Bored (song)

"Bored" is a song by American singer-songwriter Billie Eilish from the soundtrack album, 13 Reasons Why (A Netflix Original Series Soundtrack) (2017). The song was written by Eilish, her brother Finneas O'Connell, Aron Forbes, and Tim Anderson. Production was solely handled by Finneas. It was released by Darkroom and Interscope Records for digital download and streaming on March 30, 2017, as the lead single from the soundtrack. A mid-tempo pop ballad, the song's lyrics see Eilish sing about finally discovering her former lover's mistakes. The song has received generally mixed reviews from music critics, with a number of them deeming it as forgettable.

This article is about the Billie Eilish song. For the Deftones song, see Adrenaline (album).

"Bored"
Single by Billie Eilish
from the album 13 Reasons Why (A Netflix Original Series Soundtrack)
ReleasedMarch 30, 2017 (2017-03-30)
GenrePop
Length3:00
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Finneas O'Connell
Billie Eilish singles chronology
"Bellyache"
(2017)		 "Bored"
(2017)		 "Watch"
(2017)
Music video
"Bored" on YouTube

The song has been certified gold in the United States, Australia, Mexico, and Poland by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), Mexican Association of Producers of Phonograms and Videograms, A.C. (AMPROFON), and Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry (ZPAV), respectively. An accompanying music video was released on June 26, 2017, and directed by Miles & AJ. In it, Eilish is shown dressed in a blue tracksuit with matching high-top Nikes while hanging off a ladder that seemingly goes on forever into endless white space. The video received positive reviews, with critics praising Eilish's performance. Eilish promoted "Bored" by performing it for her Where's My Mind Tour (2018) and When We All Fall Asleep Tour (2019).

Background and composition

The song was written by Eilish alongside her brother Finneas O'Connell, known under his stage name of Finneas, Aron Forbes, and Tim Anderson. Finneas was solely responsible for the song's production.[1] Eilish told V magazine that being able to make music for 13 Reasons Why and having it appear on the show's soundtrack was great for her due to opening her music to a much bigger audience.[2] "Bored" was released for digital download and streaming by Darkroom and Interscope Records as the lead single from the soundtrack album 13 Reasons Why (A Netflix Original Series Soundtrack) on March 30, 2017.[3][4][5]

According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com, "Bored" is composed in the key of G major and has a tempo of 122 beats per minute (BPM). Eilish's vocals span a range from A3 to D5.[6] Music journalists described the song as a mid-tempo pop ballad.[7][8][9] Lyrically, "Bored" is a song built on harmonies that demonstrates Eilish feeling contempt for an ex-lover who had made too many mistakes: "I'm not afraid anymore/What makes you sure you're all I need?"[9][10]

Reception

"Bored" has been met with mainly mixed reviews from music critics. The staff of NME stated that the song is "salvaged by the layer-upon-layer of vocal takes that come to a head towards the end", and said it "belongs to a now-bygone Eilish sonic era".[11] Jules LeFevre, writing for Junkee magazine, placed the song at number 17 on her Every Billie Eilish Song Ranked From Worst To Best list, opining that it is "completely forgettable". She continued, commenting that Eilish "tumbles down the melody on the line 'I'm not afraid anymore', like a pebble down a waterfall".[12] For Insider, Courteney Larocca described "Bored" as a "delicate, ethereal song", and praised the layering of Eilish's vocals throughout the song.[10] Angie Piccirillo of Consequence of Sound commented that Eilish's "smooth vocals caught the attention of young listeners".[13]

Commercially, "Bored" was certified gold in the United States, Australia, Mexico, and Poland by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), Mexican Association of Producers of Phonograms and Videograms, A.C. (AMPROFON), and Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry (ZPAV), respectively.[14][15][16][17]

Promotion

Background and synopsis
Eilish climbs up an endless latter in the music video.

The music video for "Bored" was released to Eilish's YouTube channel on June 26, 2017, and directed by Miles & AJ.[2][8][18] Eilish came up with the concept for it.[9] The video sees her climbing and hanging off a ladder that seems to climb forever into endless white space, while she is dressed in a blue tracksuit with matching high-top Nikes[2][8] In an interview with Elle magazine, Eilish said the video was inspired by "being trapped in a relationship that was going nowhere. When you're in such a toxic place with someone and you're treated so badly for such a long time that eventually you're used to it."[9] Eilish also talked about the visual's endless ladder: "The thought of being on an endless ladder in a kind of timeless/antigravity space where no rules apply is just really sick to me, and goes with the concept of the song by getting nowhere in a relationship and getting bored."[2][9]

Critical reception

The music video was met with positive reviews from critics. Emma Blanchard, writing for V magazine, praised the visual, saying: "Eilish's genuinely thoughtful lyrics and gorgeous piano melodies align flawlessly with the videos minimalistic vibe." She continued, commenting that Eilish "deliver[ed] a stunning, artistic performance".[2] For Idolator, Mike Wass described the visual as a "suitably solemn affair".[8] Estelle Tang of Elle magazine labeled the music video as "dizzying".[9]

Live performances

Eilish promoted the song by performing it during her Where's My Mind Tour (2018) and When We All Fall Asleep Tour (2019).[19][20]

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.[1]

Charts
2019 year-end chart positions for "Bored"
Chart (2019) Position
Portugal (AFP)[21] 1183

Certifications
Certifications and sales for "Bored"
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[14] Gold 35,000
Mexico (AMPROFON)[15] Gold 30,000
Poland (ZPAV)[16] Gold 10,000
United States (RIAA)[17] Gold 500,000

sales+streaming figures based on certification alone

References
  1. "Bored by Billie Eilish". Tidal. Archived from the original on November 24, 2020. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
  2. Blanchard, Emma (June 26, 2017). "Premiere: Billie Eilish's New Music Video For 'Bored' From 13 Reasons Why". V. Archived from the original on November 24, 2020. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  3. 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.
  4. Harding, Charlie (August 9, 2019). "Billie Eilish, the neo-goth, chart-topping teenage pop star, explained". Vox. Archived from the original on September 13, 2019. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  5. "Bored - Single by Billie Eilish on Apple Music". Apple Music. Archived from the original on May 15, 2020. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
  6. "Billie Eilish 'Bored' Sheet Music". Musicnotes.com. Archived from the original on September 30, 2020. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
  7. Frometa, RJ (March 31, 2017). "Billie Eilish is 'Bored' on Netflix Origial Soundtrack for '13 Reasons Why'". Vents Magazine. Archived from the original on July 15, 2019. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  8. Wass, Mike (June 26, 2017). "Billie Eilish Unveils The Arty Video For '13 Reasons Why' Track 'Bored'". Idolator. Archived from the original on November 24, 2020. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  9. Tang, Estelle (June 26, 2017). "Watch Billie Eilish's 'Bored' Video Now". Elle. Archived from the original on November 16, 2020. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  10. Ahlgrim, Callie; Torres, Libby; Willen, Claudia (March 18, 2020). "Every Billie Eilish song, ranked". Insider. Archived from the original on September 16, 2020. Retrieved April 5, 2020.
  11. "Every single Billie Eilish song ranked in order of greatness". NME. July 29, 2019. Archived from the original on May 8, 2019. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  12. LeFevre, Jules (July 28, 2020). "Every Billie Eilish Song Ranked From Worst To Best". Junkee. Archived from the original on September 20, 2020. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
  13. Piccirillo, Angie (December 31, 2019). "Artist of the Year Billie Eilish Reinvented the Pop Star in 2019". Consequence of Sound. Archived from the original on October 6, 2020. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  14. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2019 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on February 15, 2020. Retrieved February 19, 2019.
  15. "Certificaciones" (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Retrieved January 14, 2020. Type Billie Eilish in the box under the ARTISTA column heading and Bored in the box under TÍTULO
  16. "Polish single certifications – Billie Eilish – Bored" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved November 18, 2020.
  17. "American single certifications – Billie Eilish – Bored". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved November 22, 2018. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH. 
  18. "Billie Eilish - Bored". YouTube. Archived from the original on November 11, 2019. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
  19. Kohnstamm, Alex. "Billie Eilish Serenades Sold Out 7th St. Entry". Music in Minnesota. Archived from the original on October 1, 2020. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
  20. Trendell, Andrew (February 12, 2019). "Watch Billie Eilish perform 'Bury A Friend' and 'When I Was Older' live for the first time". NME. Archived from the original on October 1, 2019. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  21. "Top AFP - Audiogest - Top 3000 Singles + EPs Digitais" (PDF) (in Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 9, 2020. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.