Meaning of “You Should See Me in a Crown” by Billie Eilish

“You Should See Me in a Crown” was inspired by a television show singer Billie Eilish and her brother (Finneas O’Connell) were watching where the exact same words are uttered. The character who made this quote, a villain, said so in reference to the potential havoc he would wreak if given a position of authority.

Likewise Eilish is going on a rant as if she is on top of the world, indeed a queen. For instance, she speaks of onlookers being in “silence” and her ability to “make them bow”.  The track does feature some cryptic verses that may seem deep on the surface. However, given the overall feel of the song, these probably aren’t meant to mean anything overly-significant.

Inspiration from Sherlock (TV series)

During her interview with Annie Mac on BBC Radio 1, Eilish revealed the exact TV show from where the song’s title and theme were derived. According to her, while watching the BBC TV series Sherlock, the villain, Professor Moriarty, uttered a phrase she and Finneas found very “jiggy”. The phrase in question was: “You should see me in a crown”.

Having found that quote interesting and “jiggy”, the siblings decided to write a song “about being jiggy”. So in all, that’s how this song was birthed.

Below is the scene in which Moriarty utters those famous words. This is from Episode 3 of Season 2 of the BBC series, Sherlock. In this scene, Moriarty is played by actor Andrew Scott.

Facts about “You Should See Me in a Crown”

• This Sherlock-inspired song was penned by Eilish and Finneas O’Connell. The latter is Eilish’s real brother. He’s just a few years older than her.
• In addition to his writing role on this song, Finneas also played the role of its sole producer.
• The release date of “You Should See Me in a Crown” was July 18, 2018. It was premiered exclusively on BBC Radio 1.
• This track was released as the first single from Eilish’s highly awaited debut album titled When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?. The hit single “When the Party’s Over” also appears on that album. On January 30, 2019, the song “bury a friend” was released as the third single from the album.
• The spiders all over Eilish’s face in the track’s music video are real. The video was inspired by a spider wrangler whom Eilish met prior to the shooting of the video. She said the woman taught her so many things about spiders, including how to play with them.

What’s the name of the album on which this track appears?

As of the publication of this article, the album’s title is unknown. What is known is that the song is a single from Eilish’s first studio album. During her conversation with Annie Mac, Eilish revealed that the album might be released in early 2019.