A Deep Dive into Billie Eilish's "Wildflower"

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Plus, insight from Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell
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"Wildflower" is one of the most moving and mournful songs on Billie Eilish's 2024 album Hit Me Hard and Soft , but what is it about? Eilish and Finneas (the song's co-writer) have a lot to say about the song's origins, and while they haven't clarified exactly what inspired the song, listeners have come up with some valid interpretations based on the lyrics. In this article, we'll explore fan theories as to the song's inspiration, and we’ll also dive into everything Eilish herself has said about the song's backstory. Keep reading for the full details!

What is "Wildflower" by Billie Eilish about?

"Wildflower" is about dating a friend’s ex. Billie Eilish has said the song is about "breaking girl code," so fans think it was inspired by Eilish's experience of dating The Neighborhood frontman Jesse Rutherford. Rutherford was the ex of one of Eilish’s friends, “Wildflower” phone case business owner Devon Lee Carlson.

Section 1 of 5:

"Wildflower" Song Meaning

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  1. While Billie Eilish and Finneas—Eilish's brother and the song's co-writer and producer—have not explicitly said what events inspired "Wildflower," she clarified in an interview with Zane Lowe for Apple Music that the song is a "tortured, overthinky" song about betraying a friend:
    • "The whole song is…a breaking girl code thing," she observes. "I did something, and I feel anxious about it, deeply," she adds, to which Finneas adds, "And it's not a song about cheating at all." [1]
    • "It's about something that wasn't even bad," Eilish clarifies. "It was just something I couldn't get out of my head…. [Writing it] really helped me realize what I was feeling and what I was going through and being like, 'Oh, maybe this is affecting me more than I thought.'"
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Section 2 of 5:

Who is "Wildflower" about?

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  1. Fans believe "Wildflower" is about Devon Lee Carlson and Jesse Rutherford. While the exact backstory behind "Wildflower" is uncertain, fans are pretty convinced the song was inspired by Eilish's relationship with The Neighborhood frontman Jesse Rutherford, whom she began dating shortly after his relationship with her friend, influencer and phone case business owner Devon Lee Carlson. Here's all the evidence fans have gathered to suggest their theory could be right: [2]
    • The song's title, "Wildflower," is believed to be a reference to Devon Lee Carlson's phone case brand, which is called—you guessed it—Wildflower.
    • The lyric "'Cause she couldn't be / More different from me, / Happy and free in leather" is likely a reference to Carlson's style, as she often wears leather.
    • Based on Eilish and Rutherford's relationship timeline (they dated from October 2022 to May 2023), fans speculate the song is about Rutherford and Carlson.
    • That said, Carlson and Eilish have since been photographed together multiple times and seem to be close friends still, suggesting that whatever pain their friendship may have endured after Carlson's and Rutherford's breakup wasn't enough to break the two women's bond.
Section 3 of 5:

"Wildflower" Lyrics Analyzed

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  1. Throughout the song, Eilish is crooning to "you," that is, her boyfriend: "She was your girl, / You showed her the world / But fell out of love and you both let go." The song, then, is a plea from Eilish to her new partner, trying to convey the level of stress, guilt, grief, and even regret she's been experiencing since beginning their relationship.
  2. 2
    The song's lyrics touch on Eilish's desire to console her friend after their breakup. Lyrics like "She was cryin’ on my shoulder. / All I could do was hold her. / Only made us closer until July," emphasize the level of intimacy and trust there is between Eilish and her friend. The two women aren't just acquaintances—Eilish actively helped her friend get over her ex, before Eilish began dating him herself.
  3. 3
    The lyrics go on to address Eilish's guilt from dating her friend's ex. "Now, I know that you love me, / You don't need to remind me. / I should put it all behind me, shouldn't I?" These lines take us into the heartwrenching chorus: "But I see her in the back of my mind all the time." Even though Eilish wants to forget how she and her boyfriend got together and deny the responsibility she has to her friend, she can't.
    • As Eilish says of the line "I know that you love me, / You don't need to remind me," "It's more like, 'I'm not asking for reassurance, I am 100% confident that you love me…the problem is this thing that I can't shake."
    • She goes on to wonder if she's done something wrong, even if she technically didn't "steal" her friend's boyfriend or cheat with him: "Like a fever, like I’m burning alive, like a sign. / Did I cross the line?"
  4. 4
    Eilish also can't help comparing herself to her friend—her boyfriend's ex. In addition to the guilt and regret Eilish is clearly enduring, she also struggles with paranoia that her new boyfriend is thinking about his ex when they're together: "I'd never ask who was better (I'd never ask who was better) / 'Cause she couldn't be (Couldn't) / More different from me (Different) / Happy and free in leather (Happy)." She tells herself she won't ask, implying she doesn't care, but it's clear that she's trying (and failing) to convince herself it doesn't bother her.
  5. 5
    Some lyrics allude to Eilish's denial of her own feelings. The song goes on: "You say no one knows you so well (Oh) / But every time you touch me, I just wonder how she felt / Valentine's Day, cryin’ in the hotel. / I know you didn't mean to hurt me, so I kept it to myself." The meaning of these lines isn't totally clear, but it could be inferred that the relationship isn't all it should be—and that, perhaps, Eilish is realizing why her friend dumped her ex in the first place. She sees parallels between her friend's experience in the relationship and her own. However, she would rather tell herself it's not a problem than have to deal with it or admit she was wrong to date this guy.
    • Eilish has alluded to her own experience of denying her own feelings ("I wasn't being super honest with myself") and how this inspired the song's lyrics. [3]
    • She had also expressed gratitude to the song for helping her get more in touch with feelings she had been trying to ignore.
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Section 4 of 5:

More About "Wildflower"

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  1. Eilish and Finneas O'Connell wrote “Wildflower” for the 2024 album Hit Me Hard and Soft . The folk-pop song was also produced by Finneas, and it was released on May 17, 2024, to immediate acclaim. It was later made the fourth single from Hit Me Hard and Soft on February 28, 2025. “Wildflower” reached number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.
    • Eilish went on to promote the song on her episode of the Amazon Music series Songline in July 2024 and on A Colors Show in September of that year. In October 2024, she performed an acoustic version of the song alongside Finneas live on SNL .
Section 5 of 5:

More Songs Analyzed

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  1. Did you enjoy this deep dive into Billie Eilish's "Wildflower"? You might find these other song analyses illuminating!
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      References

      1. ↑ https://youtu.be/R-ZIRAmO60c?si=0s9hE1IG7U9-qB7E&t=2845
      2. ↑ https://www.capitalfm.com/news/music/billie-eilish-wildflower-lyrics-meaning/
      3. ↑ https://youtu.be/R-ZIRAmO60c?si=0s9hE1IG7U9-qB7E&t=2845

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