Connecting the dots among the music of Billie Eilish & Bing Crosby with ASMR, social media, & the coronavirus crisis…
It Should be no surprise that Billie Eilish topped the Billboard Top 200 Albums of 2019.
Audiences and critics have marveled at Billie’s debut album, WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?, which was recorded in her brother’s bedroom and employs electroacoustic techniques like close miking, binaural effects, whispering, and the use of dentist drills & Easy-Bake ovens. The music of the 4-time Grammy winner, who aspires to be genre-less, appeals to a wide variety of listeners.
The american crooners from around 1920—1950, like Bing Crosby, used similar sonic effects.
The invention of the microphone enabled singers to incorporate whispering, close miking, and a “conversational and intimate tone” into their music. Bing Crosby even financed Jack Mullin and AMPEX to produce the very first American high-quality reel-to-reel tape recorders!
Click the below images to zoom in!
Billie Eilish and ASMR
Billie Eilish Sample
The music of Billie Eilish and Bing Crosby parallel some of the techniques used in recordings that aim to evoke ASMR (autonomous sensory meridian response).
ASMR has soared in popularity in recent years, with more than 2 million subscribers and 750 million views for a single YouTube channel.
ASMR sample
“ASMR is a sensory phenomenon, in which individuals experience a tingling, static-like sensation across the scalp, back of the neck and at times further areas in response to specific triggering audio and visual stimuli. This sensation is widely reported to be accompanied by feelings of relaxation and well-being.”
—Barratt & Davis, 2015
My colleagues and I theorize that the popularity of these “sonically intimate” techniques, especially among Millennials and Gen Z listeners, can be explained by the need for new methods of physical intimacy after the rise of social media. This theory suggests that during periods of isolation, like the mandatory quarantines and stay-at-home orders during the coronavirus crisis, the music of Billie Eilish and Bing Crosby can be especially appealing. Our work also could help explain why Bing Crosby’s music provided American listeners with a source of comfort during World War II.
In support of this theory, research has found that…
The sonic techniques used in ASMR mimic neural cues of physical proximity & intimacy. In other words, when people listen to these recordings, the feel the same sense of relaxation and pleasure usually associated with being near a close friend or family member!
