Billie Eilish opens Happier Than Ever by one-upping Nirvana
"Getting Older" comments on musical fame in a manner so acid, it doesn't just match "Serve The Servants"—it does it one better by calling out the fans
Music Features Billie Eilish
After weeks of promotion (and some excellent singles), Billie Eilish’s sophomore album, Happier Than Ever, was released last night, and the early responses to it have been largely positive. Initial spins of the record quickly demonstrate why: This is a sharp, multilayered collection of pop songs, delivered in Eilish’s signature underplayed and quiet-but-intense style. But there’s no wisecracking opening bit here, no playful “I have taken out my Invisalign” from When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? to goose the listener before jumping into the music. Instead, the album kicks off with one of the slyest, most acid-tongued commentaries on the transition from pre- to post-superstardom life since “Serve The Servants” served as the lead-in to Nirvana’s In Utero back in 1993.
Most pop stars intentionally shy away from directly confronting the cost of fame in their music, for fear of coming across as unrelatable or losing the “I’m just like you” accessibility that brought them fame in the first place, preferring to address concerns of success more indirectly or thematically. From the Eagles’ “After The Thrill Is Gone” to Lady Gaga’s “Paparazzi,” a lot of the music that comments on the price of fame is deliberately crafted to allow listeners to substitute relationship woes or existential drama, the vagueness allowing anyone to swap in their own concerns. Ironically, that’s the very reason why songs like “Serve The Servants” feel so vital and true—the unvarnished reminder that this person is not like you, and has experienced something you will probably never go through, ends up more honest and confessional than the watered-down alternative.
“Serve The Servants” does this in one of the most direct and meta ways imaginable: “Teenage angst has paid off well / Now I’m bored and old,” sings Kurt Cobain, the very first lyrics on the band’s heavily anticipated follow-up to smash hit Nevermind. “Self-appointed judges judge / more than they have sold.” It was simultaneously a snide kiss-off to media critics of Nirvana and a wry, funny commentary on the bizarre fact of becoming world-famous for writing noisy rock songs. Rather than trying to draw in listeners with an inviting, “gather ’round, and let me sing you a song” attitude, Cobain was drawing a line in the sand; he’s essentially saying, “You’ve never been through what we have and you never will, so fuck off, you’re making this not fun.”
“Getting Older,” the opening track on Happier Than Ever, not only follows suit, it does Cobain one better: It directly calls out fans themselves, instead of just media figures and critics. At first, it seems like Eilish is going to deliver the sort of heartfelt, revealing confessional that made her seem so vulnerable on her first album: “I’m getting older, I think I’m aging well / I wish someone had told me I’d be doing this by myself.” It’s the kind of universal sentiment that cuts deep, and she continues in that vein with the second line, before dropping in a reference to her newfound fame: “There’s reasons that I’m thankful, there’s a lot I’m grateful for / but it’s different when a stranger’s always waiting at your door.” It’s a shift in the tone of the song, albeit still a tender, mournful one—but then, Eilish slides in the knife.
“Which is ironic, ’cuz the strangers seem to want me more than anyone before / Too bad they’re usually deranged.”
The song flips the entire script of the usual “you, the fans, keep me grounded” approach, turning from a rumination to a reprimand. It’s cutting, and caustic, and playful all at once—in other words, it’s exactly what’s great about Eilish and her music, a smart and sly way to kick off the first post-fame album. And she matches Cobain again, this time on the “bored and old” front: “Things I once enjoyed / just keep me employed, now.” The entire track runs the gamut of emotions, but always with a clear, gimlet-eyed look at the unusual position she’s in, and the double-edged nature of the acclaim she receives.
As second acts go, this one has a hell of an opening salvo; time will tell if the record holds up as well or better than her debut, but Eilish is already one step ahead on that front, too: “It’s so weird, that we care so much—until we don’t.”
97 Comments
Seems a bit silly to compare a 19 year old singing about how a venture they once enjoyed is lucrative but not fun and a 25 year old saying their teenage bullshit was bullshit but lucrative.
The worst cover on Eater’s debut album is of Alice Cooper’s “I’m Eighteen” because they weren’t old enough.
Lines form at the DMV
Lines form from the . . . DMV . . . (this is hard)
I can’t vote or drink but can see R rated movies
I’m a boy and I’m tired of this joke already . . .
I’M ALMOST 18!
Also seems a bit weird to compare a depressive burnout who stumbled into superstardom with a hyper-connected child of immense privilege. Kurt was never interested in being relatable, Billie never *was* relatable in the first place.
Also, saying she “one-upped” Cobain is by attacking the fans shows a profound misunderstanding of Cobain’s lyric. By saying “teenage angst has paid off well, now I’m bored and old”, it’s not just a weary groan about fame. It’s a warning to listeners (especially the jock meathead types who just moshed to it like they would a Slayer album) that, if they were expecting Nevermind Part II, they’ve come to the wrong place and are cordially invited to piss off.
The “one-upped” Nirvana thing is entirely sensationalism there to enrage gen-x’rs and drive traffic and best not taken too seriously.
Jock meatheads were into Slayer?
Dont know BE’s history or family tbf but yeah that would make a difference.
As stated above, wealthy and connected. Which doesn’t make her a bad person or artist. But this comparison is embarrassing and inaccurate at best.
Also
seems a bit weird to compare a depressive burnout who stumbled into
superstardom with a hyper-connected child of immense privilege.
What are you talking about? Kurt Cobain didn’t “stumble” into stardom. Everything I have ever seen or read about the man documented somebody who was incredibly (and often ruthlessly) ambitious. This is somebody who dumped his indie label for a major label, dumped bandmates when they weren’t up to snuff, and forced the remaining bandmates to relinquish the lion’s share of royalties to him.
As for Billie Eilish, what immense privilege are we talking about? She is the daughter of third or fourth string actors. The only privilege I see her having is being born with an older brother who just happened to be a shockingly talented musician and producer. Is there something else you’re referring to?
This back and forth seems needlessly reductive and prefer not to feed a competition that doesn’t need to be—Billie Eilish might be calling out fans because fan interaction has changed in nearly 30 years—but I just going to take this opportunity to post this link:https://www.getrevue.co/profile/pennyfractions/issues/penny-fractions-billie-eilish-the-exception-that-proves-the-rule-205262I don’t know if it counts as “privileged” and don’t mean it as such, but that we’re basically talking about PR campaigns here.
Thank you. A singer launched by a well-coordinated media blitz before she can drive *a moped* is in a wildly different category than a band as reflexively antagonistic as Nirvana.
And Kurt absolutely wanted to be a professional musician (and was far more aggressive pursuing that than I thought), but he did *not* want to be a superstar. There was little reason to think his music would have him playing stadiums in his early 20s.
Thanks for the link. Personally, I don’t find any discourse reductive if people are honest and willing to listen.
The link was interesting but I agree that it doesn’t really show any “privilege” just that she had a lot of PR (tho I doubt any more than Nirvana, TBH) It was a weird blog post putting a lot of speculation into the idea that Eilish was signed before she released her first single on Soundcloud but I’m not sure how it applies here. Thanks for it, anyways.
By reductive I mean Cobain wasn’t just a depressive burnout and she’s not just immense privilege. I’ve come round to thinking there is some privilege there—if unconnected parents is a sign of lacking it then a sibling who is in the industry is a sign of it. “Immense”, eh, luck or privilege can get you the limelight but you stay in it with work. Billie Eilish having a major label campaign that included letting the press run away with a discovery story means we have a very managed view of her (to her credit). A well supported rise that maybe obscures how “ambitious” we see her as. I think we know/see the work Cobain put in to get where he was, but she hasn’t stumbled upon it either. If anything, given the passage of 30 years and developments everywhere, I hope she’s going in with some forethought (seems like it) and is better equipped than he was to handle what she’s been building for herself.They share fame, and while I think that fame has many differences, this comparison has really been more interesting than I would have expected.
She definitely had more PRE than Kurt. What Kurt apparently wanted to be was successful like Sonic Youth. Have your records go Gold eventually, be respected as musicians, be able to support yourself without living paycheck to paycheck. What he did not want to be was a rock star (See any number of other Seattle bands for that).
I maintain that Pearl Jam will forever exist in the shadow of Nirvana simply because Eddie Vedder handled his aversion to fame *worlds* better than Kurt Cobain did. Kurt recorded an album-length “Fuck You” to his fans, and when that didn’t drive them off, killed himself. Eddie stopped making music videos, got in a big public fight with Ticketmaster, and generally lowered the band’s public profile to a level he was comfortable with.
The idea that Kurt killed himself because he couldn’t handle fame feels pretty reductive. He was a heroin junky self-medicating because he suffered from acute stomach pain. He was certainly uncomfortable with fame, but I’m sure he was smart enough to know that he could always stop making music and use his piles of cash to move somewhere quiet if that was really his biggest issue.
I can’t speak for Vedder, but I definitely think of that band – especially the core of that band, Gossard and Ament – as the Seattle band trying hardest to be commercial. When Green River broke up, some of its members formed Mudhoney, and some of its members formed Mother Love Bone.
Kurt wasn’t connected? His band consisted of the drummers from Garbage and the Foo Fighters, and he was married to the lead singer of Hole. He was *surrounded* by celebrities.
I may be completely missing your irony and stepping on a joke, and if I am I apologize in advance. Nothing you posted is accurate. Hole did not become big until after Kurt died. Foo Fighters did not exist until after Kurt dies. Butch Vig was not the drummer for Nirvana. He produced Nevermind (and Gish that same year) and the fact that he was the producer of Nirvana’s album is what gave him some cachet.
And two of the three bands you mentioned occurred AFTER his death. That’s like saying Kelly McGillis was in Top Gun with the star of the Mission: Impossible franchise.
Well played.
Have a star and an apology for the embarrassment of the people that didn’t get your joke
Interesting comparison, Alex. I wouldn’t have thought of it, but you make a good case for it being apt. The major difference to me is that Serve the Servants is more musically alienating and discordant than “Getting Older” or anything else off this album. Not that I expect Billie Eilish to sound like Nirvana. And juxtaposing harsh lyrics with softer music can be nice sometimes. But after listening this morning, I was a bit disappointed in how safe and mellow Happier Than Ever is. It’s not bad, but there’s nothing that perked my ears up like “Bury a Friend” did the first time I heard it. The closest is probably the shift midway through the title track.
That’s not a knife alienating discordant song, this is an alienating discordant song:
What a great album. Having thought about it more, I’m also disappointed that Alex didn’t throw in a reference to “The Ballad of John and Yoko.”
Christ, you know it ain’t easy… The way things are going, they’re gonna crucify me.
electrolytes smell like semen…GO AWAAAYYY!
Actually, I find this song more melodic than Serve The Servants.
The authority on all knowledge (wikipedia) has this to say:Journalist Gillian G. Gaar described “Serve the Servants” as “a straight-ahead rock song, arguably the most straightforward song on In Utero,” and noted that its steady volume was a departure from the frequently-used “soft/loud Nirvana dynamic.” Author Chuck Crisafulli wrote that the song was among the most “rock n’ roll” tracks the band ever recorded and provided an energizing and satisfying opener to the album, which immediately dispelled rumors that In Utero would be excessively abrasive and unlistenable.
I would not call Serve The Servants excessively abrasive, but I definitely find Tourette’s less dissonant.
It’s definitely not as heavy as some of the other songs on the album, but there’s something atunal about the guitar riff.
I believe Kurt said he was inspired by Tom G. Warrior for some such guitar sounds.
Which song?
tish cufk sips
I raise you an “Endless Nameless”:
Her face was literally painted on an Amazon box I received this morning.Personally, I’m a death metal guy, so it’s tough for me to say whether she’s soft and commercial or a personal ambassador to Satan. It’s a really thin line sometimes.
If you’re into death metal, wouldn’t someone being a personal ambassador to Satan be a good thing?
Hey, I wasn’t trying to satan-shame.
It’s not what I’d call a “one up” on nirvana because she’s calling out her fans …it’s just a sign of the times. Fans used to be a few steps removed from the process and who you did it for and now they’re as in your face as the media and critics because they ARE the media and critics now. Different world.
I agree. I think she is capable of more and this is especially underwhelming for me. Honestly, I have no idea why I expect better art from her but I do.
Yep, I have to agree with you on this one, The songs are a bit more mature than the debut, but most of it is classic Billie – if you loved When We All Fall Asleep…, you’ll love this album, and if you didn’t, you probably won’t.Outside of “Oxytocin” and “Happier Than Ever”, there’s no real ear-perking moments on this album. I know this album just came out, but I’d love to see a lot more risks and genre experiments on LP3.
Your thinking is very good, your writing and I had a great experience with the article, I am giving the link of my side, in future I would also like to write like this. https://playsattamatka.in/blog.html
wow, sounds alsome
It’s so brazen for a 19 yr old that I can’t help but admire it.
“Call out the fans”? Fuck, what a thought! Are her fans the ones who like her pretty songs? Do they like to sing along? Do they own and operate firearms?And why does this kid always look like she’s been up for five days?
Alright, Pop…let’s go inside, find your pants and listen to Rust Never Sleeps again, k?
Look up, it was pretty high up when it went over…
HEY HO, My My . . .CROSSOVER!
And why does this kid always look like she’s been up for five days?I was gonna say that the comparison to Nirvana was only apt in that she looks like she’s trying to impersonate Courtney Love after a bender—and Eilish better watch it or Courtney might sue if recent events are any indication.
I would counter that Courtney Love’s late husband was responsible for her music; while Billie Eilish’s (probably maybe still alive) brother is responsible for hers.
I know not what this means.
I don’t listen to Billie Eilish. Her music means the world to my stepdaughter, so I have some respect for anyone who makes her feel special & respected. She could be amazing but it’s not my call to make, & I’m not going to criticize anyone for their taste. Now that my pre-apology for daring to question anything regarding a modern pop darling is out of the way, allow me to please ask the writers of the AV Club to cease their insistence that everything new is the best, the most, groundbreaking, and game-changing. In your rush to declare every fucking song, album, cartoon, movie, reality show, sitcom, streaming hit, & pop singer “the greatest,” you have ceased being critics and have become PR flunkies for people and intellectual properties that don’t need the help. There are enough people on social media ready to unconditionally declare everything amazing within an hour of it dropping without your help. Maybe you all should try criticism instead of cheerleading and fulfill the role we do need instead of lining up to kiss the ring of every motherfucker with a platform.
But Rebecca Black and Olivia Rodrigo are obviously objectively the greatest pop Artists of all time.
The whole Rebecca Black thing is weird Like, her music is…fine? But nothing that would really stand on its own if it wasn’t accompanied by her former online infamy
The bloggers here don’t quite understand the difference between art and entertainment. Both should overlap, however the analogy I’m fond of is that while I like a McDonald’s cheeseburger every once in a while I’m not going to demand it get a fucking Michelin star.
Yes ! You are totally right ! She is a perfectionist ! https://www.surepac.in/
They didn’t say anything like that. Take it easy.
Hyperbole is the language of modern pop journalism. It is a byproduct of the internet. I’m in no way saying that these artists shouldn’t be in the conversation. They are legitimate just like Disco and synthpop were when they were being slagged by the “rockists” of their era. All I’m asking for are conversations over bold, hyperbolic proclamations.
What hyperbolic proclamations? They call it “a sharp, multilayered collection of pop songs.” That’s not exactly in like with a New York Post headline or anything.
You can ask but I don’t know why you’re wasting your time. The AV Club was never a top destination for music writing even in its heyday. Now it’s down to occasional hot take articles or nominal coverage of whatever artist is trending on Twitter RIGHT NOW.
Hyperbole is the language of modern pop journalism peoplewhich is why something that was once ‘fine’ or ‘good’ even, now has to be ‘awesome,’ and performing a basic task competently equates to having “smashed it (UK)/”killed it” (US).
Rock at least requires talent, rather that just being rich enough to hire a social media marketing team.
Not familiar with Johnny Borell then?
The Eagles said something like that.
It does seem like music critiques are kind of a thing of the past, you have to be a part of the pr machine, or else they lose access.
Exactly. I could have written this comment on any number of AV Club reviews, this just happened to be the one where I was able to sit down and speak my mind. I am not attacking Billie Eilish at all. Her album might be great, but I will likely never hear it. I’m just not interested, but you know what might change my mind: An Actual Review! Despite the objection of other commenters, this piece does traffic in hyperbole. Claims of “one upping Nirvana” are unnecessary and irrelevant. Wouldn’t it have been just as easy to say that she mines similar territory as Cobain? Of course it would be, but that’s not what the AV Club says. Every album must be a game-changing flex of a clap back.
Isn’t it the same with everything? In the UK we used to have talk shows where a guest might be asked a tough question. Now we get Graham Norton gently coddling the biggest stars in a trade-off for having access to them. Do you remember when we used to see clips from films when people went on these shows? Now they just show a trailer. Not saying there’s something necessarily wrong with it. It’s just… clear they don’t feel the need to hide that these appearances are extended commercials.
Still a bit tamer and less direct than TOOL’s “Hooker with a Penis”:All you know about me is what I’ve sold ya, dumb fuckI sold out long before you’d ever even heard my nameI sold my soul to make a record, dipshitAnd then you bought one
LOL the way Maynard delivers the line “But in between, sips of coke.”Also, Pink Floyd released an entire concept double album about how goddamn sick they were of their goddamn fans!Also too I love In Utero so much.
lol, no.she’s certainly managed to become popular via music and other means, but, no, to the headline.
Didn’t Cobain already criticize the fans on In Bloom on Nevermind?
He’s the one, who did that very thing, on the album that you mentioned, and he liked to shoot his gun…
Yep. That’s what happened. Nirvana, a band soon to be forgotten was…one-upped. By…Billie Eilish. They said “come get us” and she said “oh, here I come” and it was her against them. They were still tuning up their lil’ instruments when the world tuned into “Getting Older” and realized that they were just big ole’ frauds who couldn’t rock if they tried. It had happened. They’d been Eilished. They hung their heads, whispered that she’d really one-upped them, and slunk away.
i would hate to hand out with her. seems toxic.
Those lines could also mean Labels, Brands, Movie/TV/etc. Why did you decide it applied to fans? “One upped” is a shitty way to make it sound like she’s trying to shit on Nirvana, even though it’s your words. And have you ever heard of GWAR? Maybe you have, listen to Ultimate Bohab (2006) well before she was even, out of diapers? It’s about super fans and how annoying they are. She not the first nor not the last to call out…anything. You’re just another one of those fans. I bet you were one of those One Direction is better than the Beatles people too. #bebetter
Hmm I thought the songs on her new record about reckoning with fame were done rather artlessly and ham fisted. Billie is so literal here, but without any narrative thrust, if you don’t have the context or sympathy for Billie it’s gonna land with a thud. I wouldn’t accuse Nirvana of being subtle, but Kurt’s writing was lyrical.
I do like the Billie song, album is a bit of a slog though.
Maybe it’s the look
My god that’s terrible. Talk about overblown…
Never compare Kurt to Billie Eillish. Nirvana is from a musical standpoint superior. More melodic and of course more instruments used. I often come across Billie Eillish songs as sobbing, slow, boring and unmelodic. I base this of not having more than 3 notes in the entirety of the song and having the same drums in every song. But on the brighter side, sure. She can write some deep lyrics, and I respect that. However, I find Kurt’s lyrics more cryptic.
I wish she and her brother would stop following the normal pop star release cycle and follow their muse into whatever. Like don’t put out an album every two years, just keep putting stuff out even if it isn’t comparatively great. Go the lo-fi route and start putting out an ep every few months.
Alex McLevy opens up The A.V. Club by pissing off every Gen-Xer & older Millennial.
We Gen Xers like to act like we’re above the fray and we just sit back and let Millenials fight it out with BoomersBut gotta give it to Alex, he got me to start formulating an irate response in my head. Then my better instincts kicked in.
No.
I think she’s great and I’m a big Nirvana/Cobain fan, but I cannot fathom why people so often compare the two. Apples and oranges.
To be fair, this is probably still the most savage song telling fans to kiss off:Tool’s “Hooker with a Penis” gets points for effort, but ultimately it’s just too petulant to be taken seriously.
Classic and my all time favorite fuck you to fans
This is such a bizarre article. Both songs are good, but the idea that Eilish’s song “one-ups” Cobain’s because of a line about weird fans, as if no musician has ever mentioned that before, is really strange. are you okay alex
The author achieved exactly what he wanted. Click bait. I happen to like nirvana and billie. Nirvana being my absolute favorite band of all time and billie being the most listened artist as of right now for me. This album came out and I’m disappointed. The only song I liked was NDA. Happier than ever is ok. All the others are way too soft. Anyway the author knew the headline of this article is an insult that doesn’t even make sense so it will get people riled up, click and comment and here we are.
Is it really possible to one-up someone/thing that no longer exists? Certainly seems a bit cheap, since you already have (your existence) over them/it already.
Alex, funny thing: the first thing I thought of when listening to this (very impressive) sophomore release was a direct correlation to Cobain’s, Serve the Servants. But let’s not kid ourselves here. There is not a single lyric on the record that comes even close to, “Teenage angst has paid off well / Now I’m bored and old.” Billie’s lyrics, while developing, still rely on rhyming lyrics a large percent of the time. I live her vulnerability though. I’ve probably gave the album 5-6 listens since yesterday.Not sure on your age, (I’m 44) but I remember when In Utero came out and hearing that opening line as a cut to all.(fans and media included). I still laugh about it today.Maybe you’re having the same experience?Cheers!
Did she kill herself in a more “buzz worthy” way than a shotgun blast to the head?
This is how you talk to fans
Good thing dumbass articles like this exist.It provides fuel for me forming my own band. 👍
Give me a break. She was just on Hot Ones with two GIANT crucifixes on her neck and with her billions of dollars and endless intelligence started dating an immature racist moron. She is a pathetic, religious, trash person and a tool of everyone around her. She is a POP STAR. She sucks.
She is the best !!