Billie Eilish References Johnny Depp and Amber Heard Trial and Overturning of Roe V. Wade in New Song, "TV"

Content warning: The article below features mentions of eating disorders and mental health, which may be triggering to some. If you or a loved one are struggling with such topics, please contact the National Eating Disorders Hotline at (800) 931-2237 or visit online. Reader discretion is advised.

Behold, Billie Eilish has granted fans with a surprise music drop on this fine Thursday afternoon. The 20-year-old singer stripped things back with Guitar Songs, a new project that features two songs, "TV" and "The 30th." She announced the drops via Instagram with the project's cover art. "A little surprise for youuuuuuuu…… TWO NEW ONES!!!! "TV" and "The 30th" !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Billie wrote in her caption. "These songs mean so so much to me. I am so happy for them to be yours.❤️"

The drop comes after Billie revealed she was "just starting to think about" her next album during a June 6, 2022 appearance on The Ellen Show. She also performed "TV," which was unreleased at the time, at her Manchester, England stop for the Happier Than Ever tour on June 7. The song touches on leaving friendships behind for a romantic relationship, though it may not be worth it because of toxic conditions. Billie's lyrics also reference tough topics like the public trial between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard, the overturning of Roe v. Wade, and an unhealthy relationship with food. If you're wondering what these lyrics mean and which references Billie makes in the song, check out our breakdown below.

Lyrics provided by Genius

[Verse 1]
I don't wanna talk right now
I just wanna watch TV
I'll stay in the pool and drown
So I don't have to watch you leave
I put on Survivor just to watch somebody suffer
Maybe I should get some sleep
Sinking in the sofa while they all betray each other
What's the point of anything?

In the first verse, Billie describes what is likely a depressive episode (à la Rue from Euphoria, it seems) as she watches the reality TV show, Survivor, just to feel something. She questions people's general intentions and mentions her insomnia, which she's been open about since the early days of her career. Her sleeping habits and nightmares also inspired her debut album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? in 2019.

In March 2022, Billie told V Magazine about her struggles with sleeping. "I was having a lot of really, really unbelievably terrible nightmares. I was having weird sleep paralysis. It was just not a good period for my brain. I couldn't sleep," she said. "I would go to bed at like four in the morning and wake up at one in the afternoon. And I would listen to that meditation app every single time I needed to take a breath and not think about the horrors that were going on in my mind."

[Chorus]
All of my friends are missing again
That's what happens when you fall in love
You don't have the time, you leave them all behind
You tell yourself it's fine, you're just in love

The chorus taps into the abandonment of your friends when you get into a new relationship. Billie reassures herself it's worth it because she's "just in love," but it doesn't sound like she believes the words she's saying.

[Verse 2]
Don't know where you are right now
Did you see me on TV?
I'll try not to starve myself
Just because you're mad at me
And I'll be in denial for at least a little while
What about the plans we made?
The internet's gone wild watching movie stars on trial
While they're overturning Roe v. Wade

There's a lot to unpack in the second verse. Billie refers to her growing superstardom when she asks the subject if they've seen her on TV — probably through a talk show interview or live performance. She also says she'll try not to starve herself to satisfy the subject, which is parallel to her lyrics in "Male Fantasy," the final track off her second album, Happier Than Ever.

There are a lot of emotions she seems to be dealing with, from her current love that's falling flat to the aftermath of jarring cultural moments. At the end of the verse, she seemingly refers to the Johnny Depp v. Amber Heard trial that took the internet by storm from April to June 2022 and even calls out the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, which once protected abortion rights in the United States.

Billie has been open about her stance in the fight for reproductive rights in the past. In October 2021, she nearly canceled her set at Austin City Limits after hearing about Texas' abortion ban. "When they made that s**t law, I almost didn’t want to do the show. Because I wanted to punish this f***ing place for allowing that to happen here," she began. "But then I remembered it’s you guys who are the f***ing victims and you guys deserve everything in the world. And we need to tell them to shut the f**k up! My body, my f***ing choice!"

[Chorus]

[Bridge]
And I don't get along with anyone
Maybe I'm the problem
Maybe I'm the problem

[Outro]

Billie acknowledges that she, too, can be flawed and that maybe she was the problem in the certain relationship she writes about in "TV."

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