[RUSSEL] Billie Eilish gives her take on recreational
drug use with a new self-directed visual for "xanny."
[RUSSEL] “xanny” is the sixth official
video from Billie’s breakout album,
'When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?’
It features her singing as cigarettes are
put out on her face.
[RUSSEL] The song was written after a night
of seeing her friends party a little too hard
– and the lyrics find her questioning the
popularity of irresponsible drug use.
BILLIE: Just watching my friends become completely
not who they were.
Watching their personalities crumple up 
and fall.
[RUSSEL] The title is a reference to the prescription
drug, Xanax, used for managing anxiety.
It’s also become popular for recreational
use, and has shown up in plenty of hip-hop songs.
[RUSSEL] Back on “Xanny,” the track also
represents her sadness around the passing
of her friend, rapper XXXtentacion.
She wrote the tracks days after his murder
and her feelings at that time seem to appear
in the song’s uneasy vibe.
BILLE: It was really hard.
It was especially hard to record that song
because I was really…
FINNEAS: Caught up about him.
BILLIE: Yeah, I was really emotional about
it.
[RUSSEL] The song also touches on Billie’s
dislike for smoking.
BILLIE: Kissing someone who tastes like an
ashtray sucks.
And it’s not attractive, bro.
It’s just not.
[RUSSEL] But the jazz-inspired song also emulates
the sound of smoke.
BILLIE: I just wanted it to sound the way
that it feels to just breathe in recycled breath.
Recycled poisonous breath, I may add.
[RUSSEL] Finally, Billie asserts that she
can’t keep friends who abuse drugs with
no regard for their lives, while others die
from circumstances beyond their control.
And she specifically name-checks a hipster
Southern California town.
[RUSSEL] If you’d like to learn more about
“xanny,”
hit up the song page on Genius.com. I’m Russel
Abad for Genius News, bringing you the meaning
and the knowledge behind the music.
