“LUNCH” (2024) is a song by pop superstar Billie Eilish. The track was the lead single of her third studio album, Hit Me Hard and Soft.
The music video for the song features Eilish in various outfits that read more butch or masc, with angles and fisheye lenses that make the video read like classic rap videos from the 1990s. This ends up giving the song an ironic twist. It also involves Eilish eating various fruits and sandwiches. It was also self-directed by the artist.
The lyrics describe Eilish’s attraction to a woman and wanting to perform oral sex on her, playing on lunch and the colloquial phrase “eating her out” and reiterating this is about sexual attraction, not a platonic “girl crush:”
“I could eat that girl for lunch
Yeah, she dances on my tongue
Tastes like she might be the one
And I could never get enough
I could buy her so much stuff
It’s a craving, not a crush, huh
“Call me when you’re there”
Said, “I bought you somethin’ rare
And I left it under ‘Claire'”
So now, she’s comin’ up the stairs
So I’m pullin’ up a chair
And I’m puttin’ up my hair
Baby, I think you were made for me
Somebody write down the recipe
Been tryin’ hard not to overeat
You’re just so sweet …
She’s takin’ pictures in the mirror
Oh my God, her skin’s so clear
Tell her, “Bring that over here”
You need a seat? I’ll volunteer
Now she’s smilin’ ear to ear
She’s the headlights, I’m the deer
I’ve said it all before, but I’ll say it again
I’m interested in more than just bein’ your friend
I don’t wanna break it, just want it to bend
Do you know how to bend? …”
After years of people accusing her of queerbaiting, Eilish made it clear that she is attracted to men and women during an interview with Variety: “
“While attending the Variety’s Hitmakers event in December, Eilish was asked on the red carpet if she had intended to come out in her Variety cover story.
“No, I didn’t,” Eilish said at the time. “But I kind of thought, ‘Wasn’t it obvious?’ I didn’t realize people didn’t know.”
The singer said she didn’t “really believe in” the concept of coming out. She added, “I’m just like, ‘Why can’t we just exist’? I’ve been doing this for a long time and I just didn’t talk about it. Whoops.”
Eilish, who hasn’t labeled her sexuality, said when she saw the article initially, she said, “‘Oh, I guess I came out today!’”
“It’s exciting to me because I guess people didn’t know, but it’s cool that they know,” Eilish said. “I am for the girls.”
The next day, Eilish posted a message to Variety on Instagram, writing in part, “Thanks variety for my award and for also outing me on a red carpet at 11 am instead of talking about anything else.”
She also said she is attracted to both men and women. When speaking to Rolling Stone, Eilish had a slightly different view on the situation.
“Who f—ing cares? The whole world suddenly decided who I was, and I didn’t get to say anything or control any of it,” she said.”
Eilish also noted with Rolling Stone that “LUNCH” was part of her exploring and declaring her queerness:
“That song was actually part of what helped me become who I am, to be real. I wrote some of it before even doing anything with a girl, and then wrote the rest after. I’ve been in love with girls for my whole life, but I just didn’t understand — until, last year, I realized I wanted my face in a vagina.”
The song proved to be a massive hit for Eilish. The song ended up cracking the op 8 of the year-end Billboard US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs. The music video has enjoyed more than 79 million views, while the song has enjoyed more than 860 million streams on Spotify at time of writing.
“Lunch” does something a lot of music for the straights has done for a long time – be frank about the enjoyment of sex. However, for a queer superstar to explicitly write about their enjoyment of queer sex – and for the two be a huge success – feels like nothing short of a breakthrough. As such, “LUNCH” deserves a place of recognition in the annals of bi representation in modern music.