It turns out that Olivia Rodrigo, another singer-songwriter, was the inspiration behind one of Billie Eilish’s most revelatory and melancholic songs.
In an interview with the L.A. Times, Billie Eilish was questioned about her relationship with Olivia Rodrigo in light of their similar life experiences and near age differences. Although Eilish acknowledged that “everyone’s experiences are so individual,” she also acknowledged that she feels “a protectiveness over Olivia.” Eilish also took the opportunity to discuss how Rodrigo actually inspired her song “Goldwing,” which is a brief but powerful song about the cost of fame and the expectations that accompany it.
“[‘Goldwing’ is] kind of about her. I’ve never said that to anyone,” Eilish told the publication before elaborating. “It’s not only about her. I was just thinking about her when I was writing it. She was coming up, and she was younger than me, and nobody had ever been younger than me.”
“Olivia was getting big, and she was just, like, this little dainty child. I felt so nervous. I was worried about her. She came up in that acting world, and people are so weird. I don’t know — I just felt very protective over her,” Eilish continued. “And I feel that way [about] everyone. I just see myself in all these young girls. And it’s the girls, man. Boys can handle themselves. They’re dudes — they don’t have to deal with it like we do. I just want to hold everybody in a little glass box and never let anything touch them.”
If you’ve been following Eilish for some time, you’re aware that she’s previously mentioned Rodrigo while expressing the same sentiment. She talked candidly about that same feeling of protectiveness in an interview with Howard Stern in December 2021. At the time, Eilish added, “I just want to put her in a glass box and shield her from everything.”
In 2022, the GUTS singer responded to the remark on Entertainment Tonight. “She’s amazing, in my opinion,” Rodrigo remarked of Eilish. Being able to look up to someone like her is really awesome. She just marches to the beat of her own drum, and I really admire that about her.”
Even though Eilish was unaware that she was the direct inspiration for “Goldwing” at the time, Rodrigo instantly connected with Eilish’s Happier Than Ever. Rodrigo acknowledged that listening to Eilish’s album felt like “this b*tch read my diary!” in an earlier this year interview with the Guardian, but she also disclosed that Eilish had been “really sweet and supportive” to her. We adore a strong friendship team.
