Billie Eilish’s debut album WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO? arrived with whispers, thumps, and wild imagination. It reimagined pop through bedroom beats and eerie lullabies, asking dreamy questions and answering them with style. You might know Bad Guy and Bury a Friend by heart, but here are five delightful facts floating just below the surface…
1. The album starts with spit.
The very first sound on “!!!!!!!” is Billie taking out her Invisalign aligners. She and Finneas burst into laughter right after, setting the tone for the whole record. It’s a reminder that music does not always need a serious face. Sometimes, it begins with a slurp and a smile. And right after that moment comes pure sonic magic.
2. Every track came from Finneas’s childhood bedroom.
There was no studio in sight—just a small room in Highland Park with natural light and close walls. The setup included Logic Pro X, two monitors, and a whole lot of imagination. The space gave the songs a sense of intimacy that can be felt in every whisper. There was no soundproof glass or sterile mixing rooms—just siblings crafting songs inches apart. It was a cozy kind of brilliance.
3. One song is named after a video game.
“Ilomilo” takes its name from a 2010 puzzle game about reuniting two friends. The idea of distance and reunion fit the album’s dreamy, eerie mood perfectly. Billie loved the game and its quiet emotional pull, which inspired the track’s delicate tension. Even the beat feels like a little maze, leading listeners through gentle twists. Sometimes, inspiration fits right in your pocket.
4. The Office helped make a hit.
“My Strange Addiction” includes real quotes from Threat Level Midnight, an episode of The Office. Billie and Finneas are huge fans, so they reached out to the cast for permission. Steve Carell and the rest of the cast gave it the green light—no licensing drama, just joy. The quotes blend right into the track, creating a surreal pop fever dream. It’s a place where Michael Scott meets minimalist beats, and that’s a win.
5. The title came from a monster’s point of view.
“Bury a Friend” holds the key to the album’s name, and it’s sung from the perspective of something lurking under the bed. The lyrics explore fears, dreams, and creatures that may or may not be real. Billie imagined the perspective of the thing we all feel at night but never see. She described the album as a dream—sometimes good, sometimes strange, and always vivid. It’s a question with a million answers, set to a perfect soundtrack.
So next time you queue up WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?, listen for the bedroom walls, the puzzles, the pranks, and the dreams. Behind every whispered lyric is a world made by two siblings, a laptop, and a lot of late nights.