Billie Eilish’s “Party Favor” Lyrics Meaning

Billie Eilish’s song “Party Favor” is formatted as a voicemail. It is a message she is leaving to her ex-boyfriend, although he may not know that he’s been axed until he actually hears the message. Simply put, Billie is using this track to let him know that he’s been irrevocably dumped and that if he harasses her, which apparently he has a history of doing, she’s going to consult the proper authorities. And one of these authorities includes his own dad since after all Billie is a teenager. It appears the boy is also in the same age bracket as Billie and probably still lives with his parents. That’s how come Billie is confident reporting him to his father can somehow be an effective solution to the issue.

As with some other of Eilish’s tracks, not all of the phrases in this song are easily-decipherable. However, there are some aspects of the relationship she has with this boy that can be generally ascertained. For instance, they seem to have been with each other for a while, as Billie reflects that they could have conducted themselves better in relation to each other. 

It also seems that they have some serious communication issues, as least from her perspective. Furthermore, it appears that this is not her first attempt to dump him, as she warns him of the negative consequences if he keeps calling her. This implies that he has been told before to stop calling. But perhaps most importantly, is Billie insinuating that she is being abused, not physically but emotionally. In other words, she tells the dude that she is not his “party favor”, which seems to be an allusion to him somehow using her publicly for status or enjoyment while there aren’t any true feelings behind the romance. 

What all of this boils down to is Billie dumping the guy on his birthday in a way that firmly lets him know that he shouldn’t attempt to reestablish the relationship.

Facts about “Party Favor”

• Songwriter(s): This track was co-written by Billie Eilish and songwriter and music producer Finneas O’Connell (who is Billie’s actual brother).
• Producer(s): On top of co-writing “Party Favor”, Finneas O’Connell also produced it.
• Release Date: “Party Favor” was released on August 11, 2017. It is the fifth track on Billie’s debut EP entitled Don’t Smile at Me.
• 1st Interesting Stuff: “party favor” is actually the proper way to write this song’s title since it is stylized in all lowercase letters. 
• 2nd Interesting Stuff: With a total duration of 3:24, this is the second longest track on the entire album (Don’t Smile at Me). The longest is the song “Hostage”, which is 3:49 long.

But what really is the meaning of the phrase “party favor”?

To understand what the above-mentioned phrase actually means, we took our time to look it up. Wikipedia and some other sources define it as a gift that one gives out to guests at a party.

In the chorus, the boy (who is harassing Billie) is celebrating his birthday. And Billie is giving him her piece of mind on his birthday. She ends the chorus by telling him she’s not his party favor.

Did Billie Eilish release “Party Favor” as a single?

No. The EP (on which this song appears) was supported by 9 singles. This song wasn’t one of these singles. Some of the notable singles from the aforementioned EP include the following:

• “Ocean Eyes“
• “Bellyache”
• “Copycat”
• “Lovely” (featuring Khalid)
• “Idontwannabeyouanymore”