"Copycat" (stylized in

all caps In typography, text or font in all caps (short for "all capitals") contains capital letters without any lowercase letters. For example: All-caps text can be seen in legal documents, advertisements, newspaper headlines, and the titles on book co ...

) is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter

Billie Eilish Billie Eilish Pirate Baird O'Connell ( ; born December 18, 2001) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. She first gained public attention in 2015 with her debut single "Ocean Eyes (song), Ocean Eyes", written and produced by her broth ...

. It was released by

Darkroom A darkroom is used to process photographic film, make Photographic printing, prints and carry out other associated tasks. It is a room that can be made completely dark to allow the processing of light-sensitive photographic materials, including ...

and

Interscope Records Interscope Records is an American record label based in Santa Monica, California, owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M imprint. Founded in late 1990 by Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field as a $20 million joint venture ...

as the fourth single from Eilish's debut studio EP, ''

Don't Smile at Me ''Don't Smile at Me'' (stylized as '' smile at me'') is the debut extended play by American singer Billie Eilish, released on August 11, 2017, via Darkroom and Interscope Records. Eilish and her brother Finneas O'Connell wrote all the mate ...

'' (2017). Eilish and her brother,

Finneas O'Connell Finneas Baird O'Connell (born July 30, 1997), also known mononymously by his first name (sometimes stylized in all caps), is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actor. The recipient of numerous accolades, he has written and pro ...

, co-wrote the song, with the latter solely handling the production. Musically an

electronica Electronica is both a broad group of electronic-based music styles intended for listening rather than strictly for dancing and a music scene that came to prominence in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the term is mos ...

and

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...

track with a hip hop-influenced instrumentation, the song was heavily inspired by someone who kept on copying Eilish and what she did. Commercially, "Copycat" peaked at number 12 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

Bubbling Under Hot 100 Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (also known as Bubbling Under the Hot 100) is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. The chart lists the top songs that have not yet charted on the main ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Chart ...

chart and number 100 on the

Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music industry record chart in Canada for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' magazine. It was launched on the issue dated March 31, 2007 as the standard record chart in Canada; a new chart ...

. It has also received several

certification Certification is part of testing, inspection and certification and the provision by an independent body of written assurance (a certificate) that the product, service or system in question meets specific requirements. It is the formal attestatio ...

s, notably a double platinum award from the Mexican Association of Producers of Phonograms and Videograms, A.C. (AMPROFON). The song was performed live during Eilish's 2019

When We All Fall Asleep Tour The When We All Fall Asleep World Tour (stylized in all caps) was the fourth concert tour by American singer Billie Eilish, in support of her debut studio album ''When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?'' (2019). The tour began on April 13, 201 ...

and her

Where Do We Go? World Tour The Where Do We Go? World Tour was the fifth concert tour and first arena tour by American singer Billie Eilish, in support of her debut studio album '' When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?'' (2019). The tour commenced on March 9, 2020 in Mia ...

in 2020. A

Sofi Tukker Sofi Tukker (stylized in all caps) is a musical duo based in New York City, consisting of Sophie Hawley-Weld and Tucker Halpern. They are known for their songs "Drinkee", "Best Friend (Sofi Tukker song), Best Friend", and "Purple Hat". "Best Fr ...

remix was released on January 12, 2018.

Background and release

"Copycat" was released on July 14, 2017, as the fourth single on Eilish's debut EP ''Don't Smile at Me''. "Copycat" was written by the singer and

, her brother and the track's sole producer. Mastering and mixing was handled by the studio personnel, John Greenham, and Rob Kinelski, respectively. In an interview with

Genius Genius is a characteristic of original and exceptional insight in the performance of some art or endeavor that surpasses expectations, sets new standards for the future, establishes better methods of operation, or remains outside the capabiliti ...

, Eilish mentioned that she wrote the song with her brother about a girl who copies everything that she does. "I write with my brother mostly. That song, we were just in his room, and I was like, 'Yo! There's this fucking girl and she keeps doing everything that I do. And I want to write about it.' Because it was in my mind." A remix by

was released on January 12, 2018. Dan Regan of ''

'' praised the remix, saying its tone "beefs up opycatwith a club-ready rhythm", and has a "flush of colors in its disco cheeks as new layers of synthetic brightness come in waves."

Music and lyrics

"Copycat" has been described as a

hip-hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hi ...

-influenced

and

track in press reviews. According to sheet music published at Musicnotes.com, "Copycat" has a slow and constant

tempo In musical terminology, tempo (Italian for 'time'; plural 'tempos', or from the Italian plural), measured in beats per minute, is the speed or pace of a given musical composition, composition, and is often also an indication of the composition ...

of 64 beats per minute (BPM) and is played in the key of

E minor E minor is a minor scale based on E, consisting of the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. Its key signature has one sharp, on the F. Its relative major is G major and its parallel major is E major. The E natural minor scale is: Change ...

. Eilish's vocals span a range of E₃ to G₅. It features a minimalist production consisting of a

bass guitar The bass guitar (), also known as the electric bass guitar, electric bass, or simply the bass, is the lowest-pitched member of the guitar family. It is similar in appearance and construction to an Electric guitar, electric but with a longer nec ...

and

piano A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...

. Titiana Crisano of ''

'' compared the instrumentation to the later work of

XXXTentacion Jahseh Dwayne Ricardo Onfroy (January 23, 1998 – June 18, 2018), known professionally as XXXTentacion, was an American rapper and singer-songwriter. Though a controversial figure due to his widely publicized legal troubles, XXXTentacion gai ...

and

Tyler, the Creator Tyler Gregory Okonma (born March 6, 1991), known professionally as Tyler, the Creator, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He has been cited as an influential figure in alternative hip-hop during the 2010s. Tyler beca ...

. In an interview with ''Billboard'', Eilish stated that Finneas came up with the "weird, creepy bass sound" and she thought it was cool. The song is Eilish's response to someone who kept copying everything she is doing: "Copycat trying to cop my manner/Watch your back when you can’t watch mine/Copycat trying to cop my glamour/Why so sad, bunny, you can’t have mine?" As the song reaches the bridge, the instrumentation turns into a piano ballad and Eilish's vocals become somewhat quiet and build into a

falsetto Falsetto ( , ; Italian language, Italian diminutive of , "false") is the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave. It is produced by the vibration of the ...

and apologizes as she warns the person that they have reached their limit: "You just crossed the line/You've run out of time/I'm so sorry, now you know/Sorry I'm the one that told you so." She then tricks the listener with "psych" and returns to the original dark lyrics.

Reception and live performances

Insider Insider(s) or The Insider(s) may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Comics * ''Insiders'', a comic series by Mark Millar and Paul Grist, published in ''Crisis'' * The Insiders, a team of DC Comics characters in the Brainiac stories * ''I ...

'' Libby Torres, called the track a "precursor of sorts to ' Bad Guy and felt that "Copycat" lacks the "driving bass and increasingly-layered vocals" that made "Bad Guy" a good song. However, Torres concedes it is still a "worthy song that provides a tantalizing glimpse of Eilish's early potential". ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

'' Thomas Smith commented that "Copycat" was "impossibly swagger" with "scattered beats and energetic live performances making it a welcome entry point for many fans." Niall Byrne of ''

The Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It was launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is Ireland's leading n ...

'' described the ending as a "menacing

synth A synthesizer (also synthesiser or synth) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis a ...

" that reappears to "underscore her sullen demeanour". Kirsten Spruch of ''Billboard'' described the track as a "ground-shaking opener". Mike Wass writing for

Idolator An idolator is a practitioner of idolatry. Idolator or Idolater may also refer to: * Idolator (website), an American music blog * ''Idolator'' (album), a 2005 album by Blood Stain Child * ''Idolator'', a 1986 album by Ole Evenrud * "Idolater", a ...

labeled "Copycat" as a "raised middle-finger to all the fakes and frauds". Katherine Cusumano of '' W'' magazine cited the track as a "don't-eff-with-me opening statement". "Copycat" did not enter the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, however, it peaked at number 12 on the

chart. The song also peaked at number 100 on the

. "Copycat" has been awarded notably a double platinum

award from the Mexican Association of Producers of Phonograms and Videograms, A.C. (AMPROFON). Eilish performed "Copycat" at the

Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival Coachella (officially called the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and sometimes known as Coachella Festival) is an annual music and arts festival held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Coachella Valley in the Colora ...

in April, at the

Glastonbury Festival The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts (commonly referred to as simply Glastonbury Festival, known colloquially as Glasto) is a five-day festival of contemporary performing arts held near Pilton, Somerset, England, in most su ...

in June, and at

Pukkelpop Pukkelpop is an annual music festival that takes place near the city of Hasselt, Belgium in mid- to late August. It is held within a large enclosure of fields and woodland—adjacent to a dual carriageway called ''Kempische Steenweg''—in the v ...

in August 2019. "Copycat" was included on the setlist of Eilish's 2019

, and on her 2020

. A fraction of song was interpolated during a performance of "

Oxytocin Oxytocin is a peptide hormone and neuropeptide normally produced in the hypothalamus and released by the posterior pituitary. Present in animals since early stages of evolution, in humans it plays roles in behavior that include Human bonding, ...

" during

Happier Than Ever, The World Tour Happier Than Ever, The World Tour was the sixth headlining concert tour and first full arena tour by American singer Billie Eilish, in support of her second studio album ''Happier Than Ever'' (2021). The tour commenced on February 3, 2022, at th ...

(2022).

Track listing

Digital download / streaming # "Copycat" 3:14 # "

Watch A watch is a timepiece carried or worn by a person. It is designed to maintain a consistent movement despite the motions caused by the person's activities. A wristwatch is worn around the wrist, attached by a watch strap or another type of ...

" 2:57 Digital download / streaming – Sofi Tukker remix # "Copycat" (

remix) 3:18

Personnel

– vocals, songwriter *

– songwriter, production * John Greenham – mastering * Rob Kinelski – mixing

Charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{authority control 2017 singles 2017 songs Billie Eilish songs Songs written by Billie Eilish Songs written by Finneas O'Connell Song recordings produced by Finneas O'Connell Electronica songs Interscope Records singles Darkroom Records singles