Ranking every song on Billie Eilish’s ‘Hit Me Hard and Soft’ from worst to best
The last couple of years have been monumental for a certain Billie Eilish. While most of us go through life criticising the versions of ourselves of years gone by, Eilish has transitioned under the spotlight, venturing out into uncertain and unknown territories both musically and personally, simultaneously becoming the voice of a generation.
Although Eilish has only released three albums, her continuous growth and reinvention feel as though she’s been around much longer. The perils of youth never usher wisdom to the wayside as the singer faces challenges, takes them in, re-shapes them, and churns them out to suit her perfectly crafted world.
That’s exactly what we witness on Hit Me Hard and Soft. While the first two albums showcased the singer at her most authentic during those specific moments in time, there’s no arguing about her latest instalment being a less convoluted version of herself as she navigates both the rewards of requited love and the pitfalls of emotional turmoil, all wrapped in an insatiable sonic cocktail of soulful sentimentalism and bubblegum synth soundscapes.
Summarising Eilish’s latest venture is perhaps the most understandable if you picture it like this: 2019’s When We All Fall Asleep introduced Eilish’s signature dark wave tendencies while Happier Than Ever incorporated more lighthearted, downtempo pop sensibilities. The stark contrast of each documented the singer’s unrelenting rise to fame, while also demonstrating the ways artists – especially if they’re women – constantly have to alter their appeal to remain relevant.
Hit Me Hard and Soft takes in all of these elements that Eilish has worked so hard to refine over the years and spins it all together to create a hard-hitting, emotional tour de force of an album, one brimming with heartbreak and tragedy while promising the hopes of tomorrow. Although every song on the album has its own strong points, some are, as usual, bigger, harder, and more impactful than others. Here is our ultimate run-down of Hit Me Hard and Soft, from worst to best.
Ranking Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft:
10. ‘SKINNY’
One of Eilish’s greatest qualities is her voice. Like the soft whispers of someone caught crooning between cathartic cries, ‘SKINNY’ is a beautiful ode to the lifelong struggle of reconciling your former self with your current self. We’re supposed to grow and change, but what happens if we’ve never really loved ourselves in a broader sense, let alone every version?
‘SKINNY’ isn’t a bad song. In fact, it’s a gorgeous addition to Eilish’s discography, but against some of the stronger contenders here, it risks being pushed to the sidelines, capturing dust until it happens to come on whenever you leave the record playing.
9. ‘THE GREATEST’
Again, Eilish delivers a vocal performance here that effortlessly hits harder than any of her contemporaries. The gentle plucking of the guitar in the background compliments her voice perfectly as the melody begins to build before falling back down and starting all over again.
It’s a lovely experience, but the lack of a climactic chorus or melodic break makes it a bit too arduous. Like ‘SKINNY, ‘THE GREATEST’ isn’t a bad song; it just falls a little flat when compared to the rest of the power anthems. Moreover, this song could easily sit on Happier Than Ever unnoticed, which makes it seem a little regressive, considering the various ways Eilish has progressed since its release.
8. ‘BITTERSUITE’
Eilish is at her most powerful when she’s experimenting, which is a strong deduction considering the fact that most modern avant-garde music is hugely hit-or-miss. But Eilish’s whirring electro-synth sounds provide a necessary, welcome break amid the slower, more calculated compositions, arriving in perfect balance to her more quintessential dark wave atmospheres.
Another of Eilish’s most impactful tricks is when she switches things up mid-track, taking you on a journey you didn’t know it needed. ‘BITTERSUITE’ incorporates an unexpected groove-rhythm halfway through, which feels a little unsettling at first, like throwing away an entire, uneaten cake. The more you fall into it, however, the more it all makes sense.
7. ‘BLUE’
‘BLUE’ is timeless, but not in the way you might think. In fact, it eradicates time completely, coming at the album closer with an overwhelming sense of uncertainty. It’s not weak, per se, just confusing, offering one last moment of rest and relaxation before you leave the singer’s world or start it up all over again. There are endless possibilities that lay ahead, but the way ‘BLUE’ plays out makes it feel as though this could be a good or a bad thing.
Although it generally creates a pleasant ambience with its lack of crescendo and peaceful musical arrangements, ‘BLUE’ risks being eclipsed by the album’s stronger entries, despite breaking down in the second half and featuring almost nothing but Eilish’s ghostly singing.
6. ‘L’AMOUR DE MA VIE’
Some of Eilish’s best songs are the ones where she pushes herself to sing just a little more purposefully, exiting the delicate box she sits so comfortably in and instead bellowing for all the world to hear. ‘L’AMOUR DE MA VIE’ starts on an undeniable note of confidence as Eilish shows off her talent, mocking a long-lost lover who deserves all the ridicule the singer offers.
“It isn’t a lot to ask for an apology,” Eilish sings, criticising the ways that some of the worst exes are the ones who sell you the dream before moving on in the blink of an eye. Eilish might be putting someone else under the microscope, but ‘L’AMOUR DE MA VIE’ delivers on its promise to entertain and delight, showing that Eilish is far from done with holding people accountable.
5. ‘THE DINER’
There’s something incredibly exciting about Eilish’s more sinister compositions. She did it well alongside Finneas on When We All Fall Asleep, and it’s precisely the dark side to her artistry that attracted a following in the first place. ‘THE DINER’ is unusual but endearing, almost like when you can’t tear your eyes away from something you’re certain you shouldn’t be watching.
Although the song offers little besides its oddly enticing production value, it’s engaging all the same, like it was built to be one you find yourself revisiting, even if you can’t understand why. Perhaps it’s the morbidity of the subject and the simple nature of speculating about the message, particularly as it opens with the lines: “I saw you on the screens, I know we’re meant to be. I’m waitin’ on your block, but please don’t call the cops.”
4. ‘CHIHIRO’
Eilish and Finneas deliver a luscious bass-driven experience with ‘CHIHIRO’, a song born out of the singer’s love for Studio Ghibli, specifically Spirited Away, which provides the perfect backdrop to a song about self-discovery and focusing on what matters the most. In the film, Chihiro falls into a spiritual realm where she encounters a valuable life lesson about love, relationships, and visceral connection. In the song, Eilish merges Chihiro’s perspective with her own to create something truly captivating.
“The song is loosely based off of that movie, which is one of my favourites,” Eilish told Rolling Stone. She continued, “The visuals in that movie are some of the best ever — all that Studio Ghibli shit is unbelievable.” Aside from being inspired by the film, the song also came together after Eilish had just watched it, which encouraged her brother to make the beat. “There’s all those visuals of the train in the water after the flood,” Eilish recalled. “It literally looks like an ocean with a train track.”
3. ‘WILDFLOWER’
Quite possibly the most intimate song on the whole album, ‘WILDFLOWER’, feels a lot like shoving in your earphones while walking in the rain as you lose yourself wistfully into the rumination of the mind. It’s more hushed than the other songs, with an acoustic magnetism and soulful edge that gives it a more dated feel, in the best way.
It’s songs like these that prove Eilish to be one of the most exciting acts out there. Not only does she have the talent, but she evidently has the drive to keep improving and pushing the boundaries, challenging expectations and coming up with even fresher sounds. Eilish might still be early on in her career, but her songs are like vestibules of emotional and physical experiences. It’s tangible and yet visceral at the same time.
2. ‘LUNCH’
We all know that Eilish can deliver heartfelt ballads as powerfully as she can lustful rhythms, and, at the moment, it’s all about ‘LUNCH’. After debuting the track prior to its release, this song has stirred up quite the storm, especially as it delves into parts of Eiish’s personal identity that she refrained from sharing on earlier albums.
But the subject isn’t the only thing that makes ‘LUNCH’ great. It’s a genuinely infectious song that gets into your mind long after the final notes fade, with a bass line that keeps you coming back for more. Finneas and Eilish rarely overthink their own creative processes, and ‘LUNCH’ just proves their inherent knack for the entire craft.
1. ‘BIRDS OF A FEATHER’
One of Eilish’s most sentimental and tender songs to date, ‘Birds Of A Feather’ is a winner for multiple reasons, the most obvious being its overt loveliness as Eilish ditches any of her pre-established cynicism for a more honest exploration of love and the desire for endless commitment. It’s vulnerable and hazy but with a raw, authentic coating, the kind that almost makes you reach for the phone to message the link to a loved one with the caption, “us”.
On paper, the song is as beautiful as it seems, with lyrics like: “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.” On top of that, throw in an endearing synth, a catchy hook, and a nostalgic vocal, and you’ve got an overwhelmingly sincere tune that might just be the song of the summer.
