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Blue (Billie Eilish song)

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"Blue"
Song by Billie Eilish
from the album Hit Me Hard and Soft
Written2015, 2020 - 2021, 2023
ReleasedMay 17, 2024 (2024-05-17)
Length5:43
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Finneas

"Blue" is a song by American singer-songwriter Billie Eilish and the closer from her third studio album, Hit Me Hard and Soft (2024). It was released on May 17, 2024. This song is a mix of two of Eilish's unreleased songs: "Born Blue" and "True Blue".

Background and release

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The song resurrects two songs that she had previously written, "True Blue" and "Born Blue". "True Blue" was one of the first songs she and Finneas had ever written, after "Ocean Eyes", which she performed along with that song in some of her earliest performances.[1] In February 2022, the song leaked online and became viral on TikTok, leading Eilish to reconnect it realizing that she wanted to complete it and release a finalized version.[1][2]

"Born Blue" was a song that they started writing for Happier Than Ever (2021), even putting it on an early version of the tracklist, but only wrote a few lines and never finished. They decided to rewrite and combine the two songs to reflect how they felt while writing this album and retitling it to simply "Blue".[1]

Music and lyrics

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The song starts with an ethereal tone, discussing feelings of sadness and heartbreak as well as referencing every song in the album, and then moves into a dark section with her voice being distorted to a deeper octave.[citation needed]

The melody is used as a leitmotif throughout the album to tie the themes together and make the album feel more cohesive. The melody of "Born Blue" can be heard in the tracks "Skinny" and "The Greatest", and the melody of "True Blue" is in the outro to "Bittersuite" leading into the beginning of this song.[citation needed]

The song ends with the line "But when can I hear the next one", which has led to speculation that this was hinting towards a sister project or sequel to Hit Me Hard and Soft.[3][4][5][6]

Critics' year-end rankings of "Blue"
Publication List Rank Ref.
Spectrum Culture The 25 Best Songs of 2024 23 [7]

Charts

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Certifications

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Certifications for "Blue"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Belgium (BEA)[38] Gold 20,000‡
Canada (Music Canada)[39] Platinum 80,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ)[40] Gold 15,000‡
Poland (ZPAV)[41] Gold 25,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[42] Silver 200,000‡
United States (RIAA)[43] Gold 500,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ a b c Lowe, Zane (May 21, 2024). "Billie Eilish & Finneas: Hit Me Hard and Soft Interview". YouTube. Apple Music. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
  2. ^ Beuses, Fabiana (May 17, 2024). "ICYMI, Billie Eilish's "Blue" Was Taking Over TikTok Long Before Hit Me Hard and Soft". Her Campus. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
  3. ^ Kathryn Knight (May 17, 2024). "Billie Eilish's new song 'Blue' on 'Hit Me Hard and Soft' has a clever link to the rest of the album". Capital FM.
  4. ^ Steffanee Wang (May 21, 2024). "Billie Eilish Explained The Real Story Behind Fan-Favorite Song "Blue"". Nylon.
  5. ^ Liberty Dunworth (May 17, 2024). "Here's how Billie Eilish's 'Blue' lyrics relate to every song on 'Hit Me Hard And Soft'". NME.
  6. ^ "Exploring the Depths of Billie Eilish's 'Blue': A Lyrical Journey Through Emotion and Identity". Lyric Layers.
  7. ^ "The 25 Best Songs of 2024". spectrumculture.com. December 18, 2024. Retrieved December 22, 2024.
  8. ^ "Billie Eilish – Blue". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
  9. ^ "Billie Eilish Chart History (Belgium Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  10. ^ "Billie Eilish Chart History (Brasil Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
  11. ^ "Billie Eilish Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  12. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 21. týden 2024 in the date selector. Retrieved June 3, 2024.
  13. ^ "Billie Eilish – Blue" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved June 14, 2024.
  14. ^ "Billie Eilish – Blue" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved June 7, 2024.
  15. ^ "Billie Eilish Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  16. ^ "Official IFPI Charts — Digital Singles Chart (International) — Εβδομάδα: 21/2024" (in Greek). IFPI Greece. Archived from the original on May 29, 2024. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  17. ^ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
  18. ^ "Tónlistinn – Lög" [The Music – Songs] (in Icelandic). Plötutíðindi. Archived from the original on May 24, 2024. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
  19. ^ "Straumēšanas TOP 2024 – 21. nedēļa" [Streaming TOP 2024 – Week 21] (in Latvian). LAIPA. June 12, 2024. Retrieved June 14, 2024.
  20. ^ "2024 21-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. May 24, 2024. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
  21. ^ "Billie Eilish Chart History (Luxembourg Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  22. ^ "The Official Mena Chart - This Week's Official MENA Chart Top 20 from 17/05/2024 to 23/05/2024". theofficialmenachart.com. International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original on May 31, 2024. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
  23. ^ "Billie Eilish – Blue". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
  24. ^ "Billie Eilish – Blue". VG-lista. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
  25. ^ "OLiS – oficjalna lista sprzedaży – single w streamie" (Select week 17.05.2024–23.05.2024.) (in Polish). OLiS. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  26. ^ "Billie Eilish – Blue". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
  27. ^ "The Official Mena Chart - This Week's Official Saudi Arabia Chart Top 20 from 17/05/2024 to 23/05/2024". theofficialmenachart.com. International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original on May 31, 2024. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
  28. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 21. týden 2024 in the date selector. Retrieved June 3, 2024.
  29. ^ "Top Release Of The Week: Local & Intl Streaming". The Official South African Charts. Recording Industry of South Africa. Archived from the original on May 31, 2024. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
  30. ^ "Billie Eilish – Blue" Canciones Top 50. Retrieved June 7, 2024.
  31. ^ "Billie Eilish – Blue". Singles Top 100. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
  32. ^ "Billie Eilish Chart History (U.K. Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  33. ^ "Official Audio Streaming Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 25, 2024.
  34. ^ "Official Singles Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 25, 2024.
  35. ^ "Billie Eilish Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  36. ^ "Billie Eilish Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  37. ^ "Hot Rock & Alternative Songs – Year-End 2024". Billboard. Retrieved December 22, 2024.
  38. ^ "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – singles 2024". Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  39. ^ "Canadian single certifications – Billie Eilish – Blue". Music Canada. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
  40. ^ "New Zealand single certifications – Billie Eilish – Blue". Radioscope. Retrieved January 9, 2025. Type Blue in the "Search:" field.
  41. ^ "OLiS - oficjalna lista wyróżnień" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved October 9, 2024. Click "TYTUŁ" and enter Blue in the search box.
  42. ^ "British single certifications – Billie Eilish – Blue". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved December 20, 2024.
  43. ^ "American single certifications – Billie Eilish – Blue". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
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