"ocean eyes" by Billie Eilish // 10 Year Anniversary Song Review + webstore exclusive 7" vinyl

Ten years ago, Billie Eilish uploaded her very first song onto SoundCloud. When she recorded "ocean eyes" she was only 13 years old, yet instantly cemented herself as one of the defining voices of this generation of music.

The track was written, produced, and mixed by her brother, Finneas, who was 18 at the time. Originally intended for his band, he realized his sister's voice would suit the song much better. They recorded it together and uploaded it independently to SoundCloud, simply with the intention of wanting Billie's dance teacher to choreograph a routine to it. What happened next was beyond anything they imagined, with the song organically going viral overnight.

"So my brother wrote it, and he kind of just came into my room one night and said, 'I have this song, and I want you to sing it.' I sang it, and it was weirdly exactly what I was going through at the time, which was weird," Billie said in a 2017 interview for Lexus' Artist Spotlight series. "I felt like he jumped into my head and wrote a song that was from my brain. I just kind of fell in love with it."

"I've been watching you for some time, can't stop staring at those ocean eyes," she sings in the opening lines of the song. "Burning cities and napalm skies, 15 flares inside those ocean eyes". This song is a beautiful exploration of surrendering to an all-encompassing feeling of falling in love. Lyrically, it captures both the vulnerability and emotional intensity of experiencing all of these feelings for the first time. "No fair, you really know how to make me cry, when you give me those ocean eyes," she sings in the chorus. "I'm scared, I've never fallen from quite this high, fallin' into your ocean eyes".

"You don't hear 'no fair' in songs, because I don't know why, but it really got to me. And then, 'I'm scared'—when you are kind of falling in love with someone, or realize you're falling in love with someone, it can be scary," Billie added in her interview with Lexus. "Even though I'm really young, I've gone through stuff like that, and you're not really in control and can't be in control, even if you try, which is terrifying."

In a 2020 interview with Pitchfork, Finneas talked in depth about the process of writing and recording this song with Billie. He said, "Billie was really really particular about how she wanted her voice to sound on it. There's so many harmonies on that song, and so many doubles and there's so many layers of background vocals." They worked on the vocals alone for an entire week, with some of their main influences being artists like Aurora, Låpsley and Lana Del Rey. "Although I don’t think we even held a candle to Lana with that song, production wise anyway," Finneas added. 

To celebrate the anniversary of this song, Finneas wrote on Instagram; "This song has changed our lives inch by inch for 10 years straight- from 18 to 28 and 13 to 23, I could not be more proud of Billie or of the work we've done together."

"ocean eyes" would later serve as the lead single for Billie's debut EP in 2017 called don't smile at me. The angelic, lush vocals and gorgeous composition showcase layers of storytelling that are simple and understated, yet deeply impactful.

It was a defining moment in her career, marking the beginning of a journey that has only grown more extraordinary with each passing year. She was so young at the time, yet already revealed herself to be such a rare, once‑in‑a‑generation talent—as is Finneas. Together, the music they have created continues to shape the future of music in immeasurable ways, leaving their indelible mark on modern pop.

To celebrate the ten year anniversary of "ocean eyes", Billie released a special limited edition vinyl pressing of the single exclusively sold on her website. It features a cropped version of the original single cover, which was later changed when it received a wider commercial streaming release in 2016. The back also features a never-before-seen image from the single's photoshoot, both of which were taken by her mom at their local park.  

It is pressed on translucent teal vinyl, with the standard version of the song on Side A and a special etching on Side B. The etching reads, "10 YEARS OF OCEAN EYES" at the top, and the bottom says "LOVE YOU ALL SO SO SO MUCH -BILLIE"

I have so many different 7" vinyl singles of Billie's music in my record collection and this is absolutely one of my favorites she has released yet. This is really where it all began and it is such a special memento for this piece of music history. 

I was lucky enough to experience this song live twice over the past year on her HIT ME HARD AND SOFT Tour, in both New York City and Philadelphia. Each performance felt like a beautiful reminder of where it all began, and a celebration of the remarkable journey that has unfolded since. Hearing it just weeks before the ten‑year anniversary made it especially meaningful. The imagery of ocean waves projected across the stage was stunning as she performed it a
t the piano, bringing the song vividly to life.

It's rare for a song recorded by a 13 year old to carry such a long lasting impact, continuing to resonate and remain relevant even a decade later. "ocean eyes" introduced a sound and a style that has often tried to be replicated throughout the past ten years, but no one has ever been able to quite reach that same level that Billie and Finneas were able to on their debut single alone. Artistically, they have always been ahead of their time, and this song stands as the earliest example of their shared vision, one that would go on to inspire and define the sound of countless artists to follow.

Thanks for reading! I have written about Billie Eilish and Finneas' music countless times over the years - all of which are linked below, with many more coming soon always! 

-Melissa ♡

All photos are my own!

Related Posts: