xanny Lyrics
What is it about them?
I must be missing something
They just keep doing nothing
Too intoxicated to be scared
Better off without them
They're nothing but unstable
Bring ashtrays to the table
And that's about the only thing they share
[Chorus]
I'm in their secondhand smoke
Still just drinking canned Coke
I don't need a Xanny to feel better
On designated drives home
Only one who's not stoned
Don't give me a Xanny, now or ever
[Interlude]
Can you check your Uber rating? Oh my god
(And it's like, wait, like, when?)
[Verse 2]
Wakin' up at sundown (Ooh)
They're late to every party (Ooh)
Nobody's ever sorry (Ooh)
Too inebriated now to dance
Morning as they come down (Come down)
Their pretty heads are hurting (Hurting)
They're awfully bad at learning (Learning)
Make the same mistakes, blame circumstance
I'm in their secondhand smoke
Still just drinking canned Coke
I don't need a Xanny to feel better
On designated drives home
Only one who's not stoned
Don't give me a Xanny, now or ever
[Bridge]
Please don't try to kiss me on the sidewalk
On your cigarette break
I can't afford to love someone
Who isn't dying by mistake in Silver Lake
[Outro]
What is it about them?
I must be missing something
They just keep doin' nothing
Too intoxicated to be scared
Hmm, hmm
Hmm, mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm
Come down
Hurting
Learning
About
On “xanny,” Eilish introspectively questions the topic of irresponsible recreational drug use. The song’s title is a reference to Xanax, a prescription drug used for anxiety treatment and popularly known for its recreational use, as commonly depicted in hip-hop music.
Billie also stated that the song’s message was “less ‘don’t do drugs’, (and) more ‘be safe’.
Eilish’s vocals are soft and slightly off-beat over a slow-paced track and corresponds to the song’s subject matter. The song’s minimal instrumentation includes sparse bits of bass guitar, piano, a dirty bass synth, and a heavy 808 bass on the bridge. Audio of background dialogue can also be heard occasionally throughout the song. The song concludes with Eilish’s beautiful harmonies in acapella.
In an interview with Energy Radio Eilish listed “xanny” as one of her favorite songs on the album.
In an interview with PopBuzz, Eilish spoke of the track, saying she knew from the beginning that “xanny” would follow “bad guy,” the opening track.
The backing vocals featured in the bridge of “xanny” are also the first half of fellow album track “goodbye”, as proven here.
On April 11th, 2019, Eilish uploaded the third episode of “A Snippet Into Billie’s Mind” on her YouTube channel, which focused on the creation of “xanny”. She there says that the song was written right after she had been with a group of friends who were all getting drunk and throwing up continuously.
The verses are like what smoke looks like and the choruses are like what it feels like.
The song’s Spotify artwork was done by @cat.station on Instagram.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
When asked by Radio Energy for her favorites on the album, Eilish listed “xanny” as one of them.
In an interview with PopBuzz, Eilish said;
I knew I wanted “bad guy” to be first, and “xanny” to be next, and that was like, all I knew from the beginning.
When asked by DWDD for the song she’s most excited to release, Eilish listed “xanny” as one of them, saying:
Probably “xanny”… dude “xanny” I’m so hyped for.
Eilish spoke on the meaning “xanny”;
I have never done drugs, I’ve never smoked anything in my life, I know people around you doing that shit makes you want to, but you don’t have to, the song’s message is less ‘don’t do drugs’; it’s more ‘be safe'. I don’t want my friends to die any more.
On April 11, 2019 a video named “A Snippet into Billie’s Mind – xanny” was uploaded to her YouTube channel. In the video, along with her brother, she talks about the meaning of the song and how it came about.
She also talked about the song in an interview on MTV.
The intriguing music video for “xanny” acts as Billie’s debut in the world of directing. Billie explained in a statement:
I’m very excited to share my directorial debut. Visuals are so important to me, and I’m very proud to be in a place where I can present my creative vision exactly as I want it. Thank you to everyone who has put their trust in me.
Billie and I were like, ‘Let’s just make this, the verse especially, feel so … jazzy.’ I don’t know if you’ve ever tried to sing along to a Frank Sinatra record, but you basically can’t. The way he sings, he just has this crazy lilt to his voice and it throws everything into this mellow area that I love. So we tried to go with the emphasis of that. And that sort of did help articulate it. Also [most albums use] quantizing, which is basically loading in your MIDI and then having the computer sort of assign grid lines to all of your playing so it corrects it all. I stopped quantizing most of the things I played on this album, because I like the human component. It feels like it has a brain.
- 2.bad guy
- 3.xanny
- 8.8
- 10.bury a friend
- 11.ilomilo
- 13.i love you
- 14.goodbye
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