&Burn

"&Burn" is a song by American singer Billie Eilish and American rapper Vince Staples. It was released as a single on December 15, 2017, via Darkroom and Interscope Records,[1] and was later included in a December reissue of Don't Smile at Me.[2] Staples and Eilish's brother, Finneas O'Connell, co-wrote the song, with the latter solely handling the production. A pop track with hip hop influenced instrumentation, the song is an alternate version of Eilish's song "Watch".

"&Burn"
Single by Billie Eilish and Vince Staples
ReleasedDecember 15, 2017
GenreAlternative-trap
Length2:59
Label
  • Darkroom
  • Interscope
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Finneas O'Connell
Billie Eilish singles chronology
"My Boy"
(2017)		 "&Burn"
(2017)		 "Bitches Broken Hearts"
(2018)
Vince Staples singles chronology
"Rain Come Down"
(2017)		 "&Burn"
(2017)		 "Get the Fuck Off My Dick"
(2018)

"&Burn" has been awarded several certifications, including a platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). It was performed live by Eilish and Staples at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in 2019.

Background and release

In a statement made by Eilish with The Fader through email, she wrote, "Vince Staples was my number 1 choice, so when we got him to hear it and he agreed to do, it was incredible and the verse he did is so good. He is a god and I'm excited for it to finally come out!"[3] When Eilish and Finneas were recording the song, the track title was titled "Watch & Burn". The track later became two separate songs. One being "Watch" and the other being "&Burn".[4][5][6][7][8] "&Burn" was released as a standalone single on December 15, 2017 for digital download and streaming through Darkroom and Interscope Records. The song was later included on the December edition of her debut EP Don't Smile at Me.[9] The track was written by American rapper Vince Staples and Finneas O'Connell, Eilish's brother and the track's sole producer.[10][11][12] Mastering and mixing was handled by the studio personnel, John Greenham and Rob Kinelski, respectively.[13]

Composition and lyrical interpretation

Critical commentary described "&Burn" as a hip hop-influenced alternative-trap track.[14][15] Wandera Hussein of Billboard stated the track is supported by "booming kick drums" and "soft velvety keys. She further mentions Eilish's vocals are "poignant, baby-soft, [and] express a fiery revenge": Lips meet teeth and tongue/My heart skips eight beats at once (that's better)/If we were meant to be, we would have been by now/See what you wanna see, all I see is him right now/Him right now."[6] Vince Staples provides background vocals and has been described as a "deep and gloomy verse". I try to wait for the storm to calm down/But that's stubborn baby, leading a war/We droned down on each other/Tryin' to even the score/We all been found guilty in the court of a order."[6][16] David Renshaw of The Fader described "&Burn" as a "moody slow-burner packed with booming drums and hushed verses".[3] The song starts with the strike of a match and continues throughout the song as its main beat.[5][17]

Reception

"&Burn" was met with generally favorable reviews from music critics. Insider's Callie Ahlgrim placed the song at number 7 on their Every Billie Eilish song, ranked list, saying that "Watch" feels more "vulnerable" and "nostalgic", while "&Burn" sounds "powerful" and "resolute".[17] Lindsay Howard of Variance labeled the track as "simmering".[8] Robin Murray of Clash described "&Burn" as a "remarkable fusion that brings out the best in [Eilish] and [Staples].[18] Matthew Kent, writing for The Line of Best Fit, depicted the track as one of "Eilish's best tracks to date" and saw the song as "a darker duet more akin to the track's lyrics about literally setting an ex's car on fire".[19] The staff of NME explains "the end product sees the pair feed off of each other’s bolshy attitude as they trade verses in this hard-hitting reimagining of 'Watch', a restrained moment from 'Don’t Smile at Me'".[20] Nicole Almeida of Atwood Magazine dubbed the song as "stronger" and "bolder" as "Watch", but still "retain[s] the same vulnerability the original lyrics offer".[5] Commercially, "Bitches Broken Hearts" did not enter any official charts. The track has been awarded a platinum certification in Australia by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA).[21]

Live performance

To promote "&Burn", Eilish performed it at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival with Staples in April 2019.[22]

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Don't Smile at Me.[13]

  • Billie Eilish – vocals
  • Vince Staples – vocals, songwriter
  • Finneas O'Connell – producer, songwriter
  • John Greenham – mastering engineer, studio personnel
  • Rob Kinelski – mixer, studio personnel

Charts

Year-end charts
Chart (2019) Position
Portugal (AFP)[23] 1254

Certifications
Certifications and sales for "&Burn"
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[21] Platinum 70,000
Canada (Music Canada)[24] Gold 40,000
United States (RIAA)[25] Gold 500,000

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

Release history
Region Date Format Label Ref.
Various December 15, 2017
  • Digital download
  • streaming
  • Darkroom
  • Interscope
[26]

References
  1. "&burn - Single by Billie Eilish & Vince Staples on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
  2. "dont smile at me". Billie Eilish. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
  3. Renshaw, David (December 14, 2017). "Billie Eilish shares "&Burn," a gloomy collaboration with Vince Staples". The Fader. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
  4. Spruch, Kristen (December 12, 2019). "10 Billie Eilish Songs Every Superfan Should Know". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 26, 2020. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  5. Almedia, Nicole (February 16, 2018). "Music You Should Know: Confidence & Boldness on Billie Eilish's Debut EP 'Don't Smile at Me'". Atwood Magazine. Archived from the original on March 13, 2020. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  6. Hussein, Wandera (December 15, 2017). "Billie Eilish Unveils New Track 'Burn' Featuring Vince Staples, Whose Verse Is 'So Mf Good'". Billboard. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  7. Skelton, Eric (December 14, 2017). "Billie Eilish and Vince Staples Collaborate on '&Burn'". Complex. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  8. Howard, Lindsay (December 14, 2017). "Hear Billie Eilish's Simmering New Track '&Burn,' Featuring Vince Staples". Variance. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  9. "Don't Smile at Me December Reissue". Spotify. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
  10. Kaye, Ben (December 15, 2017). "Vince Staples joins Billie Eilish on new single '&burn': Stream". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  11. Birnstengel, Grace (December 14, 2017). "Billie Eilish – '&Burn' (Feat. Vince Staples)". Stereogum. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  12. "Billie Eilish Collaborates With Vince Staples For '&burn'". BroadwayWorld. December 15, 2017. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  13. Don't Smile at Me (booklet). Darkroom/Interscope Records. 2019. B0030752-02.
  14. Rossignol, Derrick (December 15, 2017). "15-Year-Old Billie Eilish Gets A Vince Staples Feature On Her Alluring Single '&burn'". Uproxx. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  15. Rafikian, Shahin (December 15, 2017). "Billie Eilish drops "&burn," an alt version of "Watch," feat. Vince Staples". HighClouds. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  16. Minsker, Evan (December 14, 2017). "Billie Eilish Enlists Vince Staples for New Song '&burn': Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  17. Ahlgrim, Callie (March 18, 2020). "Every Billie Eilish song, ranked". Insider. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  18. Murray, Robin (December 15, 2017). "Billie Eilish Pairs Up With Vince Staples On '&burn'". Clash. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  19. Kent, Matthew (December 15, 2017). "Billie Eilish teams up Vince Staples for the sizzling '&burn'". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  20. "Every single Billie Eilish song ranked in order of greatness". NME. July 30, 2020. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  21. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2019 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
  22. 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.
  23. "Top AFP - Audiogest - Top 3000 Singles + EPs Digitais" (PDF) (in Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
  24. "Canadian single certifications – Billie Eilish – Watch". Music Canada.
  25. "American single certifications – Billie Eilish – &Burn". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved April 4, 2020. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH. 
  26. "&burn (with Vince Staples) by Billie Eilish on Spotify". Spotify. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
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