"Six Feet Under"
The cover features Eilish standing in front of mountains, surrounded by fog
Single by Billie Eilish
ReleasedNovember 17, 2016
GenrePop
Length3:09
Label
Songwriter(s)Finneas O'Connell
Producer(s)Finneas O'Connell
Billie Eilish singles chronology
"Six Feet Under"
(2016) 		"Ocean Eyes"
(2016)
Music video
"Six Feet Under" on YouTube

"Six Feet Under" is the debut single by American singer Billie Eilish. It was first released through SoundCloud on June 23, 2016. It was later re-released on November 17, 2016, by Darkroom and Interscope Records. Finneas O'Connell, Eilish's brother, solely wrote and produced the track. The track is described as a "somber" and "delicate" pop ballad. Commercially, it was certified platinum by Music Canada (MC).

Background and composition

"Six Feet Under" was first originally released through Eilish's SoundCloud on June 23, 2016, as her second single.[1][2] It was later released as a standalone single for digital download and streaming by Darkroom and Interscope Records on November 17, 2016.[3] The track was written and produced by Eilish's brother, Finneas O'Connell. Mastering and mixing was handled by the studio personnel, John Greenham, and Rob Kinelski, respectively.[3]

According to sheet music published by Hal Leonard Music Publishing on Musicnotes.com, "Six Feet Under" has a moderate tempo of 68 beats per minute.[4] The song is played in the key of B minor, while Eilish's vocals span a range of A3 to D5.[4] Press reviews described the song as an atmospheric pop ballad.[5][6][7] Mike Wass of Idolator compared the instrumentation to the later work of Lana Del Rey, Låpsley and Birdy.[8] An EP featuring remixes by Blu J, Gazzo, Jerry Folk and Aire Atlantica was released in January 2017.[9][10] Dan Regan of Billboard favored Jerry Folk's remix over the others, saying it "punches you right in the face with its wall of vocal harmonies", and further says "silence weighs heavy throughout, adding weight to every note as it drips from the speaker into your brain".[11] Lyrically, "Six Feet Under" is described as "somber" and "delicate" like "Ocean Eyes".[8]

Reception

Upon its release, "Six Feet Under" was praised by Ryan Reed of Rolling Stone, who called the track "mournful" and "atmospheric".[7] The song has been awarded a platinum certification award from Music Canada (MC).[12] It has also been certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and the Mexican Association of Producers of Phonograms and Videograms, A.C. (AMPROFON).[13][14]

Promotion

A homemade music video for this song was released on June 30, 2016. It was directed by Eilish and shows clips of smoke balls in front of a fence, played both forward and in reverse. The video was edited by her mother, Maggie Baird.[2][15] "Six Feet Under" was included on the setlist of Eilish's When We All Fall Asleep Tour (2019).[16] The song was used in American Horror Story's 9th season. In a brief promo clip posted on Instagram, director and writer Ryan Murphy, revealed a young woman running through the woods in slow-motion, being chased by a masked man holding a knife. The woman enters a cabin, crying and screaming as the blade breaks through the door.[17][7]

Track listing

Digital download[3]
No.TitleLength
1."Six Feet Under"3:09
Digital EP – Remixes[18]
No.TitleLength
1."Six Feet Under" (Blu J Remix)3:35
2."Six Feet Under" (Gazzo Remix)3:28
3."Six Feet Under" (Jerry Folk Remix)3:20
4."Six Feet Under" (Aire Atlantica Remix)3:41
Total length:13:24

Personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.[3]

Certifications

Certifications and sales for "Six Feet Under"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[19] 2× Platinum 140,000‡
Canada (Music Canada)[12] Platinum 80,000‡
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[20] Gold 45,000‡
Mexico (AMPROFON)[14] Gold 30,000‡
Poland (ZPAV)[21] Gold 10,000‡
Portugal (AFP)[22] Gold 5,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[23] Silver 200,000‡
United States (RIAA)[13] Gold 500,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ "six feet under by Billie Eilish". SoundCloud. Archived from the original on May 18, 2020. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  2. ^ a b Spruch, Kristen (December 12, 2019). "10 Billie Eilish Songs Every Superfan Should Know". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 26, 2020. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d "Six Feet Under – Billie Eilish". Tidal. November 17, 2016. Archived from the original on June 30, 2020. Retrieved June 29, 2020. Note: Access the 'Credits' button.
  4. ^ a b "Billie Eilish 'Six Feet Under' Sheet Music". Musicnotes.com. Archived from the original on June 25, 2020. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
  5. ^ Yeung, Neil Z. "Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter who blends ethereal indie electro-pop with dark thematic tones". AllMusic. Archived from the original on August 16, 2019. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  6. ^ Kaplan, llana (March 16, 2017). "Pop Newcomer Billie Eilish Wants to Make Sure You Never Forget Her". Paper. Archived from the original on June 8, 2020. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  7. ^ a b c Reed, Ryan (April 10, 2019). "'American Horror Story': Watch Slasher Flick-Inspired Teaser for New Season '1984'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on June 22, 2020. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  8. ^ a b Wass, Mike (June 23, 2016). "New Find: Billie Eilish Mesmerizes With 'Six Feet Under'". Idolator. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  9. ^ "Six Feet Under (The Remixes) - EP by Billie Eilish". iTunes. Archived from the original on December 17, 2019. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  10. ^ Wass, Mike (January 12, 2017). "Billie Eilish's 'Six Feet Under' Gets A Suitably Gloomy Anden Remix". Idolator. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  11. ^ Regan, Dan (March 29, 2019). "The 12 Best Billie Eilish Remixes". Billboard. Archived from the original on July 21, 2019. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  12. ^ a b "Canadian single certifications – Billie Eilish – Six Feet Under". Music Canada.
  13. ^ a b "American single certifications – Billie Eilish – Six Feet Under". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
  14. ^ a b "Certificaciones" (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Retrieved January 14, 2020. Type Billie Eilish in the box under the ARTISTA column heading and Six Feet Under in the box under the TÍTULO column heading.
  15. ^ "Billie Eilish - Six Feet Under". YouTube. Archived from the original on January 5, 2020. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
  16. ^ Trendell, Andrew (February 12, 2019). "Watch Billie Eilish perform 'Bury A Friend' and 'When I Was Older' live for the first time". NME. Archived from the original on October 1, 2019. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  17. ^ Hayward, Matt (April 10, 2019). "Billie Eilish's 'Six Feet Under' Scores New 'American Horror Story' Season 9 Teaser: Watch". Billboard. Archived from the original on July 1, 2020. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  18. ^ "Six Feet Under (The Remixes) - EP by Billie Eilish". iTunes. Archived from the original on December 17, 2019. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  19. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2023 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  20. ^ "Danish single certifications – Billie Eilish – Six Feet Under". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
  21. ^ "Wyróżnienia – Złote płyty CD - Archiwum - Przyznane w 2020 roku" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved November 18, 2020.
  22. ^ "Portuguese single certifications – Billie Eilish – Six Feet Under" (PDF) (in Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
  23. ^ "British single certifications – Billie Eilish – Six Feet Under". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
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