Wish You Were Gay

"Wish You Were Gay" (stylized in all lowercase) is the fourth single on American singer Billie Eilish's debut studio album When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? (2019). The song was released on March 4, 2019, through Darkroom and Interscope Records.

"Wish You Were Gay"
Single by Billie Eilish
from the album When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?
ReleasedMarch 4, 2019 (2019-03-04)
RecordedMarch 2018
GenrePop
Length3:41
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Finneas O'Connell
Billie Eilish singles chronology
"Bury a Friend"
(2019)		 "Wish You Were Gay"
(2019)		 "Bad Guy"
(2019)

Background and release

Eilish explained in a statement that she wrote "Wish You Were Gay" when she was only 14.[1] It was first introduced by Eilish on her Instagram in July 2018.[2][3][4] She explained to her fans that she wrote the song about a guy that she had feelings for, but he did not feel the same.[2] She continued, saying she felt horrible that he did not love her back, and ended up writing "Wish You Were Gay".[3] She discussed that the song was not meant to be offensive in any way to the LGTBQ community.[3] Eilish wanted her crush to be gay so that he didn't like her for a reason.[2] It was later found out the boy Eilish had a crush on told her he was gay.[2] Eilish joked, saying, "I wrote the song and made him fuck a dude. I'm fucking proud bro except not really though because I was really into him, like so into him, he's so hot oh my god."[2]

Eilish further campaigned with the single, announcing in a press release that for 48 hours, a portion of all proceeds from her online merch store would be donated to The Trevor Project, the world's largest suicide and crisis prevention program for at-risk LGBTQ youth.[5][6] In YouTube video, Eilish and her brother Finneas O'Connell, known under his stage name of Finneas broke down the inspiration behind the track, with Eilish explaining, "This was a situation where I was fucking all for this kid, like oh my god. It was the kind of love where everything was thrown out there and nothing was latched onto."[7]

Composition and lyrics

"Wish You Were Gay" is composed in the key of G major with a moderate tempo of 118 beats per minute. Eilish's vocals span a range of G3 to D5 and its chord progression follows a basic sequence of Am–D7–Gmaj7–Em.[8] It is a pop[9] song which features Eilish singing over "a slow-burning, lush instrumental," according to Mitch Findlay of HotNewHipHop.[10]

Michael Love Michael of Paper said that the track's "maximal beats roil and snap like a tension release."[11]

The song's lyrics center on Eilish's frustration that her crush does not reciprocate her feelings towards him, and her wish that he were gay to "spare [her] pride" and to "give [his] lack of interest in [her] an explanation."[12][13]

Controversy

"Wish You Were Gay" has been criticized as offensive to the LGBTQ community and accused of queerbaiting.[14][15]

Eilish was also criticized for her comments on her Instagram story, where she said, "Guess what, he just came out to me like a couple weeks ago. So I wrote the song and made him fuck a dude. I'm fucking proud, bro, except not really though because I was really into him, like so into him. He's so hot, oh my god."[16]

Eilish responded to the controversy in an interview with PopBuzz, stating, "I want to be so clear that it's so not supposed to be an insult" and "I feel like it's been a little bit misinterpreted. I tried so hard to not make it in any way offensive", referring to the song as "kind of a joke."[17]

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.[18]

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[55] Platinum 70,000
Austria (IFPI Austria)[56] Gold 15,000
Canada (Music Canada)[57] Gold 40,000
Italy (FIMI)[58] Gold 35,000
Mexico (AMPROFON)[59] Platinum 60,000
New Zealand (RMNZ)[60] Gold 15,000
Norway (IFPI Norway)[61] Gold 30,000
Poland (ZPAV)[62] Platinum 20,000
Portugal (AFP)[63] Gold 5,000
United Kingdom (BPI)[64] Gold 400,000
United States (RIAA)[65] Platinum 1,000,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. Schatz, Lake (March 4, 2019). "Billie Eilish premieres new song 'wish you were gay': Stream". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
  2. Prance, Sam (March 4, 2019). "Billie Eilish reveals the wild true story behind her 'wish you were gay' lyrics". PopBuzz. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
  3. Clarke, Patrick (March 4, 2019). "Billie Eilish explains meaning behind new single 'Wish You Were Gay'". NME. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
  4. Darus, Alex (March 4, 2019). "Billie Eilish Explains Meaning Behind 'Wish You Were Gay'". Alternative Press. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
  5. Love, Michael (March 4, 2019). "Billie Eilish's New Single Supports The Trevor Project". Paper. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
  6. Daw, Stephen (March 4, 2019). "Billie Eilish Is Tired Of Heartache On New Single 'Wish You Were Gay': Listen". Billboard. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
  7. Roth, Madeline (March 4, 2019). "Billie Eilish's 'Wish You Were Gay' Is An All-Too-Relatable Plea About Unrequited Love". MTV. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
  8. "Billie Eilish "wish you were gay" Sheet Music in G Major (transposable)". Musicnotes.com. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
  10. Findlay, Mitch (March 4, 2019). "Billie Eilish Gets Wistful On "Wish You Were Gay"". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
  11. Love Michael, Michael (March 5, 2019). "Billie Eilish's New Single Supports The Trevor Project". Paper. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
  12. Rowden, Claire (March 5, 2019). "billie eilish drops new song about unrequited love 'wish you were gay'". MTV UK. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
  13. Daw, Stephen (March 4, 2019). "Billie Eilish Is Tired Of Heartache On New Single 'Wish You Were Gay': Listen". Billboard. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
  14. "Is Billie Eilish's New Song 'wish you were gay' Queer Baiting?". www.pride.com. March 4, 2019. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
  15. "New Billie Eilish single is queerbaiting par excellence". The Gateway. March 28, 2019. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
  16. "Billie Eilish Revealed The Meaning Behind Her New Song "Wish You Were Gay" On Instagram In July 2018". Genius. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
  17. "Billie Eilish Responds to 'Wish You Were Gay' Backlash: 'It's Not Meant to Be an Insult'". Billboard. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
  18. "Try the TIDAL Web Player". listen.tidal.com. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
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  57. "Canadian single certifications – Billie Eilish – Wish You Were Gay". Music Canada. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
  58. "Italian single certifications – Billie Eilish – Wish You Were Gay" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved January 25, 2021. Select "2021" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Select "Wish You Were Gay" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli online" under "Sezione".
  59. "Certificaciones" (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Retrieved November 19, 2019. Type Billie Eilish in the box under the ARTISTA column heading and Wish You Were Gay in the box under TÍTULO
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  65. "American single certifications – Billie Eilish – Wish You Were Gay". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved July 10, 2019. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH. 
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