Having heard the music of Billie Eilish on the radio and blaring on the speakers at my favorite trendy breakfast restaurants (why do the places with the best brunch play the worst pop music?), I can conclude she is terrible. Not as a human being, but her music is awful. Her whisper-singing that people act like is some new crazy idea is ripped-off wholesale from artists such as Erykah Badu, her lyrics are empty and vapid like a 14 year-old who thinks they're super-deep, and the music in her songs just is drab and droning. I admire she is open about her struggles with mental illness and has sought-help when she's needed it (she encourages others with mental illness to do so as well), but her music is still just plain bad.
For one example of why Eilish music is equivalent to aural homicide, the song, "Bury a Friend," has people raving about its minimalist sound and how creative Eilish is for having it be from the point of view of the monster under her bed. I think it just sounds like a grinding mess of barley-there audio and empty lyrics vaguely motioning at some kind of, "Statement." I don't think I've hated a new pop star's music this much since Alessia Cara and her ditties such as, "Here," that induce bleeding from the ears as she whines about not enjoying being at a lame party. Leave the damn party then, Alessia, especially if that kid throwing up all over himself is making as big of a mess as you describe!
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| These are some of the choice, "Amazing lyrics," from, "Bury a Friend." |
I am completely aware I have complained about today's popular music before and probably come off as an out-of-touch geezer who doesn't understand what, "The kids," are into these days. You can think that, but I think there are other new (and established) artists putting out new work who are incredible and deserve a lot more attention and fame than Eilish and her inexplicably beloved songs.
I'm dumfounded as to what qualifies as good today. Growing up in the 70s-80s I was exposed to multitudes of real artists will actual talent. I'm almost offended at what is acceptable and sadly applauded today. Thank God for YouTube, downloaded music and old vinyl.
ReplyDeleteThis has got to be some of the worst garbage I have ever heard. This is what passes for music now? Absolutely horrible.
ReplyDeleteHi I am 16 years old. People my age typically are captured into songs like hers. But honestly I couldn't agree with you more.
DeleteAs one of "the kids" and part of her target demographic, do you know *why* your cohort likes her music? Is it the appeal of "life's messed up and so am I", is it the appeal of a Lady Gaga outlandishness coupled with a different sound, or is it just cuz of the inescapable marketing on youtube/tiktok/insta?
DeleteI am reading this as I am listening to the REAL music from the 80's -_- Billie Eilish is NOT a singer. she CRAZY.
DeleteExcuse me what? I know this was three years ago but it's not about the music imagery it's about the music's insertive imagery. It puts a picture into your mind. I don't know why you are bashing a soon to be 21 year old whose made AMAZING music since she was a TEENAGER whilst you was probably sat back with a snack judging someone whose a thousand times more successful than you'll ever be. She spent her life making amazing music that saved not only me but many of my close friends and family. So go on. Tell me she's trash. Tell us she's awful. But we all know, you are the awful one.
DeleteI did later come around and like some of her stuff.
DeleteThe Anonymous poster from 05 October seriously needs to finish school before trying to engage in debate. That was quite possibly the worst presented arguments I have ever had the mispleasure of reading in my 35 years on this planet.
DeleteYou can't insinuate that music created is amazing without backing it up with some sort of evidence - and simultaneously insult the author implying that he is lazy and awful just because his viewpoint is not synonymous with your own... Where is the logic there? An intrinsic problem with you is that you have threw a tantrum like a child because someone claims that Billie is not a particularly good artist, and then resort to personal attacks instead of formulating a balanced argument all whilst hiding behind anonimity like a coward. Grow up you spineless, uncultured, uncouth, moronic disgrace.
It's not really the "music" that's popular today. It's all about the video. Go back and watch the "videos" of the really good stuff from the '70s, when the video was a supplement to the music. Those videos are pretty horrible. Back then, you had to have actual MUSICAL talent to have a following. The video age ruined the music business for people who love to listen. Think about how may "artists" would never have been allowed on the radio in the last several years, if not for hard-edged and/or sexed-up videos.
ReplyDeleteThere were no "Music Videos" in the 70's...That did not happen until the mid 80's ...I know because I was there>
DeleteI miss the 70s and I wasn't even alive back then. I'm a kid in this generation. I just don't understand why people like bad music, rap is awful, Eilish is just horrid. Now a days, people can't tell whether Jimi Hendrix played guitar or piano left handed.
ReplyDeleteGood
ReplyDeleteThat is true today's music is terrible and I am forced to listen to it in the car, at the ice rink, and on tv
ReplyDeleteIts true the music is trash
ReplyDeleteHi I'm Divanee. just an ordinary teenager. I respect the fact that Billie has worked tremendously hard to get where she is right now but honestly commenting, I have no admiration towards her music. To me it's demonic and makes me feel depressed. To me her choice of lyrics and sound makes me feel uncomfortable for some reason. Well I hope you all are well and safe. Thank you David for the news.
ReplyDeleteI am a 60 year old man and grew up listening to the Beatles, Stones, Pink Floyd, David Bowie, The Who, Steely Dan, etc. I don't know what any of you are talking about. Her music is outstanding. She did win all those Grammy awards. Give her music a serious critical listen.
ReplyDeleteIt just hurts my ears to listen to her "singing"
ReplyDeleteBro, at least she tries.
Deletehello, fairly successful musician here. I will render an unbiased professional opinion on this topic.
ReplyDeleteBillie Eilish is one of the latest artists. Of course it is a big thing at the moment. However, the same was said of Creed, Four Non Blondes, Donovan, Cherry Weiner, Smoky Robinson, Tchaikovsky, and any number of great artists that some people might be hard pressed to name these days.
Music goes in phases - what's here today can often be gone tomorrow. Typically what is considered "well known" has high buzz in the moment.
I have seen generational gaps appear. Having talked to many thousands of people, parents, fans, and students, there is a huge and growing number of the populace who cannot even name artists like Jimi Hendrix or Bob Dylan, or the Beatles. They simply do not know who they are.
When I listen to Billie Eilish, I am hearing the same chromatic structures, 12 notes, and standard pop chord patterns that I have heard from the Stones to Joplin to Abba and Elton John to Sugarhill Gang to Nirvana and countless other artists. However, they have been packaged into a 'new' presentation, aimed the younger audiences, who still are excited about music. To them it is new and they are hearing it for the first time.
Personally the music of Billie Eilish or any modern artist to me sounds good, it is recorded well, but it does not have the the same real weight and worth, that you get from say Dylan or Tchaikovsky's arrangements that are based on the language of blues and coming from the suffering of a large people, with decades in the making of history and emotion, and a musical evolution that stretches beyond even those years.
I think Billie Eilish's arguments and perspectives might carry more weight if the bulk of her fans and the fans of modern music were to look in retrospect at the great artists that have come before. If these fans were to appreciate older music the way they do Billie Eilish's music I think they would realize that they have certainly missed a big picture if they can name a Billie Eilish song and not a Hendrix, Django, Bach, Rhoda Scott, Ella Fitzgerald, or Aretha piece.
I do not think that if you put Billie Eilish in the 60s she would be successful, much the same if you popped Woody Guthrie in the present day, or featured him on the Voice, would he be successful? I really don't think so.
You must understand that these days an artist's financial success can exist entirely separately from their musical success. Greta Van Fleet has been selling out stadiums and arenas while contributing very little in the way of an original sound or work, much the same way Led Zeppelin got blamed for ripping off songs.
Taken into this context, it is likely Billie Eilish and her team can be seen more in a sense of being a "businesswoman" rather than an artist, at least in the sense of original and creative artists of yesteryear. The work has meaning, especially to the current generation, but it has not actually or musically broken new ground, lyrically or otherwise, I'm very sad to say. However, if she sticks with it, her work may mature, just as Michael Jackson or Tom Waits or any other artist's work does over time.
Some of this you can blame on the human lifespan. It is short - and so the youth attention span in short. They speak where they might otherwise benefit from listening. Why would they look at artists of the past, much less appreciate them? So you have situations like with Billie Eilish where they are immensely popular. It remains to be seen if Billie will be forgotten the way the Beatles in some ways have.
The summary of my perspective is this. Modern culture has evolved to forget about the past - that is their loss, it's everyone's loss. All fans everywhere should do the work to appreciate all artists equally - they would then know true worth, and make better judgment about what is real/deserving artists. I guarantee you if they did all that, it wouldn't just be only Billie Eilish in that realization and judgment.
...wut??
DeleteLong but definitely accurate.
DeletePay a listen to Fiona Apple for a comparison of similar music with actual musical talent. Eilish obviously has talent in some regime, but consider the fact she made her album in her bedroom. Free Bird could not have happened that way.
ReplyDeleteI don't agree with the position that music changes over time as justification for Eilish. Obviously, standards and tastes vary but you can see similarity between Beethoven and Led Zepplin. To claim it is the same twelve notes is a trivial point since this is a tautology in western music.
ReplyDeleteWhat is unfortunate is that there is even a debate whether Eilish's music is good, because it's not music. That should be the discussion.
Shes perfect for 2020! The talentless garbage that passes for music today is an embarrassment and a joke.
ReplyDeleteOMG IKR
DeleteI do not mind her being popular. She is okay. She just does not deserve that many Grammy awards.
ReplyDeleteShe is a horrible whisperer. It only goes to show...a good publicist can sell you a toy radio and convince you it is a stereo. The minions will follow.
ReplyDeleteThe first time I heard a Billie Eilish song I couldn't wait for it to be over. And the same goes for every song from her thereafter. Just can't see what the hoopla is. She's an awful singer and her music is even worse!
ReplyDeleteHer songs are just not good. The songwriting sucks. It is as simple as that.
ReplyDeleteI can't stand Billie's music personally (it makes me twitch because of how grating it is on my nerves when I hear it); however, I would never hate on someone else for liking art I don't like. There's room for all tastes in this world, so kudos to those who love Billie's sound!
ReplyDeleteI just listened to some of her music today. One Word. Awful. But that could be that I grew up with the amazing 70s music, went to college with the amazing 80s music. Became a Mom in the early 90s and my brain went to mush with Barney and Friends. HA. Thank goodness for YouTube. I can rock out to whatever genre I want. But it won't be Billie's music. Definitely not my taste.
ReplyDeleteHate to break it to you but her music isn't supposed to be liked by anyone over a certain age. It's marketed to a very specific group of people just as all music celebrities from the 20th century going forth have been (thanks to the manipulations of the entertainment industry). This will continue until it is no longer a profitable method of generating income to the true profiteers aka the executives. I personally don't like her music either but then again, I wasn't meant to like it.
ReplyDelete"her music isn't supposed to be liked by anyone over a certain age"
Delete...aka it is awful music and can only persuade kids that are emo wannabe that this is the shit.
Of course music has a taste and I get it when older people do not like screaming rock or metal but she is making "pop" songs and only kids listen to those because they feel the need to belong to the social norm of the time.
80s pop music is listened by all ages, 90s pop music is listened by all ages especially the 90s ballads.
Same with every mumble rap garbage. Nobody will ever remember those songs, they are not writing history, they just print money. She is the kardashian of music, she will be glorified for no reason even when all her music is absolutely NOT memorable. There is 0 identity on these songs that takes less time to write than the song's duration. No melody, no rhythm, just plain chords and beats and someone either mumbling or whispering pretending to sing.
ReplyDeleteThis is why people like her are famous exclusively in the English speaking world and not globally. Nobody in my county knows who she is, we young people speak English as a second language but not to the point we will understand her mumbling.
Meanwhile everyone knows who Madonna is and most people can point a few timeless songs of her, and I said Madonna because she is not even a good singer yet she made iconic songs that are still listened now. We are judging her songs and her choice of singing.
I am so pleased to have stumbled upon this, albeit five years too late. I am a musician and singer and cannot fathom how Eilish has a career. She can't sing. The lyrics are banal. The music is uninspired. She's often out of tune. The whisper gimmick is silly. The outrageous wardrobe is why people claim she's a genius. But it's yet another instance of the naked Emperor. I don't know any legitimate musicians who admire her, but everyone's afraid to say it out loud because of her fragility. Pfft.
ReplyDeleteI cannot change the music fast enough if she comes on. That whispering gets on my nerves. Yes, the microphone so close to her mouth brings out all of the “sounds” that folks shouldn’t hear. Not a talent, most people can sing like her. Reminds me of Olivia Newton John years back which I don’t like either. I’m glad I’m not the only one that feels this way!!!
ReplyDeleteI just saw Billie Eilish represent the 2028 Olympics coming to L.A. Saddened me to think there are so many people out there who think she can sing. She has no range, no depth and lyrics a kindergartner could make up. A sad rep for U.S. and even more compared to class act of Paris olympics.
ReplyDelete