Billie Eilish hits both hard and soft

Switched on Pop

Vox Media Podcast Network

Music Interviews, Music History, Music, Music Commentary

4.6 • 2.7K Ratings

🗓️ 21 May 2024

⏱️ 44 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

On Billie Eilish’s third album, Hit Me Hard and Soft, Eilish finally graduates from her signature anti-pop persona into full blown pop stardom. This record finds Eilish experimenting on the themes from her earlier records, while crafting an economic ten tracks that position themselves for mainstream radio consumption. There’s “L’amour de ma vie,” her five-and-a-half minute beat-switching eulogy for a failed relationship, or “Birds Of A Feather,” where she contrasts the soft, dreamy melodies we’ve come to know Eilish for with hauntingly dark lyrical content. This duality is a recurring motif throughout Hit Me Hard and Soft, with each song offering a unique blend of vulnerability and strength. These tracks, along with the rest of the album, develop a satisfying and diverse creative arc that speaks to the album’s title: they hit both hard and soft. This week’s episode of Switched On Pop explores Eilish’s new record track by track, unpacking the sonic duality of her new sound. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	First thing in the morning, as soon as you wake up, the to-do list starts.
0:05.0	Does the car need gas? Hopefully those leftovers are still good.
0:08.0	Why did I see seat on all mom?
0:10.0	No. No. You can't escape the to-do list, but you can make the most of your me time with a relaxing shower using method hair care products.
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0:23.7	all formulated with long-lasting fragrances and are safe for color-treated hair.
0:28.0	We connect with the best version of yourself.
0:30.3	Visit Method Products.com to unleash your inner shower. Switch
0:45.0	on pop.
0:50.0	Welcome to Switched on Pop.
0:51.0	I'm songwriter Charlie Harding.
0:53.0	And I'm musicologist Nate Sloane.
0:55.0	It's a big day today.
0:56.7	Today is the day that Billy Eilish has finally become a pop star.
1:01.4	Dda.
1:02.4	Sound the trumpets, release the doves.
1:05.0	Unfurl the banners.
1:07.0	I could eat that girl for lunch.
1:09.0	She dances on my tongue.
1:11.0	Tast like she might be the one. That's the song lunch off her brand new album Hit Me Hard and Soft.
1:27.0	I mean that definitely sounds like a pop song to me but I do have to ask if she wasn't a pop star before what was she
1:36.8	Charlie? I know it's kind of a ridiculous statement to make she's clearly one of the biggest stars on the planet. I literally wrote the
	...

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