Inspiration really can come from anywhere. In a new interview with Rolling Stone, pop-starlet Billie Eilish has confirmed what many fans believed to be true: her hit song “Bad Guy” samples a bit of the Plants Vs. Zombies theme song. You can go to any of the numerous YouTube uploads of the theme and see fans commenting months ago that “this sounds like Bad Guy.” That wasn’t just a crazy hunch.
In a video posted on Rolling Stone’s YouTube account, Eilish and older brother Finneas O’Connell breakdown the making of “Bad Guy” and take a step-by-step approach to analyzing each section. During discussion of the hook for the song, Eilish states, “It’s literally Plants Vs. Zombies.” She also mentions a connection to Disney’s Wizards of Waverly Place, which does sound suspiciously similar to PvZ (you can see this at 6:33 in the video).
Considering Eilish’s age, it does make sense that she’d have a connection to PopCap’s hit series. Many fans born past the year 2000 grew up in an era where video games were normal. To them, enjoying a game was the same as watching a film or listening to music. There was no stigma attached to liking something “nerdy.”
It’s mostly just odd to see such a deep cut wind up in a number one hit. Usually, pop songs steer clear of obscure references, but Eilish seems to embrace being different. Then again, “Bad Guy” is all about subverting expectations, so we shouldn’t be too surprised at this connection.
EA is likely happy with this interviews release. With more people learning that Plants Vs. Zombies played some role in creating this mega-hit, they’ll be drawn to check out what tickled Eilish’s fancy. That will lead to increased sales and maybe even some new projects in the work. Could you imagine Eilish composing songs for the next Plants Vs. Zombies installment?
For now, just know that the crazy medium you fell in love with isn’t so nerdy and weird. If a popular musician can love Plants Vs. Zombies, there’s no reason why you can’t. That’s kind of fitting seeing as how Eilish sort of looks like a Peashooter.
Source: YouTube
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