Nearly three years after Billie Eilish released her second album, Happier Than Ever, the singer is back with Hit Me Hard And Soft, which she has been teasing for a month. Across ten tracks, Eilish shares a range of emotions and new sounds with her fans, but one in particular may stop you in your tracks: “The Diner.”
While the majority of the album explores the love and heartbreak Billie Eilish has gone through in recent years, the eighth track on the album is an outlier. The lyrics seem to have Eilish putting herself in the place of a stalker. Check out the official lyrics video on the singer's YouTube channel:
What’s going on there? Let’s break it down!
What Is “The Diner” About On Billie Eilish’s New Album?
Many fans believe “The Diner” is alluding to Billie Eilish’s history with stalkers, particularly in the last year. Within the song’s lyrics, she sings from their perspective. In the narrative of the song, she says “I saw you on the screens, I know we’re meant to be” early in the song before illustrating a creepy situation further with “I’m here around the clock. I’m waiting on your block, but please don’t call the cops. They’ll make me stop.”
As the song continues, Eilish details the stalker coming through the kitchen door, but failing to save her before having to deal with a $250,000 bail. The song also details a possessive and obsessive stalker who memorized her number and will threaten all they see her interacting with.
What Is Billie Eilish’s Stalker History?
Billie Eilish has unfortunately had to deal with multiple stalkers in recent years.
Most recently, she got herself a restraining order from a 53-year-old man named Shawn Christopher McIntyre back in November, who reportedly sent hundreds of messages to herself and her family, and even threatened to kill her brother Finneas O’Connell.
Last February, she was granted a restraining order from a man named Raymond Black after he allegedly came to her house more than once. Before that, she had a separate five-year restraining order from Christopher Anderson, a man who broke into her childhood home by jumping the fence, where her parents still live and sent her “threats of violence.”
What About That Phone Number In The Song?
Along with “The Diner” seemingly alluding to Eilish’s stressful run-ins with her stalkers, the song ends with her giving out a number: (310) 807-3956. She whispers it at the end of the track. No, it’s not her actual number! If you call it the voice of Billie EIlish plays in a voicemail where she says “ Hello, hello? Wait, I can’t hear you… Hello, hello? Hold on, let me call you back.”
Eilish has spoken about the pitfalls of fame before, and at one point she decided to bail on social media. “The Diner” is a unique commentary from the viral Barbie singer about the obsession that has come with her stardom. Perhaps the phone number serves as a small wink to fans wishing they had her number, or in the case of the stalker in the song, actually going to the lengths of memorizing it.
Oof, the song gives one as much chills as the best horror movies, doesn't it? You can check out Billie’s new album, Hit Me Hard And Soft, now!
