"Six Feet Under" is the debut

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

by American singer

Billie Eilish Billie Eilish Pirate Baird O'Connell ( ; born December 18, 2001) is an American singer-songwriter. She first gained public attention in 2015 with her debut single " Ocean Eyes", written and produced by her brother Finneas O'Connell, with whom ...

. It was first released through

SoundCloud SoundCloud is an online audio distribution platform and music sharing website that enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is one of the largest music streaming se ...

on June 23, 2016. It was later re-released on November 17, 2016, by Darkroom and

Interscope Records Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M imprint. Founded in late 1990 by Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field as a $20 million joint venture with Atlantic Records of Warner Mus ...

Finneas O'Connell Finneas Baird O'Connell (born July 30, 1997), known mononymously as Finneas (stylized in all caps), is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actor. He has written and produced music for various artists, most notably his sister, B ...

, Eilish's brother, solely wrote and produced the track. The track is described as a "somber" and "delicate" pop ballad. Commercially, it was

certified Certification is the provision by an independent body of written assurance (a certificate) that the product, service or system in question meets specific requirements. It is the formal attestation or confirmation of certain characteristics of a ...

platinum by

Music Canada Music Canada (formerly Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA)) is a non-profit trade organization that was founded 9 April 1963 to represent the interests of companies that record, manufacture, produce, and distribute music in Canada. It a ...

(MC).

Background and composition

"Six Feet Under" was first originally released through Eilish's

on June 23, 2016, as her second single. It was later released as a standalone single for digital download and

streaming Streaming media is multimedia that is delivered and consumed in a continuous manner from a source, with little or no intermediate storage in network elements. ''Streaming'' refers to the delivery method of content, rather than the content it ...

by Darkroom and

on November 17, 2016. The track was written and produced by Eilish's brother,

. Mastering and mixing was handled by the studio personnel, John Greenham, and

Rob Kinelski Robert Kinelski (born January 27, 1981) is an American mixing engineer, engineer, and record producer. He is best known for his engineering and mixing work for Billie Eilish, Finneas, Lil Dicky, Big Sean, Karol G, Joji, Beyoncé, and more. In 20 ...

, respectively. According to sheet music published by Hal Leonard Music Publishing on Musicnotes.com, "Six Feet Under" has a moderate

tempo In musical terminology, tempo (Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (often ...

of 68 beats per minute. The song is played in the key of

B minor B minor is a minor scale based on B, consisting of the pitches B, C, D, E, F, G, and A. Its key signature has two sharps. Its relative major is D major and its parallel major is B major. The B natural minor scale is: : Changes neede ...

, while Eilish's vocals span a range of A₃ to D₅. Press reviews described the song as an atmospheric pop ballad. Mike Wass of

Idolator An idolator is a practitioner of idolatry. Idolater or Idolator may also refer to: Books *''Os Idólatras'', 1968 Portuguese novel by Maria Judite de Carvalho Music * Idolator (website), an American music blog * ''Idolator'' (album), third album ...

compared the instrumentation to the later work of

Lana Del Rey Elizabeth Woolridge Grant (born June 21, 1985), known professionally as Lana Del Rey, is an American singer-songwriter. Her music is noted for its cinematic quality and exploration of tragic romance, glamour, and melancholia, with frequent ...

Låpsley Holly Lapsley Fletcher (born 7 August 1996), known by the stage name Låpsley, is an English singer, songwriter, musician and producer. Her debut album '' Long Way Home'' was released on 4 March 2016. Early life Låpsley was born in York. Her m ...

and Birdy. An EP featuring remixes by Blu J, Gazzo, Jerry Folk and Aire Atlantica was released in January 2017. Dan Regan of ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' favored Jerry Folk's remix over the others, saying it "punches you right in the face with its wall of vocal harmonies", and further says "silence weighs heavy throughout, adding weight to every note as it drips from the speaker into your brain". Lyrically, "Six Feet Under" is described as "somber" and "delicate" like " Ocean Eyes".

Reception

Upon its release, "Six Feet Under" was praised by Ryan Reed of ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'', who called the track "mournful" and "atmospheric". The song has been awarded a platinum

certification Certification is the provision by an independent body of written assurance (a certificate) that the product, service or system in question meets specific requirements. It is the formal attestation or confirmation of certain characteristics of a ...

award from

(MC). It has also been

gold by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

(RIAA) and the Mexican Association of Producers of Phonograms and Videograms, A.C. (AMPROFON).

Promotion

A homemade music video for this song was released on June 30, 2016. It was directed by Eilish and shows clips of smoke balls in front of a fence, played both forward and in reverse. The video was edited by her mother,

Maggie Baird Maggie May Baird (born ) is an American actress, screenwriter, and former theater troupe teacher. Baird grew up in Colorado performing music, and studied theater and dance at the University of Utah, before moving to New York City, where she perf ...

. "Six Feet Under" was included on the setlist of Eilish's

When We All Fall Asleep Tour The When We All Fall Asleep Tour was the fourth concert tour by American singer Billie Eilish, in support of her debut studio album ''When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?'' (2019). The tour began on April 13, 2019, in Indio, California at E ...

(2019). The song was used in ''

American Horror Story ''American Horror Story'' is an American anthology horror television series created by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk for the cable network FX. The first installment in the '' American Story'' media franchise, each season is conceived as a ...

'' 9th season. In a brief promo clip posted on Instagram, director and writer Ryan Murphy, revealed a young woman running through the woods in slow-motion, being chased by a masked man holding a knife. The woman enters a cabin, crying and screaming as the blade breaks through the door.

Track listing

Personnel

Credits adapted from

Tidal Tidal is the adjectival form of tide. Tidal may also refer to: * Tidal (album), ''Tidal'' (album), a 1996 album by Fiona Apple * Tidal (king), a king involved in the Battle of the Vale of Siddim * TidalCycles, a live coding environment for music * ...

. ''Note: Access the 'Credits' button.'' *

– vocals *

– vocals, songwriter, production * John Greenham – mastering *

– mixing

Certifications

References

{{Authority control 2010s ballads 2016 singles 2016 songs Billie Eilish songs Pop ballads Songs written by Finneas O'Connell Song recordings produced by Finneas O'Connell Interscope Records singles