On Nov. 23, 2025, singer-songwriter Billie Eilish announced on her Instagram that Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D) will be released on March 20, 2026, two years after the album itself was released. Eilish co-directed the film with James Cameron, the Canadian filmmaker known for his work on films like Titanic, the Terminator franchise, the Avatar franchise, and almost fifty others.
Inspired by this announcement, I wanted to revisit one of my favorite albums of all time, Hit Me Hard and Soft, as well as an interview Apple Music hosted with Billie Eilish and FINNEAS about the making of the album, shortly after it was released in 2024. This review is my interpretation of the album, along with quotes from both songwriters from this interview about the songs themselves.
“SKINNY”
This opening song is raw, down to the instrumentals. Eilish hits her listeners with the lyric, “the old me is still me, and maybe the real me / And I think she’s pretty,” an acknowledgement of acceptance many of us should hope to come to. Her vocals echoing create the sense of emptiness in the song, suggesting the singer is alone. Deeper instrumentals come in on the first chorus, making the song feel fuller, like the singer is having a revelation that answers the questions about herself that she could not answer before. These realizations aren’t necessarily satisfying, and lead to more questions: “Do you still cry?” But the singer is self assured—her past actions were the correct ones. The song ends leaving space for the anticipation of the song that follows. It’s as if these revelations have been cathartic for the singer, allowing her to settle into this new sense of ‘self’ more.
“LUNCH”
Explosive, confident. The “fart” song (if you watch the interview, you’ll understand what this means to Eilish and FINNEAS). This song is not referring to another person specifically, but rather the singer not knowing what to do with all that is in the palm of her hand: “I could buy her so much stuff,” put simply. The singer could serve someone, be a giver, spoil them, “overeat.” It describes the over-confidence that comes with the beginning of the end of self discovery. She’s looking at the new version of herself that is right in front of her, one experience away, not yet within reach. “I’m interested in more than just bein’ your friend / I don’t wanna break it, just want it to bend / Do you know how to bend?” The singer wants to embody that new version and is willing to “bend” or alter parts of herself to fit the visage of what she will become.
“CHIHIRO”
The singer isn’t quite sure of how to feel about anything, everything is brand new. “I know you said before you can’t cope with anymore / You told me it was war, said you’d show me what’s in store / I hope it’s not for sure, can you open up the door?” Lots of questions and promises have been left unanswered. This person has not yet shown her what she’s up against in this situation. But will they let the singer in to see that vulnerable side? It goes back to “SKINNY;” the singer has opened up to herself and others, and from there has accepted her past, but can another do the same for her? “Did you take / My love away / From me?” repeats over and over, knowing that the emotional absence of this other person will forever linger and haunt the other experiences in love she tries to have. “And that’s when you found me.” Is “you” a different person from before? The song’s tone shifts and lightens from accusatory to hopeful. “But there’s a part of me that recognizes you / Do you feel it too?” That connection, is it a bond through similar pasts in love? Will this new person put her through the same hurt the last one did?
Lighthearted, fun, almost innocent. The bond the singer has with whoever the subject of the song is has incredibly deep ties, they’re a pair that will know one another forever. “I don’t know what I’m cryin’ for / I don’t think I could love you more” feels more like the bond of friendship than that of a lover. It’s the unrelenting support, love, and reassurance that a friend bond gives when it is pure. It’s playful and teasing, yet at the same time, the singer means every single word she says. The beautiful climax to the high note at the end is reflective of the sigh of relief one feels when they are reconnected with their closest friend. A breath that they can finally take knowing no masks or performances are needed for maintenance, no caution because this relationship will never shatter.
The turning point in the album. It goes back to that rawness felt in “SKINNY” with minimal instrumentals in the beginning. Feelings of betrayal, trust that has not just been broken but ripped out entirely. “She was cryin’ on my shoulder… Now I know that you love me… but I see her in the back of my mind, all the time.” The singer broke ‘girl-code,’ according to Eilish. She helped a friend get over a breakup, and then started a relationship of her own with that ex-boyfriend. This song is regretful, valuing the time the singer gets with this loved one, but constantly feeling like she is being compared to the girl before her, and the lingering guilt that was caused by this relationship forming.
“The heart of the album,” according to Eilish. This song competes and tops the others in the theme of loneliness. How does one feel more alone in a partnership than they do when they are only with themselves? The singer feels unwanted by a significant other, despite giving her entire heart to them. Every ounce of effort goes “without a reward,” but the argument isn’t worth the outcome; she knows nothing will change no matter what she says to her partner. She is “the greatest” because she gives and gives, and she never asks for anything more. She lets the excuses slide, she makes everything so easy for her partner. But where do you draw the line at giving too much?
Cocky, ‘I told you so’ energy. FINNEAS agrees, this song is mean. The singer, seemingly from the same perspective as “THE GREATEST,” has ended her relationship with that partner. She was treated so terribly in that relationship, yet the one she is trying to get away from accuses her of being in the wrong because she “told [them] a lie,” that they were the love of her life. At one point, they may have been, but the weight of permanence in that statement sits in the chest of both parties. Halfway through, however, the singer’s feelings of pointed anger shift. She feigns carelessness for what his future relationships will look like, encouraging them to move on and fall in love again like she had: “if I ever was” in love.
Daunting, intimidating, unhinged. This song breaks from the lovelife storyline, though it has to do with an obsessive form of love, if it can be labeled as such. The imagery of the lyrics leads the listener to picture someone lurking, hiding, and sneaking glances at someone who is unaware of their presence. It comes from a personal place for Eilish, as she bloomed in stardom in her early teens and has years of experience with incessant fans: “I came in through the kitchen looking for something to eat / I left a calling card so they would know that it was me.” The stalker metaphorically is looking for something to eat, but really, they’re searching for some tangible evidence that will satiate their desires to even just be within a close proximity of the subject. The “calling card” is the thing they will leave behind, maybe a letter, maybe an item of theirs, to ambiguously notify them that they entered a private space. Ambiguity can be threatening, though, and the final verse of the song fades as they taunt the subject’s obliviousness.
The second to last song, interpretively goes back to the relationship story and deals with the healing process that continues when the singer feels she is falling in love once again—but this time, she refuses to do so. She will not let herself fall because, last time, she fell into it and lost herself. In regaining her self-assurance, she knows this won’t be stable. “In my dream, have it once a week, can’t land on my feet / Can’t sleep, have you underneath all of my beliefs,” and she only sees herself going too deep again. It’s what makes love “bittersweet,” that it is a risk that won’t ever guarantee an immediate or ultimately satisfying reward, and the outcome of one will dictate the outcome of its successor.
“BLUE”
The conclusion that feels like when the smoke finally clears, and the dust kicked up by a chaotic array of emotions finally settles—at least in the first part of the song. The singer steps back, breathes, and allows each experience to wash over her, now with the benefit of hindsight. She is honest with herself, not for the first time on this album, but with the most clarity. The lyrics of the first verse relate to each song that preceded it, though the references aren’t blatant. Eilish says that while some are direct quotes, others are personal statements about her time creating these songs. The second portion of the song refers to someone unknown. They were abandoned, whoever they are, and it was a feeling that never really left them. This song stemmed from two other songs, “True Blue” and “Born Blue,” both written years before this album was created. The songwriting duo combined them for this album, altering the lyrics as they saw fit.