Billie Eilish’s anthem of dark optimism, “Birds Of A Feather” hit streaming platforms on May 17, 2024, from her third studio album, Hit Me Hard And Soft. This week, it still has a place in Billboard’s top 20, giving the hit 58 weeks on the chart, which is a huge achievement. Eilish is known for her infectiously catchy tunes, but “Birds Of A Feather” is special, and her highest-streamed solo single, but why? The song uses a continuous loop throughout the song, giving the listener something to latch onto throughout, and her shrewd lyricism confronting twisted notions of everlasting love catches audiences off guard. The song shows a sense of evolution for Eilish, and her growing strength is showing more than ever.
The Hypnotic Power of Billie Eilish’s Music
From the very beginning, “Birds Of A Feather” entices listeners with simple loops. The drum beat is a continuous pattern throughout the song, and the melodic instrumental that starts right at the beginning of the introduction actually never goes away and plays throughout the entirety of “Birds Of A Feather.” The repeating elements form a trance-like soundscape that hypnotizes audiences with each listen, pulling them in again and again. Repetition is hardly a revolutionary technique in pop music. The brain loves and latches onto predictability. But with this song, Eilish ensures that listeners are instantly locked in from the very first beat, right until the end. She had us in her palm from the get-go.
Even moments of silence are carefully designed for impact. Just as the pre-chorus approaches, when Eilish sings “But if it’s forever, it’s even better,” just before the iconic “I don’t know what I’m cryin’ for,” the drum loop stops for the first time. It seems like it’s just Eilish’s vocals that are coming through, but actually that melodic loop from the introduction is still going, showing its disguised comfort in the song even when signaling something new is about to happen.
This repetition leans into the song’s ambiguous structure, adding to the allure. The refrain seems like the highest point of importance in the song, until Eilish comes in strong with her belting vocals. This slow build-up of tension is genuinely intoxicating, and the resolution of a powerful chorus tickles the brain so, so well. The subtlety of the song’s seamless transitions from verse to pre-chorus to chorus blurs the boundaries that many pop songs have set in place with rigid structures, often making them rigid. “Birds Of A Feather” is a song that does all the cognitive decoding for you, leaving you to purely enjoy it. Something that transcends cerebral function into pure pleasure.
Related
Adele’s ’25’ Still Resonates 10 Years Later—But Does It Mark the End of an Era?
Is this genre facing extinction?
A More Powerful Voice, And More Powerful Courage
While the production and songwriting itself are undeniably effective in enticing listeners, “Birds Of A Feather” also presents a different version of Billie Eilish. The singer drops her trademark whispering tones to fully belt out the chorus. She credits her ability to do this to vocal training, something she never invested in until later on in her career, explaining that “this song, I wouldn’t have been able to sing it how I did and sing it on stage how I do without the training I’ve been doing. It’s really awesome.” It’s a compelling signal of growth, and something for fans to return to as a song that differs from the rest of her catalog, but still feels so authentically her.
Billie Eilish is unable to surrender her angst against the traditional love song, giving “Birds Of A Feather” a dark twist. The sentiment of loving someone until death is traditionally romantic, a sign of everlasting love. But Eilish takes it further, ridiculing the overbearing power of a promise of everlasting love. Her lyrics of “‘til I rot away, dead and buried” show how easy it is for eternal love to creep into unrelinquished obsession. Her subtle darkness makes each listen to the song more noteworthy. Every play highlights lines that are not quite as romantic as they first appear, especially in conjunction with such tender, optimistic-sounding accompanying music.
Adding to this resonance is Eilish’s attitude that “It’s up to the listener to decide what [the song] means.” By surrendering authorial intent, she hands over ownership to the listeners. Her creative ambiguity empowers her audience to have full agency, able to make firm decisions, and not merely believe in what “Birds Of A Feather” is or about. The listeners’ powerful autonomy is reciprocated with loyalty, joint possession of the song, and is rewarded with longevity.
Related
Miley Cyrus’ Biggest Hit Ever With Over 2.5B Spotify Streams, Is Also Her Most Overrated
‘Flowers’ is her most successful song, but that doesn’t mean it’s her best.
In a time of fleeting virality and ephemeral moments of success, “Birds Of A Feather” feels like a unique exception. Billie Eilish was brave enough to display her newly trained vocals, poetic enough to entice listeners with borderline gruesome lyrics, and smart enough to employ tactics of repetitive loops to endlessly entice listeners. It’s a slow burner that is quickly transforming into a classic, with its chart position displaying its credentials for durability. Eilish was able to trust her audience and be free to experiment with a song that deviates from her usual style. The open-mindedness is reflected in audiences and creates a lot of appreciation. Open-ended intimacy, it turns out, could be the final secret ingredient for remaining in the charts for over a year, and counting.