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Lost Cause (Billie Eilish song)

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Wikipedia article




{{Infobox song

| name = Lost Cause

| cover = Billie Eilish - Lost Cause (Official Live Performance).png

| alt = Cover art for the official live performance of "Lost Cause": Billie Eilish by a balcony, wearing a white sweater. The cover art's upper edge contains a yellow bar with text that reads "Official Live Performance"; below it is the song title, written in yellow and in a cursive font.

| caption = Vevo's "Official Live Performance" cover

| type = single

| artist = Billie Eilish

| album = Happier Than Ever

| released = June 2, 2021

| recorded =

| genre =

* R&B

* soft rock

* downtempo

| length = 3:32

| label =

* Darkroom

* Interscope

| producer = Finneas O'Connell

| writer =

* Billie Eilish

* Finneas O'Connell

| prev_title = Your Power

| prev_year = 2021

| next_title = NDA

| next_year = 2021

| misc =

}}

"'Lost Cause'" is a song by American singer Billie Eilish. It was released on June 2, 2021, through Darkroom and Interscope as the fourth single from her second studio album 'Happier Than Ever' (2021). The song debuted on the 'Billboard' Hot 100 chart at number 27.

Background



On May 28, 2021, pop singer Billie Eilish shared a silent five second video of herself looking off-camera on Instagram. She wrote in the caption: "New song out next week." Eilish's brother, singer and producer Finneas O'Connell confirmed the release as well, posting on his Twitter account, "New billie song coming very soon." On May 31, 2021, Eilish took to Instagram to share different photos of herself and one of a car wheel with the caption: "Nothing but a lost cause." On June 1, 2021, the singer announced on her social media accounts that "Lost Cause" would be released on June 2, 2021, and that it would be the fourth single off of her upcoming sophomore studio album 'Happier Than Ever' (2021). Along with the same announcement, Eilish revealed the music video for the song would be released on the same day.

Music and lyrics



"Lost Cause" is a mid-tempo "trip-hop adjacent" soft rock, R&B, and downtempo song which consists of jazz-inspired minimalistic instrumentation. According to Madison Vain of 'Esquire', the song is lined with "reverb-soaked acoustic guitar", and noted the lyrics: "I know you think you're such an outlaw" are a "direct call back" to her 2019 number one hit single "Bad Guy". Ethan Shanfeld for 'Variety' said Eilish "croons over a slinky bass line and laid back drum beat".

Wren Graves for 'Consequence' said Eilish shows off her "smoky voice over a restrained track that offers little more than sly bass behind her". Heran Mamo of 'Billboard' stated the "sultry kiss-off" song lets Eilish's "former love interest know she sees right through him and notices he's nothing but a lost cause", while Zoe Haylock of 'Vulture' opined Eilish "sings about moving on from an ex". Brenton Blanchet of 'Complex' mentioned Eilish sings of a "jobless man who couldn't even bring her flowers". 'Rolling Stone' Claire Shaffer writes that the artist was "taking someone down a peg for their apathy"; Shaffer placed emphasis on the lyrics "You ain't nothing but a lost cause/And this ain't nothing like it once was" and "I know you think you're such an outlaw/But you got no job."

Critical reception



P. Claire Dodson of 'Teen Vogue' compared the track to Eilish's previous single "Your Power" (2021), describing the latter as "more vulnerable [and] airy" while saying the former is a "lighter, more playful type of roast". Coco Romack of MTV described the song as a "low-key empowerment anthem" and compared it to R&B girl group TLC's 1999 single "No Scrubs" and English singer Dua Lipa's 2017 single "New Rules". James Rettig for 'Stereogum' called the track "breezy and laidback". Stephanie Eckardt of 'W' mentioned that "Lost Cause" is just the "latest indication of where [Eilish]'s headed next leading up to the release of her long-awaited sophomore album 'Happier Than Ever'". Gabrielle Sanchez for 'The A.V. Club' opined Eilish is known for "clinging to the melancholy, whispering sad tales of monsters under the bed" but explained the song sees her "looking happier than she's ever been". Joe Smith of 'Gigwise' stated that "Lost Cause" is a "groovy and subdued effort from Eilish that captures exactly what made her so popular in the first place".

Release and chart performance



Darkroom and Interscope Records released "Lost Cause" as 'Happier Than Ever' fourth single on June 2, 2021, through digital download and streaming media formats. It was serviced to contemporary hit radio stations in Australia and Russia later in the month. Due to the lack of a major radio push and an unusual Wednesday release, the single didn't manage to reach the same success as its predecessors, becoming the first single from 'Happier Than Ever' to miss the top 10 in the US. The song debuted and peaked at number 27 on 'Billboard' Hot 100 on chart issue June 19, 2021. The song dropped off the chart after just three weeks; it re-entered after the album's release at number 84.

With just two days of tracking, "Lost Cause" debuted at position 125 on the 'Billboard' Global 200 chart, eventually peaking at 15 week later on chart issue dated June 19, 2021. It debuted at number 14 on UK Singles Chart, becoming Eilish's eleventh top 40 single there, it also became the highest new entry on Irish Singles Chart on June 11. In Australia, the song became second highest new entry on the chart, debuting at number 18, and staying continuously on the ARIA Singles Chart for three weeks, returning to the list after album's release at 46.

Music video



Background and synopsis

A music video for the song was released the same day as the single. The video was solely directed by Eilish, and was shot on April 22, 2021. A day later, the singer uploaded a behind-the-scenes video to TikTok for the visual. It shows Eilish and her backup dancers having to go from kneeling on the floor to standing and jumping around while making sure their clothes were kept in place. Derrick Rossignol from Uproxx stated Eilish's chest "was exposed than she apparently wanted the world to see, so she covered it with an emoji and wrote in text superimposed onto the video, 'titties was [sic] falling out.

In the music video, Eilish invites a group of women for a day party in a Los Angeles mansion to do some interpretive dance moves around a king sized bed, move in and out of walk-in closets, twerk, play Twister, spray silly string, shoot water guns, drink orange soda, and eat potato chips. Eilish wears an oversized beige tee and matching cream bike shorts by Skims, while her friends wear tank tops and sweaters. Eilish then changes into a blue camisole, shorts, and robe, while her friends wear "slinky pieces" in pastel blues and grays.

Reception



. Many of its viewers perceived it as containing homoerotic undertones.

Christian Allaire of 'Vogue' stated the "matchy-matchy outfits are what truly make this slumber party soire one to remember". Jordan Darville of 'The Fader' and Brit Dawson of 'Dazed' compared the visual to R&B singer Beyonc's 2014 single "7/11"'s music video. The staff of 'DIY' mentioned the video has a "color-coordinated and immaculately-choreographed slumber party". Mia Mercado for 'The Cut' opined the visual "can be best summarized as a giant (kinda horny?) sleepover".

Many who viewed the music video perceived it as being homoerotic. Due to the sexual nature of the music video and that it only features women, following its release fans and media started speculating about Eilish's sexuality, with some being positive and congratulating her for coming out, while others accused her of queerbaiting. The queerbaiting allegations escalated on June 10, when Eilish posted behind-the-scenes photos of the music video shoot on Instagram with the caption "i love girls." It was the second time that Eilish had been accused of queerbaiting, following the release of her 2019 single "Wish You Were Gay". Three days later, the singer uploaded a selfie to her Instagram with captioned "I'm tired." Some fans and publications defended Eilish, while others still saw her actions as inappropriate.

Credits and personnel



Credits adapted from Tidal.

* Billie Eilishvocals, songwriting, vocal engineering

* Finneas O'Connellproduction, songwriting, acoustic guitar, background vocals, drum programming, engineering, synth bass, vocal arrangement

* Dave Kutchmaster engineering

* Rob Kinelskimixing

Charts



Weekly charts



Year-end charts



Certifications



Release history



Notes



References



Category:2021 singles

Category:2021 songs

Category:American soft rock songs

Category:Billie Eilish songs

Category:LGBT-related controversies in music

Category:Music video controversies

Category:Song recordings produced by Finneas O'Connell

Category:Songs written by Billie Eilish

Category:Songs written by Finneas O'Connell

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