Bellyache (Billie Eilish song)

"Bellyache" is a song by American singer Billie Eilish. The song was released on February 24, 2017, through Darkroom and Interscope Records. It was written by Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell, with production by O'Connell. "Bellyache" is a midtempo electropop and R&B song, with hip hop, deep house and Latin macabre influences. Lyrically, the song is written from the perspective of a psychopathic murderer. The Marian Hill Remix was released on May 5, 2017.

"Bellyache"
Single by Billie Eilish
from the EP Don't Smile at Me
ReleasedFebruary 24, 2017 (2017-02-24)
Genre
Length2:59
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Finneas O'Connell
Billie Eilish singles chronology
"Six Feet Under"
(2016)		 "Bellyache"
(2017)		 "Bored"
(2017)
Music video
"Bellyache" on YouTube
Alternative cover
Marian Hill Remix cover

The track was accompanied by a music video released on March 22, 2017. In it, it depicts Eilish in an all-yellow outfit as she throws dollar bills in the air and dances along the highway. Although "Bellyache" did not enter the Billboard Hot 100, it peaked at number three on the Bubbling Under Hot 100, spending a milestone 32 weeks on the chart.[1] It did however reach the charts in Australia, Canada, Ireland, Portugal and Scotland. It double platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and Mexican Association of Producers of Phonograms and Videograms, A.C. (AMPROFON). Eilish included the track on the setlists of her 2019 When We All Fall Asleep Tour and 2020 Where Do We Go? World Tour.

Background and composition

"Bellyache" was released February 24, 2017 as the single on Eilish's debut EP Don't Smile at Me.[2] "Bellyache" was written by the singer and her brother Finneas O'Connell, the latter of which solely produced it. Mastering and mixing was handled by the studio personnel John Greenham and Rob Kinelski, respectively.[3] A remix created by Marian Hill was released on May 5, 2017.[4]

"Bellyache" is described as a midtempo electropop and R&B song,[5][6] with the use of hip hop, deep house and Latin macabre influences.[7][8][9] According to sheet music, "Bellyache" is composed in the key of E minor, at a moderate tempo of 100 beats per minute. Eilish's vocals span a range of E3 to B4.[10] The song's verses feature an acoustic guitar, while the chorus is mainly synth-based.[11]

According to Eilish, the song's lyrics were written from an entirely fictional perspective[12] about a psychopath who kills those close to her, including her friends and lover. As Eilish takes on the persona of a psychopath who's killed her friends and dumped their bodies in the backseat of her car. (My friends aren't far/In the back of my car/Lay their bodies).[8] She said that, more generally, the song is about "the concept of guilt".[8] In an interview with Teen Vogue, Eilish stated that "Garbage" by Tyler, the Creator was the biggest inspiration for the song. The song's lyrics also reference the film V for Vendetta.[5]

Critical reception

"Bellyache" received mostly positive reviews from critics. Mike Wass of Idolator called it a "sinister synth-anthem that positively seethes fury and frustration".[13] Billboard's Jason Lipshutz said "she wrapped the macabre lyrics around a delectable pre-chorus hook and a steady acoustic pattern that eventually gives way to a sizzling drum machine."[12] Estelle Tang of Elle labeled it a "banger about bad decisions".[14] Pigeons and Planes's Jacob Moore stated that the song "shows off an intriguing edge, which is in large part due to the fact that this is a song about murder".[15] Commercially, although "Bellyache" did not enter the Billboard Hot 100, it peaked at number three on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart. It peaked at number 79 on the UK Singles Chart. The song also reached modest peaks in Australia,[16] Canada,[17] Ireland,[18] Portugal[19] and Scotland.[20] The song has been awarded multiple certifications, most notably, double platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA),[21] the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA),[22] and Mexican Association of Producers of Phonograms and Videograms, A.C. (AMPROFON).[23]

Promotion
Eilish pulls a red wagon down an empty road in the music video.

The music video, directed by Miles and AJ, was released on March 22, 2017.[24] In it, Eilish, dressed in yellow baggy clothes,[25] walks down a long, empty desert road, dragging a red wagon filled with bags, which she eventually reveals to be full of cash, and carrying a yellow flower. Throughout the video, she throws dollar bills in the air and dances along the highway. The video ends with her being stopped by a police officer eating a donut and twirling a baton as she drops the flower on the ground.[26][27] Idolator's Mike Wass claimed "she looks suitably pissed off, but there's dark humor at play here in the juxtaposition of bright colors and pitch-black emotions. I particularly like the little dance break."[13] Jacob Moore of Pigeons & Planes said that the video is "bright, mischievous, and captivating."[15] Eilish performed "Bellyache" a number of times. She sang it at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in April 2019,[28] and at the Glastonbury Festival in the June of that year.[29] "Bellyache" was also included on the setlist of Eilish's When We All Fall Asleep Tour (2019).[30] Eilish further performed the track during her 2020 Where Do We Go? World Tour.[31]

Covers

In May 2019, the rock band Juice recorded a cover of "Bellyache".[32] The band said Eilish inspired them, and called her and O'Connell "honest innovators".[33] Also in May 2019, Sigrid performed a live rendition of "Bellyache" for Sveriges Radio P3.[34] Of the song, Sigrid wrote on Twitter, "what a tune!"[35]. Brazilian singer-songwriter Tiago Iorc also covered the song on his project "MTV Unplugged"[36].

Personnel

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[3]

Charts
Chart (2018–2019) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[16] 66
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[17] 65
Ireland (IRMA)[18] 39
Portugal (AFP)[19] 69
Scotland (Official Charts Company)[20] 89
Slovakia (Singles Digitál Top 100)[37] 85
South Korea (Gaon)[38] 197
Sweden Heatseeker (Sverigetopplistan)[39] 7
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[40] 79
US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (Billboard)[41] 3
US Alternative Digital Song Sales (Billboard)[42] 11

Year-end charts
Chart (2019) Position
Portugal (AFP)[43] 144
US Alternative Digital Song Sales (Billboard)[44] 23

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[45] 2× Platinum 140,000
Canada (Music Canada)[46] Platinum 80,000
Denmark (IFPI Denmark)[47] Gold 45,000
Mexico (AMPROFON)[23] 2× Platinum 120,000*
Portugal (AFP)[48] Gold 10,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[49] Gold 400,000
United States (RIAA)[22] 2× Platinum 2,000,000

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone
sales+streaming figures based on certification alone

Release history
Region Date Format Label Ref.
Various February 24, 2017 Digital download
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References
  1. "bellyache Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
  2. "Don't Smile at Me by Billie Eilish on iTunes". iTunes Store. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
  3. Don't Smile at Me (Media notes). Billie Eilish. Darkroom, Interscope Records. 2017.CS1 maint: others (link)
  4. "Bellyache (Marian Hill Remix) by Billie Eilish on iTunes". iTunes Store. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
  5. Elizabeth, De. "Here's Why 15-Year-Old Billie Ellish is THE Next Big Thing". Teen Vogue. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
  6. Kaplan, llana (March 16, 2017). "Pop Newcomer Billie Eilish Wants to Make Sure You Never Forget Her". Paper. Archived from the original on June 8, 2020. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  7. Garvey, Meaghan. "Who's Billie Eilish?". The FADER. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
  8. Barlow, Eve (February 24, 2017). "Billie Eilish's "Bellyache" Is Totally Psycho and Perfectly Pop". Vice. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
  9. Weiss, Haley (27 February 2017). "Discovery: Billie Eilish". Interview Magazine. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
  10. O'Connell, Billie; O'Connell, Finneas; Eilish, Billie (16 November 2018). "bellyache". Musicnotes.com. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
  11. Desk, BWW News. "Billie Eilish Releases New Single 'Bellyache' Today". Broadway World. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
  12. Jason Lipshutz (March 23, 2017). "Billie Eilish Is Pop's Most Impressive 15-Year-Old - Billboard". Billboard. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
  13. Mike Wass (March 22, 2017). "Billie Eilish Seethes In 'bellyache' Video - Idolator". Idolator. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
  14. Estelle Tang (March 23, 2017). "Watch Billie Eilish 'bellyache' Video". Elle. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
  15. Jacob Moore (March 22, 2017). "Billie Eilish is a 15-Year-Old Singer on Track For Pop Stardom - Pigeons and Planes". Pigeons and Planes. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
  16. "Australian-charts.com – Billie Eilish – Bellyache". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
  17. "Billie Eilish Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
  18. "Irish-charts.com – Discography Billie Eilish". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved December 1, 2018.
  19. "Portuguesecharts.com – Billie Eilish – Bellyache". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
  20. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 12, 2019.
  21. "ARIA Australian Top 50 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
  22. "American single certifications – Billie Eilish – Bellyache". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved August 14, 2018. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH. 
  23. "Certificaciones" (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Retrieved November 19, 2019. Type Billie Eilish in the box under the ARTISTA column heading and Bellyache in the box under TÍTULO
  24. "Billie Eilish - bellyache - YouTube". YouTube. March 22, 2017. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
  25. Tang, Estelle (23 March 2017). "15-Year-Old Singer Billie Eilish Has a Dreamy New Music Video". ELLE. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
  26. Russell, Erica. "Billie Eilish Is On the Run in 'Bellyache': Watch". PopCrush. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
  27. Sydney Gore (March 23, 2017). "Billie Eilish Pirate Baird O'Connell Will Give You A 'bellyache' With Her New Video - NYLON". Nylon. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
  28. Powers, Shad (December 10, 2019). "Second time around even better for Billie Eilish as Weekend 2 set is more powerful, raw". The Desert Sun. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
  29. Saval, Marina (July 1, 2019). "Billie Eilish Mesmerizes Glastonbury Crowd With Life-Affirming Performance". Variety. Archived from the original on July 11, 2019. Retrieved April 22, 2020.
  30. Saw, Yadana (April 25, 2019). "Review: Billie Eilish at Spark Arena – "a shared dream"". Radio New Zealand. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
  31. Young, Alex (March 10, 2020). "Billie Eilish Launches "Where Do We Go? World Tour"". Consequence of Sound. Archived from the original on March 11, 2020. Retrieved April 22, 2020.
  32. "JUICE Premiere Cover of BILLIE EILISH's "Bellyache"". Music Mayhem Magazine. 9 May 2019. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
  33. Berard, Oleva (9 May 2019). "EXCLUSIVE PREMIERE - Juice Releases Groovy Cover Of". CelebMix. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
  34. Roth, Madeline. "Watch Sigrid Beautifully Cover A Billie Eilish Deep Cut: 'What A Tune'". MTV News. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
  35. Skinner, Tom (21 May 2019). "Watch Sigrid's stripped-back cover of Billie Eilish's 'bellyache'". NME. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
  36. Vilanova, Beatriz (31 May 2019). "Tiago Iorc canta músicas inéditas, recebe Jorge Drexler e faz cover de Billie Eilish no Acústico MTV". Folha de S. Paulo. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
  37. "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select SINGLES DIGITAL - TOP 100 and insert 201848 into search. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
  38. "Digital Chart – Week 23 of 2019". Gaon Chart (in Korean). Retrieved June 13, 2019.
  39. "Veckolista Heatseeker, vecka 48, 2018". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  40. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
  41. "Billie Eilish Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
  42. "Billie Eilish: Chart History - Alternative Digital Song Sales". Billboard. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
  43. "Top AFP - Audiogest - Top 3000 Singles + EPs Digitais" (PDF) (in Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
  44. "Alternative Digital Song Sales – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  45. "ARIA Australian Top 50 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
  46. "Canadian single certifications – Billie Eilish – Bellyache". Music Canada.
  47. "Danish single certifications – Billie Eilish – Bellyache". IFPI Denmark. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
  48. "Top AFP/Audigest - Semana 07 de 2020" (PDF) (in Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. p. 6. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  49. "British single certifications – Billie Eilish – Bellyache". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved February 7, 2020. Select singles in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type Bellyache in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  50. Worldwide digital release of "Bellyache":
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