I wrote most of this vignette in one afternoon, listening on repeat to Hotline Bling, but specifically the cover by Billie Eilish. Obviously, the first line is reminiscent of the song’s lyrics, but there’s something about Billie’s version that is haunting, yet hopeful. The melody feels like somebody wandering under a blanket of stars. In general, I’ve always respected her and Finneas’s process on song-writing and construction and I always hungrily look for videos where they explain it. I think it’s safe to say that watching those videos were a huge inspiration for me in putting together my vignette collection (WIP), tentatively titled ‘Songs for Mahalia.’
I especially loved how stripped back this version of the song is. I’m already a fan of the original, but with mostly a single guitar (or ukulele?) playing in the background, it feels like that hopeful plucking of the heart when falling in love. The emptiness of the song really helped me center the idea that emptiness and darkness isn’t always a bad thing. In the vignette, the narrator and their love interest share a desire to not have anything expected of them. They fall for each other because of that emptiness.