Meaning of “Bellyache” by Billie Eilish

“Bellyache” is the title of a 2017 song by American singer Billie Eilish. In “Bellyache”, the narrator (Billie) sings from the point of view of a dangerous psychopath. She has committed a very heinous crime (apparently a murder) and regrets what she did. She ends up taking her life at the end of the day.

What Billie Eilish has said about “Bellyache” Speaking with LadyGunn magazine, Billie said of the song as purely about someone who has committed murder. She further stated that the lyrics are about doing bad things and not even knowing why you did those terrible things.

Based on the above statement, we can conclude that the character in the song committed the murder and didn’t even know why she did it.

In another interview with Noisey-Vice, Billie revealed more about the song. According to her, the lyrics deal with the “concept of guilt”. They are about doing something terrible you initially felt strongly about. However, after doing that thing, you find yourself not feeling better. And that’s when the bellyache sets in.

Billie concluded that the song is about a psychopath regretting that he/she is a psychopath. However, they don’t really care about being a psychopath.

The song’s inspiration

According to Billie, this song was inspired by the 2013 song “Garbage” by Tyler, The Creator. The aforementioned track also deals with the theme of murder.

Facts about “Bellyache”

• Billie Eilish co-wrote “Bellyache” with her brother, Finneas O’Connell. The latter went on to produce this macabre-themed song.
• The release date of “Bellyache” was February 24, 2017. It was released as the second single from Billie’s debut EP titled Don’t Smile at Me. The aforementioned EP also features the famous single “Idontwannabeyouanymore”.
• Billie was only just 15 years of age when this song was released.

How did this single perform on the charts?

“Bellyache” entered the top 100 in Canada and a few other countries. In Sweden, for example, it peaked at number 6. On the US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles, it made it to number 12.