I can't fight my fear
Isn't it lovely, all alone
Heart made of glass, my mind of stone
Tear me to pieces, skin to bone
Hello, welcome home
Whoa, yeah
Yeah, ah
Whoa, whoa
Hello, welcome home
I LOVE THIS SONNGGGGGGGGGGGG
sdasdas
on Happier Than Ever
Hi lobbbbbbbbbbbbb
Billie Eilish fan
on Everything I Wanted
I love this song ❤️♥️
Sophie
on bad guy
Lov love It ❤️
Cléo
on bad guy
Eu amo música
yes
on Everything I Wanted
Hey
There, It is i, yes
I fink personallee that wee wee die rash is referncing the great Martin lufer kin with this
wonderful analogy right at]th]
eht the very start of the song. And what a beautfiful one it ws! so many instruments and pineapples. It rally did
]
open up my minds 12th eye and as I voice crack into puberty, let me sing you out after reading
a very
hearfelt review.
Never gonna give you up
Never gonna gangnam style
Welcome to the nut zone
Only nut inside of squirrells homes
Pressure cook my delicious chickem.
Mail your mum pieces of my love for her.
Nutty bottom nutella
Stitch my wound shut.
Three little words,
Uh oh stinky.
Thnak you yes it was me
Kind regards,
¬And all of my love for eeryone ever
Yes.
yes
on bad guy
Yo
it's ya boi
yes
What the funk does she mean here? there is no actual explanation she literally just ends it on 'Bad', bad whAT! bILLIE! ANSWER ME PLEASE I JUST WNAT TO KNOW THE DEEPER MEANINGS OF THIS SONG SO i CAN UNDERSTAND YOUR COMPLEX BRSIN. (that's brain crossed with prison ;))
Yours
and forever as such,
Yes