How Billie Crafted ‘Birds of a Feather’

Birds of a Feather

Birds of a Feather by Billie Eilish took flight as the second single from her album Hit Me Hard and Soft . It was first released on May 17, 2024, through Darkroom and Interscope Records.

The song gained even more attention when it officially dropped as a single on July 2, 2024. With its unique vibe and enchanting vocals, Eilish proved once again that she’s in a musical league of her own.

A Sneak Peek into the Making of “Birds of a Feather”

Billie Eilish and Finneas gave fans a behind-the-scenes look at their creative process for Birds of a Feather . On December 11, the sibling duo shared an Instagram Reel, showing them working on the song together.

The clip highlighted one of the first moments they started crafting the track, with Billie noting in the caption “February 16th, 2023, lil video of the beginnings of birds of a feather.”

A Raw and Intense Love Story

Billie Eilish shared in a behind-the-scenes video that she wanted to flip the usual love song narrative, as shown in the song’s opening verse: “I want you to stay / ‘Til I’m in the grave / ‘Til I rot away, dead and buried / ‘Til I’m in the casket you carry.”

Eilish admitted the intense lyrics were intentional. “It’s almost like someone slamming you into a wall and being like ‘You look really pretty!’” she shared. “I wanted it to feel, like, toxic and a little bit love-bomby.”

Eilish’s Love for The Second Verse

Billie Eilish has a special love for the second verse, calling it “different from the rest of the song.” While the rest of the track is about what she wanted to feel, this part gets real about how she truly feels about her love.

The line “I want you to see / How you look to me” touches on how our insecurities can make it tough to see ourselves the way others do, especially those who love us. Billie added, “If I could give you my view of you, you would be so shocked and so stoked because it’s awesome.”

Letting Listeners Find Their Own Meaning

Billie Eilish is all about letting listeners find their own meaning in her music. She shared, “With music, my whole thing is that it’s for the listener to decide what it means. It doesn’t matter what I wrote it about, what Finneas wrote it about, it really doesn’t matter, as long as you interpret it however you need to.”

She emphasizes that the personal connection to the music is what truly matters, regardless of its original intention. Billie believes music is meant to be interpreted by the listeners.

Unpacking the Heartfelt Theme

Birds of a Feather dives into themes of deep love and the longing for a lasting bond. Billie Eilish sings about loving someone unconditionally and staying by their side through everything.

The title itself holds symbolic meaning. “Birds of a feather” describes two people who are alike and naturally drawn to each other. Eilish adds her twist in the chorus, singing: “Birds of a feather, we should stick together, I know. “

What inspired “Birds of a Feather”?

Billie and Finneas started Birds of a Feather, aiming for a traditional love song, but when the word “grave” popped up, they twisted it into something darker. “We were like, ‘Oh, we’ll make a love song for the first time that doesn’t have some weird twist to it,’ and then, we twisted it,” Billie explained.

While the song sounds poppy, Billie said it has a sense of sadness: “It’s giving happy, but it’s not actually.” You can feel that contrast in the pre-chorus: “I don’t know what I’m crying for / I don’t think I could love you more.”

Birds of a Feather First Glimpse

Billie Eilish first teased Birds of a Feather on May 13, 2024, through a trailer for Netflix’s Heartstopper Season 3. It was one of three tracks previewed before her album Hit Me Hard and Soft dropped.

In an Apple Music interview, Eilish shared an exciting fact that the song features the highest vocal reach she’s ever hit. Talk about hitting all the right notes.

Billie Shares Album Excitement on Instagram

As soon as the album dropped, Billie Eilish shared her excitement with fans, expressing just how personal the project was to her. On Instagram, she wrote, “Finneas and I put so much into this album and have never ever ever loved something more.”

It was clear how much passion and love went into the creation of the album, and Billie couldn’t wait for everyone to experience it. “We hope you enjoy it so much, and I’ll see you on the other side.”

Music Video

The music video for Birds of a Feather , directed by Aidan Zamiri, dropped on September 27, 2024, just a day after it was teased. In the video, Billie Eilish is seen singing in an empty office building, her arm being pulled by an invisible force.

Sarah Kearns from Hypebeast saw this as a powerful symbol, reflecting the feeling of being tugged in different directions by someone who’s not physically there. It adds a haunting layer to the song’s themes of love and longing.

The Song That Surprised Even Finneas

Finneas, Billie’s brother and co-writer, admits in an interview with Variety that he’s cautious when people predict a song will be a big hit. “In some ways, I’m sort of extra-mistrustful when people tell me they think something’s gonna be a big hit, because it feels like jinxing it.”

But Birds of a Feather sparked excitement every time they played it. “Every time we played it for the label or our close friends, they would kind of freak out.” The song’s magic was clear, even from the first listen.

Why They Waited to Release Birds of a Feather

Finneas explains that they didn’t rush to release Birds of a Feather as a single because they wanted to be careful with how it would shape people’s expectations. “If we’d released it before the album, people would’ve thought the whole album would sound like that.”

He shares that the song is actually different from the rest of the album, so seeing it become such a huge hit was a pleasant surprise. “We loved making it, but it’s extra-validating to have something blow up like that without pushing it as a single.”

Finneas’ Love-Hate Journey with Birds of a Feather

He admits making Birds of a Feather was a long, challenging process. “To be honest, that is excruciating,” he says, reflecting on the 11 months it took to perfect.

There was a lot of second-guessing and constant revisions, with Billie redoing her vocals multiple times. He also struggled with the production, layering, and removing sounds repeatedly. “I have so many memories of listening to version 5 of the song, driving around L.A.”

The Song That Almost Didn’t Make It

Birds of a Feather almost didn’t make it to Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft album, despite all the effort that went into it. After nearly a year of tweaking and reworking, it almost got the axe.

“We overthought this simple song so much,” Finneas admitted. Billie confessed, “There was a time we were considering cutting it. But thank god we didn’t.”

Making Waves Worldwide

Birds of a Feather has been everywhere, from the Olympics to live shows and tours. Billie Eilish performed the track at the 2024 Summer Olympics closing ceremony, marking the flag handover from Paris to Los Angeles.

The song also made waves on Saturday Night Live on October 19, 2024, alongside “Wildflower.” And if you’re lucky enough to catch her on Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (2024–2025) , you’ll hear this anthem live, adding another layer of magic to the show.

Catch the highlights from Taylor Swift’s fun-filled Eras Tour Finale , which just wrapped up.

Soaring High at the Grammys

Birds of a Feather is making waves at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards with nominations for Song of the Year, Record of the Year, and Best Pop Solo Performance. It’s a massive win for Eilish, who’s also racking up major recognition with her album.

The success of Hit Me Hard and Soft continues, earning her a total of seven Grammy nominations for 2025, including Album of the Year.

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