32 songs that inspired Billie Eilish’s album When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?

26 March 2020, 14:58

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Sophie Thompson

By Sophie Thompson

Billie Eilish took to her Instagram Story to let fans know which songs were the inspirations behind her album, When We All Fall Asleep Where Do We Go? and it includes XXXTENTACION, Post Malone and Mac Miller.

Billie Eilish's debut album When We All Fall Asleep Where Do We Go? has arguably become one of the biggest breakthroughs in music this century, earning the 18-year-old three Grammy awards, a number one spot in the album charts and 59 million Instagram followers. Not bad, huh?

READ MORE: Billie Eilish reveals natural hair colour on Instagram

With such a unique style of indie pop under her belt and only a couple of years experience in the industry, fellow musicians and us normies alike have been left wondering, where the hell did she get her inspiration?

Billie's brother and fellow musician Finneas has already confirmed the pair are working on her second album.
Billie's brother and fellow musician Finneas has already confirmed the pair are working on her second album. Picture: Toni Anne Barson via Getty/Billie Eilish via Instagram

Our prayers have been answered and we're now scrambling to learn the nearest instrument, because Billie has shown off the playlists that helped create her album on her Instagram Story.

Each song on When We All Fall Asleep has been given its own playlist with inspiration behind the track, and we have to say we're pretty damn surprised at some of the results....

Listen to all the songs on Spotify here

Songs that inspired 'bad guy'

Mac Miller - 'Dang! (feat Anderson Paak)'

JID - 'NEVER'

Julia Michaels - 'Pink'

morgxn - 'home'

XXXTENTACION - 'YuNg BrAtZ'

Songs that inspired 'xanny'

Daniel Caesar - Japanese Denim

Feist - So Sorry

LCD Soundsystem - New York, I Love You But You're Bringing Me Down

Johnny Mathis - Misty

Melody Gardot - Who Will Comfort Me

Post Malone - Stay

Songs that inspired '8'

Swell - I'm Sorry (feat. Shiloh)

SZA - Drew Barrymore

Frank Sinatra - I'm A Fool To Want You

Songs that inspired 'bury a friend'

Tyler, The Creator - Garbage

Kanye West - Black Skinhead

Songs that inspired 'wish you were gay'

Jessie Reyez - Body Count

Carla Morrison - Eres Tú

Anne-Marie - Boy

Songs that inspired 'ilomilo'

XXXTENTACION - Moonlight

Kavinsky - Nightcall

Daniel Olsen - Once Upon

Daniel Olsen - Twinkly Ladybugs

Aaron Zigman - Jesse's Bridge

Songs that inspired 'i love you'

Phoebe Bridgers - Smoke Signals

Post Malone - Stay

Ry X - Only

XXXTENTACION - the remedy for a broken heart

Bon Iver - 715 - Creeks

Bon Iver - 29 #Strafford ATPS

Sufjan Stevens - Casimir Pulaski Day

Songs that inspired 'listen before i go'

Daughter - Smother

XXXTENTACION - I Don't Wanna Do This Anymore

The sad lyrics of XXXTENTACION feature on four of the playlists, while classics such as 'New York I Love You But You're Bringing Me Down' by LCD Soundsystem is where the singer found her electro edge in 'xanny'.

Similarly dark artist Post Malone features heavily, as well as some more unexpected tracks from Anne-Marie and Frank Sinatra.

And as it turns out, one of the most heavily-streamed tracks on the album 'bury a friend' was a take on Kanye West's 'Black Skinhead', and now we can't stop hearing it as that either.

Billie has previously said that the album is "inspired by her nightmares" and once she'd written 'bury a friend', she immediately knew what the rest of the album would be about.

Speaking of the inspiration behind it, she told The FADER: "‘bury a friend’ is literally from the perspective of the monster under my bed. If you put yourself in that mindset, what is this creature doing or feeling?

She added, "I also confess that I’m this monster, because I’m my own worst enemy. I might be the monster under your bed too.”

In the Instagram Story, Billie also added that end track goodbye was inspired by the rest of the album, and any song that didn't have its own playlist had inspired itself.

Brother and producer, Finneas O'Connell, already confirmed that the pair have started working on her second album, but since the delay of No Time To Die which her song is the theme for and her current tour being postponed, we'll just sit and wait patiently to fall in love with Billie all over again. We're ready when you are.