"Watch" is a song by American singer Billie Eilish from her debut EP '' Don't Smile at Me'' (2017). Written and produced by Eilish's brother Finneas O'Connell, the song was released 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 ...

through 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 ...

on June 29, 2017, as the third single from the EP. A

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' (G ...

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

, the lyrics of "Watch" address Eilish leaving a toxic relationship. The song received platinum

certifications 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 ...

in the United States, Australia and Canada 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),

Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) is a trade association representing the Australian recording industry which was established in the 1970s by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing th ...

(ARIA) and

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), respectively. A music video for the track was released on September 18, 2017, and was directed by Megan Park. In the visual, Eilish sets the remnants of a toxic relationship on fire and dumps her former lover. "Watch" was performed live by Eilish during her 2019 When We All Fall Asleep Tour.

Background and composition

"Watch" was released on June 30, 2017, as the third single on Eilish's debut EP ''Don't Smile at Me''. The track was written and produced by Eilish's brother, Finneas O'Connell. 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. The song was originally titled "Watch & Burn", before becoming two separate tracks, one being "Watch" and the other being " &Burn", a collaboration with Vince Staples. According to sheet music published by Hal Leonard Music Publishing at Musicnotes.com, "Watch" has a moderately fast

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 80–84 beats per minute (BPM) and is played in the key of

C Major C major (or the key of C) is a major scale based on C, consisting of the pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. C major is one of the most common keys used in music. Its key signature has no flats or sharps. Its relative minor is A minor and ...

, while Eilish's vocals range from G₃ to C₅. The song was described as a

by music critics. The song starts with the strike of a match and continues throughout the song as its main beat. In the lyrics, Eilish writes a missive to her former lover, saying she is leaving their toxic relationship behind: "If we were meant to be, we would have been by now/See what you wanna see, but all I see is him right now." As the

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song) or refrain, line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in which all verse ...

comes in, Eilish sings about not wanting to be in the relationship anymore: "I'll sit and watch your car burn/With the fire that you started in me/But you never came back to ask it out." Finneas later explained in an interview with '' Pitchfork'' saying: "This is me just lighting a bunch of matches in the bathroom. It became the snare essentially for hesong. There were all these references to starting a fire and that’s a more inventive way to use a sound than to just be like, 'Yeah, we’re gonna start with the sound of the waves rolling in or something.'"

Reception

"Watch" was met with critical acclaim from music critics. '' Insider'' Claudia Willen wrote that the song "provided a mere glimpse of the greatness to come in Eilish's career." Nicole Almeida of '' Atwood Magazine'' commended the production, which she described as "meticulous" and "amazing". Avery Stone of ''

Vice A vice is a practice, behaviour, or habit generally considered immoral, sinful, criminal, rude, taboo, depraved, degrading, deviant or perverted in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character tra ...

'' described the chorus as "sweeping". It was ranked number 28 by ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

''s Sam Moore, who compared it to Lorde's compositions and affirmed it was a "stepping stone towards bigger and better things". The track has been awarded several

; including double platinum in Australia, and platinum in Canada and the United States by the

(ARIA),

(MC), and the

(RIAA), respectively.

Promotion

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

for "Watch" was released on September 18, 2017, and directed by Canadian actress Megan Park. In the video, Eilish sets the remnants of a toxic relationship on fire and dumps her former lover. The singer stated in an interview with ''Vice'' that Park came up with her sitting in a bedroom during the video: "You see that room is right across from the ladder where I'm burning. And I get up and I walk over to the other 'ladder.' who represents the old me, who's hurt and heartbroken by this boy, and can't do anything without thinking about this person. And the new me is kind of over it. So I go up to the old me like, 'Screw you, I'm going to light you on fire now.'" In March 2018, Eilish and Finneas performed an acoustic version of "Watch". The track was also performed live during Eilish's North American 1 by 1 tour. It was also included on the setlist of her When We All Fall Asleep Tour (2019).

Personnel

Credits adapted from the

liner notes Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for cassettes. Origin Liner notes are desce ...

of ''Don't Smile at Me''. * Billie Eilish vocals * Finneas O'Connell producer, songwriter * John Greenham mastering engineer, studio personnel * Rob Kinelski mixer, studio personnel

Certifications

Notes

References

{{Authority control 2010s ballads 2017 singles 2017 songs Billie Eilish songs Interscope Records singles Pop ballads Song recordings produced by Finneas O'Connell Songs written by Finneas O'Connell