Wish You Were Gay

"Wish You Were Gay" (stylized in all lowercase) is the fourth single on American singer Billie Eilish's debut studio album When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? (2019). The song was released on March 4, 2019, through Darkroom and Interscope Records.[1][2][3][4]

"Wish You Were Gay"
Single by Billie Eilish
from the album When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?
ReleasedMarch 4, 2019 (2019-03-04)
GenrePop
Length3:41
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Finneas O'Connell
Billie Eilish singles chronology
"Bury a Friend"
(2019)		 "Wish You Were Gay"
(2019)		 "Bad Guy"
(2019)

Background

Eilish revealed in a statement that she was inspired to write "Wish You Were Gay" at the age of 14 when she was "madly in love with a boy."[3] In July 2017, Eilish performed an acoustic snippet of the track on her Instagram story. She stated that her crush "really was not interested" in her, and she wished that "he was gay so that he didn't like [her] for an actual reason, instead of the fact that he didn't like [her]." She added that the boy in question did in fact come out as gay.[5]

Composition and lyrics

"Wish You Were Gay" is composed in the key of G major with a moderate tempo of 118 beats per minute. Eilish's vocals span a range of G3 to D5 and its chord progression follows a basic sequence of Am–D7–Gmaj7–Em.[6] It is a pop[1] song which features Eilish singing over "a slow-burning, lush instrumental," according to Mitch Findlay of HotNewHipHop.[7] Michael Love Michael of Paper noted that the track's "maximal beats roil and snap like a tension release."[8] The song's lyrics center on Eilish's frustration that her crush does not reciprocate her feelings towards him, and her wish that he were gay to "spare [her] pride" and to "give [his] lack of interest in [her] an explanation."[9][10]

Controversy

"Wish You Were Gay" has been criticized as offensive to the LGBTQ community and accused of queerbaiting.[11][12] Eilish was also criticized for her comments on her Instagram story, where she said, "Guess what, he just came out to me like a couple weeks ago. So I wrote the song and made him fuck a dude. I'm fucking proud, bro, except not really though because I was really into him, like so into him. He's so hot, oh my god."[13] Eilish responded to the controversy in an interview with PopBuzz, stating, "I want to be so clear that it's so not supposed to be an insult" and "I feel like it's been a little bit misinterpreted. I tried so hard to not make it in any way offensive", referring to the song as "kind of a joke."[14]

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.[15]

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

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[52] Platinum 70,000
Austria (IFPI Austria)[53] Gold 15,000*
Canada (Music Canada)[54] Gold 40,000
Mexico (AMPROFON)[55] Platinum 60,000*
New Zealand (RMNZ)[56] Gold 15,000*
Portugal (AFP)[57] Gold 10,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[58] Silver 200,000
United States (RIAA)[59] Platinum 1,000,000

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

References
  1. Darville, Jordan (March 4, 2019). "Billie Eilish shares new song "wish you were gay"". The Fader. Retrieved March 4, 2019.
  2. Reilly, Nick (March 4, 2019). "Listen to Billie Eilish's latest new track 'Wish You Were Gay'". NME. Retrieved March 4, 2019.
  3. Schatz, Lake (March 4, 2019). "Billie Eilish premieres new song "wish you were gay": Stream". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved March 4, 2019.
  4. "Billie Eilish - wish you were gay (Audio)". March 4, 2019. Retrieved March 4, 2019.
  5. Clarke, Patrick (March 4, 2019). "Billie Eilish explains meaning behind new single 'Wish You Were Gay'". NME. Retrieved March 4, 2019.
  6. "Billie Eilish "wish you were gay" Sheet Music in G Major (transposable)". Musicnotes.com. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
  7. Findlay, Mitch (March 4, 2019). "Billie Eilish Gets Wistful On "Wish You Were Gay"". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
  8. Love Michael, Michael (March 5, 2019). "Billie Eilish's New Single Supports The Trevor Project". Paper. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
  9. Rowden, Claire (March 5, 2019). "billie eilish drops new song about unrequited love 'wish you were gay'". MTV UK. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
  10. Daw, Stephen (March 4, 2019). "Billie Eilish Is Tired Of Heartache On New Single 'Wish You Were Gay': Listen". Billboard. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
  11. "Is Billie Eilish's New Song 'wish you were gay' Queer Baiting?". www.pride.com. March 4, 2019. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
  12. "New Billie Eilish single is queerbaiting par excellence". The Gateway. March 28, 2019. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
  13. "Billie Eilish Revealed The Meaning Behind Her New Song "Wish You Were Gay" On Instagram In July 2018". Genius. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
  14. "Billie Eilish Responds to 'Wish You Were Gay' Backlash: 'It's Not Meant to Be an Insult'". Billboard. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
  15. "wish you were gay / Billie Eilish – Tidal". Tidal. Retrieved March 4, 2019.
  16. "Australian-charts.com – Billie Eilish – Wish You Were Gay". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved April 6, 2019.
  17. "Austriancharts.at – Billie Eilish – Wish You Were Gay" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
  18. "Ultratop.be – Billie Eilish – Wish You Were Gay" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved April 5, 2019.
  19. "Ultratop.be – Billie Eilish – Wish You Were Gay" (in French). Ultratip. Retrieved April 5, 2019.
  20. "Billie Eilish Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 9, 2019.
  21. "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Change the chart to CZ – SINGLES DIGITAL – TOP 100 and insert 201914 into search. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
  22. "Danishcharts.com – Billie Eilish – Wish You Were Gay". Tracklisten. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
  23. "Billie Eilish: Wish You Were Gay" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved March 18, 2019.
  24. "Lescharts.com – Billie Eilish – Wish You Were Gay" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
  25. "Offiziellecharts.de – Billie Eilish – Wish You Were Gay". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved April 5, 2019.
  26. "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
  27. "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Stream Top 40 slágerlista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
  28. "Irish-charts.com – Discography Billie Eilish". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved April 6, 2019.
  29. "Italiancharts.com – Billie Eilish – Wish You Were Gay". Top Digital Download. Retrieved April 6, 2019.
  30. "Mūzikas Patēriņa Tops/ 14. nedēļa" (in Latvian). LAIPA. Archived from the original on October 10, 2019. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
  31. "Savaitės klausomiausi (TOP 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. March 15, 2019. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  32. "Top 20 Most Streamed International & Domestic Singles In Malaysia" (PDF). Recording Industry Association of Malaysia. Recording Industry Association of Malaysia. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
  33. "Dutchcharts.nl – Billie Eilish – Wish You Were Gay" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved April 5, 2019.
  34. "Charts.nz – Billie Eilish – Wish You Were Gay". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved April 5, 2019.
  35. "Norwegiancharts.com – Billie Eilish – Wish You Were Gay". VG-lista. Retrieved April 6, 2019.
  36. "Portuguesecharts.com – Billie Eilish – Wish You Were Gay". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
  37. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 9, 2019.
  38. "Singapore Top 30 Digital Streaming Chart Week 11" (PDF). Recording Industry Association (Singapore). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 25, 2019.
  39. "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select SINGLES DIGITAL - TOP 100 and insert 201914 into search. Retrieved April 9, 2019.
  40. "Digital Chart – Week 6 of 2020". Gaon Chart (in Korean). Retrieved February 13, 2020.
  41. "Spanishcharts.com – Billie Eilish – Wish You Were Gay" Canciones Top 50. Retrieved April 9, 2019.
  42. "Swedishcharts.com – Billie Eilish – Wish You Were Gay". Singles Top 100. Retrieved April 6, 2019.
  43. "Swisscharts.com – Billie Eilish – Wish You Were Gay". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved March 18, 2019.
  44. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 6, 2019.
  45. "Billie Eilish Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 9, 2019.
  46. "Billie Eilish: Chart History - Pop Digital Song Sales". Billboard. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
  47. "Billie Eilish: Chart History - Pop Digital Song Sales". Billboard. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
  48. "ARIA End of Year Singles Chart 2019". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
  49. "Digitālās Mūzikas Tops 2019" (in Latvian). LAIPA. Retrieved January 3, 2020.
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  51. "Top AFP - Audiogest - Top 3000 Singles + EPs Digitais" (PDF) (in Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
  52. "ARIA Australian Top 50 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. May 27, 2019. Retrieved May 25, 2019.
  53. "Austrian single certifications – Billie Eilsih – Wish You Were Gay" (in German). IFPI Austria. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
  54. "Canadian single certifications – Billie Eilish – Wish You Were Gay". Music Canada. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
  55. "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 Wish You Were Gay in the box under TÍTULO
  56. "New Zealand single certifications – Billie Eilish – Wish You Were Gay". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved April 20, 2019.
  57. "Top AFP/Audigest - Semana 06 de 2020" (PDF) (in Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. p. 6. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  58. "British single certifications – Billie Eilish – Wish You Were Gay". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved July 19, 2019. Select singles in the Format field. Select Silver in the Certification field. Type Wish You Were Gay in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  59. "American single certifications – Billie Eilish – Wish You Were Gay". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved July 10, 2019. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH. 
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