The release of the Barbie film this past summer took the globe by storm. While the film provided all the makings of a summer blockbuster, one thing that is perhaps overlooked about the film is its score. One of the main tracks that masterfully pairs with the film is Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For,” a song with dark piano chord progressions and the melancholy whispers of Eilish’s voice subtly gliding over them.
The song’s lyrics are indicative of one struggling to find their direction in life, a common emotion that nearly all of us can relate to. She states: “I don’t know how to feel / but someday, I might / Someday, I might.” With these lyrics, Eilish admits that times are ambiguous and paths have yet to be forged, but there is a desire to move forward.
In a recent interview with NME, Eilish provided insight to her vocal performance on this Golden Globe nominated song. Eilish typically struggles with finding confidence in her own music, a claim that producer Finneas shed light on in an interview with Vanity Fair. He claimed that Eilish often would return to the studio after recording the previous day, and say that she’d need to “rerecord this line, this line and this line.” However, Eilish had a change of heart when discussing “What Was I Made For,” noting that her work on this track was one of “the best vocal performances I’ve ever given.”