| “ | When you give me those ocean eyes | ” |
– Ocean Eyes, Billie Eilish | ||
"ocean eyes" is a song by Billie Eilish from her debut extended play (EP), dont smile at me. It was also included on the soundtrack of The Hate U Give.[1] It was released on November 18th, 2016 through Darkroom and Interscope Records after originally being released on SoundCloud on November 18th, 2015. The Astronomyy remix of the song peaked at number 25 on Billboard's Spotify Velocity chart.
Cross-references[]
- The song's title is directly referenced in you should see me in a crown.
Background[]
When asked about how the song came about in an interview with Teen Vogue's Ariana Marsh, Billie said:
"Aside from singing, I'm also a dancer. I've been dancing since I was eight. Last year, one of my teachers asked if I would either write a song or have my brother write a song to choreograph a dance to. I was like, 'yes, that's such a cool thing to do!' Then, my brother came to me with 'Ocs. We kind of just decided that that was the song we were going to use for the dance. We put it on SoundCloud with a free download link next to it so my dance teacher could access it. We had no intentions for it, really. But basically overnight a ton of people started hearing it and sharing it. Hillydilly, a music discovery website, found it and posted it and it just got bigger and bigger. It was really surreal. Then, Danny Ruckasin, who is now my manager, reached out to my brother and was like, 'dude, this is going to get huge and I think you're going to need help along the way. I want to help you guys.' We were like, 'that's swag!'"
Critical Reception[]
Chris DeVille of Stereogum said "the song is pure pop, a ballad about longing for reconciliation with an ex. I can imagine it becoming a major hit, and director Megan Thompson's video will certainly help. Idolator's Mike Wass labeled it a "dreamy ballad". Mathias Rosenzweig of Vogue stated "On Billie Eilish's breakthrough track, 'Ocean Eyes', she compares love to falling off a cliff, surrounded by the warlike intensity of napalm skies. It's a profound description for a 14-year-old, and it's led to an enormous amount of interest in her debut song—as well as the singer herself. Like the title suggests, her airy falsetto vocals also conjure up thoughts of the ocean washing over the song's mellow percussion and minimalist synths. The song's maturity paired with a few childish ideals—she sings, for example, that love is 'no fair'—struck a chord with an audience much older than Eilish and racked up a total of more than 2,000,000 streams on Spotify." Billboard's Jason Lipshutz called it "understated and heartbreaking".
Music Video[]
| Music video | Information | |
|---|---|---|
|
Released | March 24, 2016 |
| Length | 3:20 | |
| Director | Megan Thompson | |
| Producer | Megan Thompson | |
| Filmed | ||
| Location | ||
| Views | 155+ million | |
| Music video | Information | |
|---|---|---|
|
Released | November 22, 2016 |
| Length | 3:20 | |
| Director | WeWrkWknds | |
| Producer | ||
| Filmed | ||
| Location | ||
| Views | 26+ million | |
Lyrics[]
[Verse 1]
I've been watching you for some time
Can't stop staring at those ocean eyes
Burning cities and napalm skies
Fifteen flares inside those ocean eyes
Your ocean eyes
[Chorus]
No fair
You really know how to make me cry
When you give me those ocean eyes
I'm scared
I've never fallen from quite this high
Falling into your ocean eyes
Those ocean eyes
[Verse 2]
I've been walking through a world gone blind
Can't stop thinking of your diamond mind
Careful creature made friends with time
You left her lonely with a diamond mind
And those ocean eyes
[Chorus]
No fair
You really know how to make me cry
When you give me those ocean eyes
I'm scared
I've never fallen from quite this high
Falling into your ocean eyes
Those ocean eyes
[Outro]
No fair
You really know how to make me cry
When you give me those ocean eyes
I'm scared
I've never fallen from quite this high
Falling into your ocean eyes
Those ocean eyes
[Verse 1: Billie Eilish]
I've been watching you for some time
Can't stop staring at those ocean eyes
Burning cities and napalm skies
Fifteen flares inside those ocean eyes
Your ocean eyes
[Chorus: Billie Eilish]
No fair
You really know how to make me cry
When you give me those ocean eyes
I'm scared
I've never fallen from quite this high
Falling into your ocean eyes
Those ocean eyes
[Verse 2: blackbear]
Yeah, yeah-eah-eah
I ain't really trippin' if you wanna go
I know I made you cry last year when I was on the road
I meant it when I said it, you can always hit my phone
(213) 267-9932, girl you know-ow-ow
I'ma make this fetty, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
I never would forget you, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
Look me in my eyes, tell me you ain't a part of me, no fair
[Chorus: Billie Eilish & blackbear]
No fair (Yeah, yeah-eah-eah)
You really know how to make me cry
When you give me those ocean eyes
I'm scared (Girl, I'm scared)
I've never fallen from quite this high
Falling into your ocean eyes
Those ocean eyes (Ocean eyes)
No fair (No fair, no fair)
You really know how to make me cry (Know how to make me cry)
When you give me those ocean eyes (Those ocean eyes)
I'm scared (I'm scared)
I've never fallen from quite this high
Falling into your ocean eyes
[Outro: Billie Eilish]
No fair
You really know how to make me cry
When you give me those ocean eyes
I'm scared
I've never fallen from quite this high
Falling into your ocean eyes
Those ocean eyes
Artwork[]
Promotional Photoshoot[]
Certifications and chart performance[]
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
| United States (RIAA) | Platinum | 1,000,000 |
| United Kingdom (BPI) | Gold | 400,000 |
| Canada (Music Canada) | 3x Platinum | 240,000 |
| Australia (ARIA) | 2x Platinum | 140,000 |
| Mexico (AMPROFON) | 2x Platinum | 120,000 |
The track peaked at #84 on the Billboard Hot 100 over three years after its release. It had not entered the chart before 2019. In the same year, it also peaked at #4 on the US Alternative Digital Song Sales and was the 11th biggest song on the chart in that year.
Trivia[]
- There was a Snapchat filter with the song at one point.
Gallery[]
Release history[]
| Region | Date | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| Worldwide | November 18, 2016 | Digital download |
|
| January 13, 2017 | Digital download (The Remixes EP) |
References[]
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