When I Was Older

"When I Was Older"
File:Wiwobilieilish.jpg
Single by Billie Eilish
from the album Music Inspired by the Film Roma
Released	January 9, 2019 (2019-01-09)
Recorded	September 2018
Length	4:31
Label	Sony Masterworks
Songwriter(s)	Billie Eilish O'Connell Finneas O'Connell
Producer(s)	Finneas O'Connell
Billie Eilish singles chronology
"Come Out and Play" (2018) "When I Was Older" (2019) "Bury a Friend" (2019)

"When I Was Older" is a song by American singer Billie Eilish. It was released on January 9, 2019, and appears on the album Music Inspired by the Film Roma. The song was later added to the Japanese edition of Eilish's debut album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? (2019).

Background

Eilish stated in an interview with Billboard:

"When we were composing the song, we wanted to write from within the narrative of the movie and scenes that struck is the most from it. Having access to sounds used in the film proved to be invaluable to help us convey this." Then, she further explained that the sounds present in the movie make a connection with the sounds present in the song. "Lines like 'memories burn like a forest fire' are accompanied by trees burning [...] The chorus, has the ocean sounds overplayed by it. We were also able to take sounds like the student protest shouts and Borras barking and then turn them into rhythmic percussive elements [...] Nothing about this song would exist without the film, which is exactly what we love about it."

Charts

Chart (2019)	Peak position
US Alternative Digital Song Sales (Billboard)	11