Don't Smile at Me (stylized inall lowercase asdont smile at me) is the debutextended play by American singer and songwriterBillie Eilish, released on August 11, 2017, via Darkroom andInterscope Records. Eilish and her brotherFinneas O'Connell wrote all the material on the EP's original release and were solely responsible for its production. It is anelectropop andbedroom pop record with elements ofR&B andjazz.
The EP received generally favorable reviews frommusic critics, with many praising the music and Eilish's vocals. "Hostage" received a nomination forBest Cinematography at the2019 MTV Video Music Awards.Don't Smile at Me was commercially successful, reaching number 14 on the USBillboard 200 and number 12 on theUK Albums Chart. It entered the top 10 in many other countries, including Lithuania, where it reached number one.
The EP was later reissued on December 22, 2017, to include the single, "&Burn" withVince Staples. The song was certified gold in the United States by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA). An expanded edition of the EP was released on digital platforms and features two more previously released singles, "Lovely" withKhalid and "Bitches Broken Hearts". "Lovely" was commercially successful, peaking at number 64 on theBillboard Hot 100 and number 47 on the UK Singles Chart. "Bitches Broken Hearts" was certified platinum in the US and Canada by the RIAA andMusic Canada (MC), respectively.
In July 2017, Eilish toldBillboard that "each track offDon't Smile at Me will follow a distinct plot". She explained, "The only tie-together? I'm pretty sure I don't have any songs that are about how much I love someone. They're all either about like, 'I hate you,' or 'you make me hate me'."'[1]
Eilish spoke about the EP's title: "My EP is calledDon't Smile at Me for a lot of reasons, but one of them would be when [someone tells you], 'Smile. Why aren't you smiling? It's so much more beautiful when you smile.' Everyone's taught to smile. Girls are like, 'Look happy, look like you're having fun!' I'm not gonna look like anybody except what I am. I want to impress myself."[2] Eilish and her brotherFinneas O'Connell wrote most of the material forDon't Smile at Me. Finneas produced the EP in its entirety. Studio personnel John Greenham andRob Kinelski handled themastering andmixing, respectively.[3]
Don't Smile at Me is primarily anelectropop[2] andbedroom pop record,[4] withR&B andjazz influences.[5] The EP opens with "Copycat", ahip hop-influencedelectronica andpop track.[6][7][1] It featuresminimalist production consisting of abass guitar andpiano.[1] The song is Eilish's response to people she felt kept copying everything she was doing.[8] The following track, "Idontwannabeyouanymore", is a pop and R&B song, with a jazz andneo soul-influenced melody.[9][10][11] The track features Eilish singing about self-doubt and low self-esteem.[12] According to Baeble Music's Olivia Lewis, "My Boy" begins with a "chiller, jazz-like vibe, and a layer of darkness and mystery".[13] It features hip hop-influenced production, using ahi-hat andkeyboard.[14] Musically, the track is a pop song.[13]
With "Watch", described as apop ballad,[9][15] Eilish sends a message to her former lover, saying she is leaving their toxic relationship.[14] The track begins with the sound of a match strike that continues throughout the song as its main beat.[14] "Party Favor" is afolk track with Eilish playing theukulele.[16] The song addresses Eilish's break up with her boyfriend on his birthday with a phone call.[14] "Bellyache" is a mid-tempo electropop and R&B song[17][18] with influences of hip hop,deep house and Latinmacabre in its instrumentation.[19][20][21] The song's lyrics were written from the perspective of a psychopath who kills those close to her, including her friends and lover.[20]
"Ocean Eyes" is adream pop,[2] pop,[22]synth-pop,[23]indie pop[24] and R&B[24] ballad.[25] The song featurespercussion, bass guitar and asynthesizer.[26][27] "Ocean Eyes" is a love letter to Eilish's crush with her lover's "ocean" eyes.[14]Don't Smile at Me closes with "Hostage", a stripped-down pop track.[14][28] Lyrically, the track is about an intense love that Eilish feels for someone and an overwhelming desire she has for them.[14] The reissue of the EP contains one additional track; "&Burn" withVince Staples——a hip hop-influenced pop track.[29] "[B]ooming kick drums" and "velvety keys" support the track.[30] Like "Watch", the song starts with the sound of a match striking and uses it for the main beat.[14] When Eilish and Finneas were recording the song, it was titled "Watch & Burn".[31][32] The track later became two separate songs—"Watch" and "&Burn".[33]
The expanded edition ofDon't Smile at Me contains two extra tracks. "Lovely", featuringKhalid, is achamber pop-based stripped back ballad.[34][35] The track features minimalist production consisting of a piano,violinstrings provided by Madison Leinster, and percussion,[35][36] as Eilish and Khalid sing about the feeling of being trapped inside of one's own mind.[14] "Bitches Broken Hearts" is an R&B track.[14][37] Emmit Fenn handled additional production of the track, the first song by Eilish to feature production by someone other than her brother.[38] Lyrically, the song delves into the aftermath of a breakup, with Eilish pretending she no longer needs or cares about her former lover.[39]
"Bellyache" was released on February 24, 2017, as the secondsingle fromDon't Smile at Me.[48] The song was also a sleeper hit, reaching number three on the USBubbling Under Hot 100 chart for a milestone of 32 weeks, and number 79 on the UK Singles Chart.[44][49] It was certified double platinum in the US, Australia, and in Mexico by theAsociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas (AMPROFON).[50] Miles and AJ directed an accompanying music video released on March 22, 2017.[51]Marian Hill remixed "Bellyache" and released it on May 5, 2017.[52] "Watch" was released as the third single fromDon't Smile at Me on June 30, 2017.[53]Megan Park directed the song's music video which was released on September 18, 2017.[54] The track was certified platinum in the US, Canada, and Australia.[55] "Copycat" was released as the EP's fourth single on July 14, 2017.[56]Sofi Tukker remixed it and released it on January 12, 2018.[57] The song peaked at number 12 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart; it ultimately was certified in the US.[49][58]
"Idontwannabeyouanymore" was released as the fifth single fromDon't Smile at Me on July 21, 2017.[59] It charted at number 96 on theBillboard Hot 100 and number 78 on the UK Singles Chart.[43][44] The track was certified double platinum in the US.[60] Avertical video for the track was released toSpotify in December 2017.[61] The EP's sixth single, "My Boy", was released on July 28, 2017.[62] The song received a remix by TroyBoi entitled "MyBoi", released on March 9, 2018.[63] "My Boy" was certified platinum in the US.[64] "&Burn", featuring American rapper Vince Staples, was released as a single on December 15, 2017 and later included on the EP's reissue.[65] The song was certified gold in the US.[66] "Party Favor" was released on an exclusive pink7-inch vinyl as a promotional single on April 21, 2018, coinciding with that year'sRecord Store Day. A cover of "Hotline Bling", originally performed and written by Canadian rapperDrake, was released as theB-side.[67] "Party Favor" was certified gold in the US.[68]
"Lovely", featuring Khalid, was released as the lead single for13 Reasons Why: Season 2 (Music from the Original TV Series) on April 19, 2018,[69] and later included on the expanded edition of the EP.[70] Taylor Cohen and Matty Peacock directed its music video.[71] The song reached number 64 on theBillboard Hot 100 and number 47 on the UK Singles Chart.[43][44] It was certified octuple platinum in Australia and Canada, triple platinum in Mexico and in Poland (certified by thePolish Society of the Phonographic Industry (PSPI)), and double platinum in the US and New Zealand—certified byRecorded Music NZ (RMNZ).[72] "Bitches Broken Hearts" was originally released as a standalone single on March 30, 2018.[73] It was later included on the expanded edition ofDon't Smile at Me and the physical deluxe edition of Eilish's debut studio albumWhen We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?.[70] The song was certified platinum in the US and Canada.[74] Despite not being released as a single, Henry Scholfield produced a music video for "Hostage".[75] It was initially released exclusively viaApple Music on July 11, 2018.[75] The video was later uploaded to Eilish'sYouTube channel on October 8, 2018.[76] "Hostage" was ultimately certified platinum in the US and Canada.[77]
To promote the EP, Eilish embarked on theDon't Smile at Me Tour andWhere's My Mind Tour during 2017 and 2018.[1][9] In Europe, Eilish would open with "Bellyache".[78] Eilish would then sing "&Burn" without Staples. It would begin with the original arrangement before the beat drops and Eilish would break into dance.[78] Eilish would finish with "Copycat", red lights would flash as she sang it.[78] The staff ofBillboard magazine praised Eilish's performance atThe Bowery Ballroom.[79] Lyndsay Havens described the performance as "explosive" but "at times tender, and entirely exciting".[79] She added the performance was "the type of show where you are acutely aware that the artist you are currently watching will outgrow the venue they are playing almost immediately".[79] The staff ofThe Gazette felt Eilish "wants to bring the audience into her world, creating an experience for them".[80]
Don't Smile at Me was met with generally favorable reviews bymusic critics. Kristin Smith ofPlugged In said of the EP, "A fusion of multiple genres, sounds and styles, these nine tracks capture the young singer's undeniably engaging perspective and personality. We hear the honest confessions of a teenager who has known heartbreak, self-loathing and love.Don't Smile at Me is dreamy and depressing, enchanting and haunting. And it warrants both praise and caution."[84] Nicole Almeida ofAtwood Magazine wroteDon't Smile at Me was a "powerful declaration", and a "statement coming from the mouth of someone who knows who she is. The title perfectly embodies the strength and ambition of Eilish's debut EP and of Eilish herself as an artist."[9]Robert Christgau, writing forVice, commended Eilish's "still-fragile melodies and still-pure voice" on the EP, but considered the songwriting and production to be less accomplished than that of her debut singleWhen We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?.[83] Tom Hull mentioned thatDon't Smile at Me's singles are "more pop", and more "easily distinguished from the filler".[82] Brenton Blanchet ofSpin magazine lauded the EP, saying it was the "first sample of what Eilish could create in her bedroom", saying the "airy and atmospheric project showcased pop craft beyond her age".[85]
Don't Smile at Me became a sleeper hit in the US, debuting at number 185 on the USBillboard 200 a month and a half after its release.[87] The EP later broke into the top 100 in the week ending May 31, 2018, its 21st week on the chart, at number 97 with 7,000album-equivalent units.[88]Don't Smile at Me reached the top 40 of theBillboard 200 in the week ending July 28 at number 38 with 12,000 units, including 10,000streaming equivalent album units,[88] before peaking at number 14 in its 56th charting week for the issue dated January 26, 2019.[89] As of April 2019, the EP has sold 947,000 album-equivalent units in the US and has also generated more than 1.2 billion on-demand audio streams for its tracks.[90]Don't Smile at Me was more successful outside the United States. The EP peaked at number 12 on theUK Albums Chart.[91] In Australia, it peaked at number six on theARIA Charts.[92] It was most successful in Lithuania, peaking at number one on the chart.[93] In early 2019, Eilish became the youngest artist to hit one billion streams onSpotify withDon't Smile at Me.[94]
All tracks are written byBillie Eilish O'Connell and Finneas O'Connell, except where noted. All tracks are produced solely by F. O'Connell, except where noted.[95]
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
Mexico:"Certificaciones" (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas.Archived from the original on December 22, 2019. RetrievedSeptember 16, 2020.
^"Czech Albums – Top 100".ČNS IFPI.Note: On the chart page, select35.Týden 2019 on the field besides the words "CZ – ALBUMS – TOP 100" to retrieve the correct chart. Retrieved September 3, 2019.
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