Hostage (Billie Eilish song)

"Hostage" is a song by American singer Billie Eilish from her debut EP Don't Smile at Me (2017). It was written by Eilish and her brother Finneas O'Connell; the latter also solely produced it. The song was certified platinum in the United States and Canada and gold in Australia.

"Hostage"
Song by Billie Eilish
from the EP Don't Smile at Me
ReleasedAugust 11, 2017
Length3:48
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Finneas O'Connell

Background

"Hostage" is the eighth and final track on Eilish's debut EP Don't Smile at Me, released on August 11, 2017.[1] Written by Eilish and her brother Finneas O'Connell, O'Connell was also responsible for the song's engineering and production. Mixing was done at The Fortress of Amplitude by Rob Kinelski and mastering was handled by John Greenham.[2]

Composition and lyrics

According to sheet music website Musicnotes.com, "Hostage" was composed in the key of A minor and has a slow tempo of 65 beats per minute (BPM). Eilish's vocals range between E4 to G5.[3]

The lyrics of the song deals with Eilish being the abusive one in a relationship. She wants to keep him but pushes him away constantly once he gets too close. In the song she says, "I'll build a wall, give you a ball and chain. It's not like me to be so mean, you're all I wanted. Just let me hold you like a hostage". She loves him but sometimes she becomes overly aggressive with what she does. He still loves her and chooses to stay through the anger and fighting, but it only hurts him at the end and makes him the hostage to her love. She goes on later to express everything about gold. Gold finger tips, gold leaf across your lips, gold chain, and gold shirt he let her wear home. Then she says "Gold's fake and real love hurts". She had never been with someone who truly loved her. She has a past of bad relationships so she treats this one like her last ones: closed, hurt, depressed, and on edge. She feels like she even has to "fight" him when things are going bad. This shows the emotionally abusive side in her.[4]

Music video

A music video was released on July 11, 2018 and was produced by Henry Scholfield.[5][6] In an interview with Eilish, she states: "It was a dream for me to get to work with everyone involved. I was a big fan of Stromae and I was blown away with the treatment and vision he, his brother, Luc Junior Tam, and Henry had for this song, which perfectly matched the thoughts behind the lyrics."[6]

Commercial performance

Despite "Hostage" being the only song from the EP to not be released as a single, it received a platinum certification in the United States and Canada by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and Music Canada (MC), respectively.[7][8] It was also certified gold in Australia by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA).[9]

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Don't Smile at Me.[2]

Charts

Weekly charts
Chart (2018) Peak
position
LyricFind Global (Billboard)[10] 9

Year-end charts
Chart (2019) Position
Portugal (AFP)[11] 850

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[9] Gold 35,000
Canada (Music Canada)[8] Platinum 80,000
United States (RIAA)[7] Platinum 1,000,000

sales+streaming figures based on certification alone

References
  1. Monger, Timothy. "Billie Eilish – Don't Smile at Me". AllMusic. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
  2. Don't Smile at Me (booklet). Billie Eilish. Santa Monica, California: Darkroom/Interscope Records. 2019. B0030752-02.CS1 maint: others (link)
  3. "Billie Eilish 'Hostage' Sheet Music". Musicnotes.com. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
  4. McDonald, Adam (November 3, 2018). "Billie Eilish – hostage (Lyrics Review and Song Meaning)". Justrandomthings. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  5. "Billie Eilish – hostage". YouTube. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  6. Marotta, Michael (October 8, 2018). "Billie Eilish attempts to escape the room in new video for 'hostage'". Vanyaland. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
  7. "American single certifications – Billie Eilish – Hostage". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved January 4, 2020. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH. 
  8. "Canadian single certifications – Billie Eilish – Hostage". Music Canada. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  9. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2019 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  10. "Billie Eilish Chart History (LyricFind Global)". Billboard. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
  11. "Top AFP - Audiogest - Top 3000 Singles + EPs Digitais" (PDF) (in Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
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