Have you ever found yourself searching for fulfillment in things that you’ve always wanted? In Billie Eilish’s song “everything i wanted,” she talks about the illusion that our utopian lives portray. She goes into depth on how she was brutally mistaken when she finally received everything that she had wanted. Listening to this song makes the listeners think about what will truly bring them joy.
The song begins with a light piano in the background provoking a very melancholy feeling. Then Eilish comes in softly singing, “I had a dream, I got everything I wanted. Not what you’d think, and if I’m being honest, it might’ve been a nightmare…” So often, people think that they know exactly what’s best for them, and that if they could only have all the different things that they desire, then their lives would finally be complete. Through this song, Eilish tries to warn the listeners that they need to be content with where their life is, because what they’re constantly wishing for, isn’t always what will honestly make them happy.
Though this song can relate to anyone who tries to find fulfilment in unreliable things, Eilish is showing that this song isn’t really about a dream for her. Billie Eilish is extremely famous and is living the life that so many people, including her younger self, wish to live. In her lyrics, she sings about the weight of being famous and all the burdens she has to carry that the public eye is completely oblivious to. She sings, “’Cause everybody wants something from me now, and I don’t wanna let ’em down.” She then later continues, “If I knew it all then would I do it again? Would I do it again?” It is clear through this song that Eilish is contemplating if her utopian life as a famous singer is worth all of the emotional pain and pressure from everyone around her because she feels like it’s a nightmare.
“everything i wanted” makes listeners think. Though there is a layer of this song that pertains to life in the limelight, the core of it can relate to anyone and everyone. Billie Eilish is trying to tell the listeners that sometimes we don’t know what’s best for us, therefore we need to be content with our lives. We should stop being apathetic towards the lives we live, and start appreciating them for what they are, because more often than not, we don’t realize how blessed our lives truly are.
Like the message of this song? Listen now!
Medicine for the Ears 