You Should See Me in a Crown | |||||
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Single by Billie Eilish | |||||
Album | When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? | ||||
Released | July 18, 2018 | ||||
Recorded | February 2018 | ||||
Genre(s) | Electropop | ||||
Length | 3:00 | ||||
Label(s) | Darkroom, Interscope | ||||
Producer(s) | Finneas O'Connell | ||||
When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? chronology | |||||
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You Should See Me in a Crown (stylized in all lowercase) is a song recorded by Billie Eilish, released on July 18, 2018 through Darkroom and Interscope Records as the lead single from her debut studio album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?. It was written by Eilish and her brother Finneas O'Connell, who also produced the track. The song received positive reviews and charted in countries including the US, Canada and Australia.
Background and release[]
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 words "honey, you should see me in a crown". 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. The song "Human" by Iranian-Dutch singer Sevdaliza was also cited as one of the track's influences. 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[]
The song is a trap-influenced electropop song featuring Eilish singing over "blaring synths and rapid-fire hi-hats." The chorus utilizes a “thumping bass (that) slithers menacingly.” Additionally, the opening incorporates a recording of Eilish's father sharpening knives.
Critics have described Eilish's vocals as "whispered" and "mumbled". Lyrically, the song features Eilish plotting for world dominance.
Release and promotion[]
The track was premiered on Annie Mac's BBC Radio 1 show on July 18, 2018. 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?" In October, she made her daytime television debut on The Ellen DeGeneres Show performing the song inside a glass box with a crown on her head. The Ringer deemed the performance the ninth most awkward on the show in 2018. The song was used as the official theme song for the professional wrestling pay-per-view event NXT TakeOver: New York.
Music videos[]
Vertical video[]
A vertical music video for the track was released in August 2018 featuring Eilish covered in spiders as she sings the song. 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." The vertical video was later released as a full-screen video, albeit with the same recording and audio.
Official video[]
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. 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. The video opens with an animated version of Eilish, dressed in a neon-green shirt and shorts before eventually morphing into a spider-like monster that wreaks havoc on a miniature city. The video features the "Blohsh," Eilish's signature logo, as well as Murakami's flowers.
Usage in media[]
"You Should See Me in a Crown" was used in a promotional ad for the boxing match between Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury. It also features on FIFA 19. It was later featured in the fifth episode of the American series Euphoria as well as in Season 3 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.” 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 this song.
Lyrics[]
[Verse 1]
Bite my tongue, bide my time
Wearing a warning sign
Wait 'til the world is mine
Visions I vandalize
Cold in my kingdom size
Fell for these ocean eyes
[Chorus]
You should see me in a crown
I'm gonna run this nothing town
Watch me make 'em bow
One by one by one
One by one by
You should see me in a crown
Your silence is my favorite sound
Watch me make 'em bow
One by one by one
One by one by one
[Verse 2]
Count my cards, watch them fall
Blood on a marble wall
I like the way they all scream
Tell me which one is worse
Living or dying first
Sleeping inside a hearse (I don't dream)
[Bridge]
You say, "Come over, baby
I think you're pretty"
I'm okay, I'm not your baby
If you think I'm pretty
[Chorus]
You should see me in a crown
I'm gonna run this nothing town
Watch me make 'em bow
One by one by one
One by one by
You should see me in a crown
Your silence is my favorite sound
Watch me make 'em bow
One by one by one
One by one by one
[Instrumental Break]
[Chorus]
Crown
I'm gonna run this nothing town
Watch me make 'em bow
One by one by one
One by one by
You should see me in a crown (You should see me, see me)
Your silence is my favorite sound (You should see me, see me)
Watch me make 'em bow
One by one by one
One by one by one