Wikipedia

You Should See Me in a Crown

This article is about the Billie Eilish song. For the young adult novel, see You Should See Me in a Crown (novel).

"You Should See Me in a Crown" (stylised in lowercase) is a song by American singer-songwriter Billie Eilish and the lead single of her debut studio album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? (2019). It was released on July 18, 2018, through Darkroom and Interscope Records.[1] It was written by Eilish and her brother Finneas O'Connell, who also produced the track.[2] The song received positive reviews and charted in countries including the US, Canada and Australia.

"You Should See Me in a Crown"
Cover art for "You Should See Me in a Crown": a crown surrounded by multiple spiders
Single by Billie Eilish
from the album When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?
B-side"Bitches Broken Hearts"
ReleasedJuly 18, 2018 (2018-07-18)
RecordedFebruary 2018
Genre
Length3:00
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Finneas O'Connell
Billie Eilish singles chronology
"Party Favor" / "Hotline Bling"
(2018) 		"You Should See Me in a Crown"
(2018) 		"When the Party's Over"
(2018)
Music video
"You Should See Me in a Crown" on YouTube
Alternative cover
Picture sleeve for the US 7-inch single, released in October 2018

Background and release

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The song's title was inspired by a scene from the third episode of the second season of BBC television series Sherlock titled "The Reichenbach Fall", where the villain Jim Moriarty says the line "Honey, you should see me in a crown".[3] Eilish and O'Connell, who are fans of the series, thought that the line was "dope" and decided to write a song around the quote.[4] The song "Human" by Iranian-Dutch singer Sevdaliza was also cited as one of the track's influences.[4]

The song was released on a 7-inch vinyl, along with "Bitches Broken Hearts" as the B-side on October 20, 2018, and was sold exclusively during her 1 By 1 Tour.

Composition and lyrics

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The song is a trap-influenced electropop and industrial song featuring Eilish singing over "blaring synths and rapid-fire hi-hats."[5][6][7][8] The chorus utilizes a "thumping bass (that) slithers menacingly."[9] Additionally, the opening incorporates a recording of Eilish's father sharpening knives.[4]

Critics have described Eilish's vocals as "whispered" and "mumbled".[5][10] Lyrically, the song describes Eilish plotting for world dominance.[5][10]

Release and promotion

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The track was premiered on Annie Mac's BBC Radio 1 show on July 18, 2018.[11] Two days later, Eilish posted a video of a tarantula crawling out of her mouth on her social media accounts with the caption "u scared?"[12] In October, she made her daytime television debut on The Ellen DeGeneres Show performing the song inside a glass box seated on a throne.[13][14] The Ringer deemed the performance the ninth most awkward on the show in 2018.[15] The song was used as the official theme song for the professional wrestling pay-per-view event NXT TakeOver: New York.[16]

Reception

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The song was well received by music critics; many noted that it was significantly darker than Eilish's previous work. NME's Thomas Smith reacted positively towards the song, writing "she's not playing nice anymore. Kicking off with some mumbled vocals and a melody that sounds like the most sinister nursery rhyme you ever heard, Billie's sending for everyone."[5] Raisa Bruner of Time featured the song on her "5 Songs You Need to Listen To" list on the week of July 20, 2018 and wrote "Eilish finds a vibe that's the right kind of eerie as she makes an unabashedly dark statement of confidence and purpose."[10] Jacob Moore of Complex called the track "a gorgeously written song with a pop core and an unforgettable chorus, but dark undertones give it an dynamic edge."[17]

Billboard named the single the 50th best song of 2018,[18] and PopMatters gave it the same ranking.[19]

Music videos

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Vertical video

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A vertical music video for the track was released in August 2018 featuring Eilish covered in spiders as she sings the song.[20] Eilish cited a woman called "Diana" as an inspiration for the video, saying of her: "She showed me how she puts the spider in her mouth, and then I did it. Spiders on my face and hair...I loved it."[21] The vertical video was later released as a full-screen video, albeit with the same recording and audio.

Official video

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In March 2019, Eilish released the official music video for the track, directed and animated by Takashi Murakami, with whom she had previously collaborated for the cover of Garage Magazine, on Apple Music, before posting it to YouTube the following month.[22][23] Murakami stated in a press release that the anime-style video, which was animated using motion capture technology, took eight months for him to create.[24][25] The video opens with an animated version of Eilish, dressed in a neon-green shirt and shorts. This modified Eilish tries on a black spider hoodie and eventually morphs into a spider-like monster that wreaks havoc on a miniature city.[26][27] The video features the first appearance of the "Blohsh", Eilish's signature logo, as well as Murakami's flowers.[28]

Usage in media

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"You Should See Me in a Crown" was used in a promotional ad for the boxing match between Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury.[29] It also features on FIFA 19 and FIFA 23.[30] It was later featured in the fifth episode of the American series Euphoria as well as in the third season of Queen of the South. It also appears in the sixth episode of season one of the Amazon Prime series Hanna. It was featured in the seventh episode of the second season of the Marvel/Hulu series Runaways. It was also one of the official theme songs for NXT TakeOver: New York. It was also played at the end of the first episode of Emergence as well as at the end of the ninth episode of Netflix's Locke & Key.[31] The song was also used in contortionist Marina Mazepa's quarterfinal performance on America's Got Talent in 2019. In This Moment singer Maria Brink performed a cover of the song.[32] In 2022 it was featured in the second episode of the second season of Only Murders in the Building.[33] It was also used in the Netflix movie The School for Good and Evil and is part of the soundtrack of Just Dance 2024 Edition. In 2024, it was used in the credits for episode 5 of the Marvel Television series Agatha All Along and in the ending and credits of episode 2 of the Sky Atlantic series Sweetpea.

Credits and personnel

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Credits adapted from Tidal and the 7-inch vinyl liner notes.[34][35]

  • Billie Eilish – vocals, songwriter
  • Finneas O'Connell – producer, songwriter, engineer, bass, synthesizers, drum programming, arrangement, vocal sampling, knife sharpening recording
  • Casey Cuayo – assistant mixer, studio personnel
  • Rob Kinelski – mixer, studio personnel
  • John Greenham – mastering engineer, studio personnel
  • Benoit Louis Andre Roger Bardou  – songwriter

Charts

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Certifications

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Certifications and sales for "You Should See Me in a Crown"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[61] 4× Platinum 280,000‡
Austria (IFPI Austria)[62] Platinum 30,000‡
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[63] Diamond 160,000‡
Canada (Music Canada)[64] 2× Platinum 160,000‡
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[65] Gold 45,000‡
Germany (BVMI)[66] Gold 200,000‡
Italy (FIMI)[67] Gold 25,000‡
Mexico (AMPROFON)[68] Diamond+4× Platinum+Gold 570,000‡
Poland (ZPAV)[69] 2× Platinum 40,000‡
Portugal (AFP)[70] Platinum 10,000‡
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[71] Gold 30,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[72] Platinum 600,000‡
United States (RIAA)[73] 2× Platinum 2,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

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Release dates and formats for "You Should See Me in a Crown"
Country Date Format Label Ref.
Various July 18, 2018
[74]
United States August 28, 2018 Alternative radio [75]
Italy September 7, 2018
[76]
United States 2018 7-inch vinyl
  • Darkroom
  • Interscope
 [35]

Notes

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References

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  1. ^ Whittum, Connor (July 18, 2018). "Billie Eilish Drops Dramatic Track 'You Should See Me in a Crown': Listen". Billboard. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
  2. ^ Billie Eilish - Topic (July 11, 2018), you should see me in a crown, retrieved December 24, 2018
  3. ^ "Sherlock dialogue inspired new Billie Eilish song". BBC Music Events. Retrieved December 24, 2018.
  4. ^ a b c Schiller, Rebecca (November 6, 2018). "Billie Eilish Explains How 'You Should See Me In A Crown' Was Inspired by BBC's 'Sherlock'". Billboard. Retrieved December 24, 2018.
  5. ^ a b c d Smith, Thomas (August 19, 2018). "Billie Eilish plots dominance on 'you should see me in a crown'". NME. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
  6. ^ Wright, Lisa (March 29, 2019). "Billie Eilish - When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?". DIY. Archived from the original on October 8, 2019. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
  7. ^ Reed, Ryan (July 18, 2018). "Hear Billie Eilish's Dark New Song 'You Should See Me in a Crown'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 24, 2018.
  8. ^ Schatz, Lake (July 18, 2018). "Billie Eilish unleashes bold new single "you should see me in a crown": Stream". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved December 25, 2018.
  9. ^ Smith, Thomas (July 19, 2018). "'Wait 'til the world is mine': Billie Eilish plots dominance on 'you should see me in a crown'". NME. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  10. ^ a b c Bruner, Raisa (July 20, 2018). "5 Songs You Need to Listen to This Week". Time. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
  11. ^ "Listen to Billie Eilish's new Sherlock Holmes-inspired track 'You Should See Me In A Crown'". BBC. Retrieved December 25, 2018.
  12. ^ Aubrey, Elizabeth (July 21, 2018). "Billie Eilish posts a video of a spider crawling out of her mouth". NME. Retrieved December 25, 2018.
  13. ^ "Billie Eilish shares somber new song, launches charity effort". Alternative Press. October 17, 2018. Retrieved December 24, 2018.
  14. ^ Schatz, Lake (October 10, 2018). "Billie Eilish performs "you should see me in a crown" on Ellen: Watch". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved December 24, 2018.
  15. ^ Gruttadaro, Andrew (December 5, 2018). "The Most Awkward 'Ellen' Performances of 2018, Ranked". The Ringer. Retrieved December 24, 2018.
  16. ^ "New #NXTLOUD artist announced for NXT TakeOver: New York". WWE. Retrieved April 6, 2019.
  17. ^ Moore, Jacob (July 18, 2018). "Billie Eilish Shares New Song "you should see me in a crown"". Complex. Retrieved December 25, 2018.
  18. ^ "Billboard's 100 Best Songs of 2018: Critics' Picks". Billboard. December 11, 2018. Retrieved December 25, 2018.
  19. ^ "The 60 Best Songs of 2018". PopMatters. December 18, 2018. Retrieved December 25, 2018.
  20. ^ Billie Eilish, Billie Eilish - you should see me in a crown (Vertical Video), retrieved December 25, 2018
  21. ^ Studarus, Laura (August 23, 2018). "Billie Eilish on making music she wants to make". CR Fashion Book. Retrieved December 25, 2018.
  22. ^ Sawyer, Jonathan (April 18, 2019). "Billie Eilish Drops "you should see me in a crown" Video by Takashi Murakami". Highsnobiety. Retrieved May 27, 2019.
  23. ^ Hussein, Wandera. "Billie Eilish shares Takashi Murakami-animated video for "you should see me in a crown"". The FADER. Retrieved May 27, 2019.
  24. ^ Acevedo, Angelica (April 18, 2019). "Billie Eilish Debuts Bewitching Animated Video for 'You Should See Me in a Crown'". Billboard. Retrieved May 27, 2019.
  25. ^ Krol, Charlotte (March 18, 2019). "Billie Eilish shares Takashi Murakami-animated video for 'you should see me in a crown'". NME. Retrieved May 27, 2019.
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  27. ^ Specter, Emma (March 15, 2019). "Billie Eilish's Takashi Murakami-Directed Music Video Just Dropped". Garage. Retrieved May 27, 2019.
  28. ^ Newstead, Al (March 19, 2019). "Billie Eilish goes anime in new Takashi Murakami music video". triple j. Retrieved May 27, 2019.
  29. ^ Spanos, Brittany (November 13, 2018). "See Billie Eilish-Soundtracked Promo Video for Wilder-Fury Boxing Match". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 27, 2019.
  30. ^ Kelly, Ryan (September 5, 2018). "FIFA 19 soundtrack: Full list of artists, songs & music on new game". Goal.com. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
  31. ^ Romano, Evan (February 7, 2020). "The Complete Soundtrack To Locke and Key Season 1". Men's Health. Retrieved February 16, 2020.
  32. ^ Quiles, Alyssa (February 12, 2020). "MARIA BRINK PERFORMS HAUNTING BILLIE EILISH COVER AT FIRST SOLO SET". AltPress. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
  33. ^ Stillwell, Chloe (June 28, 2022). "SELENA GOMEZ AND CARA DELEVINGE KISSING OVER A BILLIE EILISH SONG IS THE PRIDE MOMENT WE NEEDED". Mic.com. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
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  35. ^ a b "You Should See Me in a Crown" (7-inch vinyl). Billie Eilish. Santa Monica, California: Darkroom/Interscope Records. 2018. B0028970-21.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
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  44. ^ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Stream Top 40 slágerlista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
  45. ^ "Tónlistinn – Lög" [The Music – Songs] (in Icelandic). Plötutíðindi. Archived from the original on April 8, 2019. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  46. ^ "IRMA – Irish Charts". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
  47. ^ "Top Singoli – Classifica settimanale WK 14" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved April 6, 2019.
  48. ^ "Mūzikas Patēriņa Tops/ 14. nedēļa" (in Latvian). LAIPA. Archived from the original on October 10, 2019. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
  49. ^ "Savaitės klausomiausi (TOP 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. April 5, 2019. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
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  51. ^ "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. July 30, 2018. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  52. ^ "Billie Eilish – you should see me in a crown". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
  53. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 6, 2019.
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  55. ^ "Top 100 Canciones: Semana 14". Productores de Música de España. Retrieved April 9, 2019.
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  62. ^ "Austrian single certifications – Billie Eilish – You Should See Me in a Crown" (in German). IFPI Austria. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
  63. ^ "Brazilian single certifications – Billie Eilish – You Should See Me in a Crown" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
  64. ^ "Canadian single certifications – Billie Eilish – You Should See Me in a Crown". Music Canada. August 1, 2019. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
  65. ^ "Danish single certifications – Billie Eilish – You Should See Me in a Crown". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
  66. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Billie Eilish; 'You Should See Me in a Crown')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
  67. ^ "Italian single certifications – Billie Eilish – You Should See Me in a Crown" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
  68. ^ "Certificaciones" (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Retrieved March 14, 2023. Type Billie Eilish in the box under the ARTISTA column heading and You Should See Me in a Crown in the box under the TÍTULO column heading.
  69. ^ "Wyróżnienia – Platynowe płyty CD - Archiwum - Przyznane w 2020 roku" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  70. ^ "Portuguese single certifications – Billie Eilish – You Should See Me in a Crown" (PDF) (in Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
  71. ^ "Spanish single certifications – Billie Eilish – You Should See Me in a Crown". El portal de Música. Productores de Música de España. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
  72. ^ "British single certifications – Billie Eilish – You Should See Me in a Crown". British Phonographic Industry. August 5, 2022. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
  73. ^ "American single certifications – Billie Eilish – You Should See Me In A Crown". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
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  75. ^ "Alternative". All Access Media Group. Archived from the original on August 28, 2018. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
  76. ^ "Billie Eilish – "You should see me in a crow" | (Radio Date: 07/09/2020)". Radiodate.it. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
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