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“Not My Responsibility” (originally stylized as "NOT MY RESPONSIBILITY") is the ninth track included on Billie Eilish’s sophomore studio album Happier Than Ever. The song acts as an interlude and a prelude for OverHeated.
It was originally released on May 26th, 2020 via YouTube after its premier during the Where Do We Go? World Tour, but then had a distributed re-release with the publication of Happier Than Ever.
Theme[]
The interlude touches on the topics of slut-shaming and body shaming. Billie talks about how people who don't know her choose to judge her based on her choice of clothing. Even though Billie often wears baggy clothing that hides her body, she is still body-shamed by society. She speaks about how if women choose to show off their bodies, they are often seen as sluts, while women who choose to cover up are often seen as prudes and unwomanly.
Spotify Synopsis[]
| “ | Not My Responsibility—These are some of my favorite words I have ever written and I (laughs) feel like nobody listened. It's all about body-image and all the things we were trained to think and feel about bodies and it just makes me laugh because I put it out and everyone was like "Yes, queen!", "Body positivity, uh!" and then like three months later, there's a picture of me in a tank-top and the internet was like "FAT!!" (laughs) so— | ” |
– Billie Eilish, via Spotify | ||
Billie is referring to this image which was taken non-consensually in public. The image was later posted online and many body-shamed her for her appearance in the photo.
Synesthetic Perception[]
Not My Responsibility is perceived to be anything harsh or dark in Billie's synesthesia.[1] |
Lyrics[]
Do you know me?
Really know me?
You have opinions about my opinions
About my music
About my clothes
About my body
Some people hate what I wear
Some people praise it
Some people use it to shame others
Some people use it to shame me
But I feel you watching
Always
And nothing I do goes unseen
So while I feel your stares, your disapproval or your sigh of relief
If I lived by them, I'd never be able to move
Would you like me to be smaller, weaker, softer, taller?
Would you like me to be quiet?
Do my shoulders provoke you? Does my chest?
Am I my stomach? My hips?
The body I was born with
Is it not what you wanted?
If I wear what is comfortable, I am not a woman
If I shed the layers, I'm a slut
Though you've never seen my body, you still judge it
And judge me for it
Why?
We make assumptions about people based on their size
We decide who they are
We decide what they're worth
If I wear more, if I wear less
Who decides what that makes me, what that means?
Is my value based only on your perception?
Or is your opinion of me not my responsibility?
Trivia[]
- The track precedes OverHeated, hence the drum build up towards the end of the song which creates a smooth transition into the next track.
Videos[]
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