"Lovely" is a song recorded by American singers Billie Eilish and Khalid. It was released by Darkroom and Interscope Records as the first single from the Netflixdrama series13 Reasons Why’s second season soundtrack. Eilish and Khalid wrote the song with Eilish's brother, Finneas O'Connell, who produced the track. The song has been described as a chamber pop song. Its lyrics describe Eilish and Khalid trying to overcome serious depression together. Upon its release, "Lovely" received positive reviews from music critics. The track was accompanied by a music video released on April 26, 2018. The video depicts Eilish and Khalid walking around a glass case, interacting with each other. "Lovely" reached number 64 on the US BillboardHot 100 chart and the song peaked within the top ten in several other countries. It was certified quadruple platinum in Canada and Australia. Eilish included the track on the setlists of her 2019 When We All Fall Asleep Tour and her 2020 Where Do We Go? World Tour.
Background and composition
"Lovely" was written by Billie Eilish, her brother Finneas O'Connell and Khalid. Finneas was the album's producer. Mastering and mixing were handled by John Greenham and Rob Kinelski respectively. The song was released on the album13 Reasons Why: Season 2 as its first single. The song has been described as a chamber pop song. It is written in the key of E minor with a moderately fast tempo of 114 beats per minute; its chord progression follows a basic sequence of Cmaj7–Em–Bm. The track features strings, a haunting piano line and percussion. Its lyrics begin with the duo discussing their attempts to overcome a serious depression: "Thought I found a way / But you never go away". Author Jon Blistein of Rolling Stone mentions that Eilish and Khalid sing with "a sense of urgency and yearning": "Oh, I hope some day I'll make it out of here / Even if it takes all night or a hundred years". The singers become hopeless as they move into the chorus. "Isn't it lovely, all alone? / Heart made of glass, my mind of stone / Tear me to pieces, skin and bone / Hello, welcome home."
Reception
NMEs Hannah Mylrea called the song one of the best from the official soundtrack for the second season of 13 Reasons Why, saying, "With its lush strings and interweaving vocals, this sizzling duet is properly gorgeous. The masterfully written is completed with heart-wrenching crescendos and trickling piano lines, and is totally, ahem, lovely". Mike Nied of Idolator gave the song a positive review saying "the collaborators deliver some of their most soulful vocals over heartrending strings and atmospheric production". Earmilk was similarly positive, saying, "Take two of the best voices in pop music and pair them with one of the greatest new producers in pop music, and you get magic". "Lovely" debuted at number 64 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in January 2019. In the United Kingdom, the song reached number 47. It peaked within the top 10 in Australia and New Zealand and has received several certifications, including quadruple platinum certifications from Music Canada and the Australian Recording Industry Association.
Promotion
Eilish first performed "Lovely" with Khalid in Japan in 2018. The song was included on the setlist of Eilish's 2019 When We All Fall Asleep Tour, and eventually added to the singer's 2020 Where Do We Go? World Tour. A music video for the song was released a week after the single's release directed by Taylor Cohen. The video was inspired by Eilish's desire to portray two people being "hopelessly trapped". It begins with Eilish alone; Khalid then appears out of thin air behind her. The singers are trapped inside a crystalline box. They walk around for a while, sometimes interacting—the camera then pans up and shows a single, thundering rain cloud. It begins to rain inside the box and the water starts to rise and freeze. The walls become shrouded in ice as Khalid and Eilish hold each other inside. As the video ends, the ice thaws to reveal the box is empty. The music video was positively received by music critics upon its release. While Mike Nied of Idolator called the video "undeniably dark", Madeline Roth of MTV stated although it was "undeniably somber" Eilish and Khalid "at least seem to find some comfort in one another".
