Hostage (song)

"Hostage" was included as the eighth and final track on Eilish's debut EP ''Don't Smile at Me'', released on August 11, 2017. The song was written by Eilish and her brother Finneas O'Connell, known under his stage name of Finneas. He was also solely responsible for the song's engineering and production. Mixing was done at The Fortress of Amplitude by Rob Kinelski and mastering was handled by John Greenham. Musically, "Hostage" was described as a stripped-down pop track. Lyrically, it begins with Eilish being in a happy relationship: "I wanna be alone. Alone with you, does that make sense?" she harmonizes with Finneas. Then, in the same melancholy tone, she turns possessive towards her lover, and wants them for herself. ==Reception and promotion==

Writing for Atwood Magazine, Nicole Almeida described the song as "one of the EP's most stripped back moments", and said that it "balances tenderness and affection with lyrics that display an obsessiveness that borders on dangerous". She further compared the song to the "eeriness" of "Bellyache", and the "vulnerability" of "Idontwannabeyouanymore", both of which are from ''Don't Smile at Me. Katherine Cusumano, writing for W magazine, said the track "strikes [a] balance between human relatability and a bit of a psychotic edge". Insider''s Claudia Willen noted that it "artfully exposes a battle between complete adoration and problematic obsession". She continued, writing that the song shows Eilish's "willingness to be vulnerable in her music". "Hostage" has been certified platinum in the United States and Canada by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and Music Canada (MC), respectively. The track was included on the setlist of Eilish's When We All Fall Asleep Tour (2019). ==Music video==

Background A music video for "Hostage" was produced by Henry Scholfield. It was first released exclusively via Apple Music on July 11, 2018. The video was later uploaded to YouTube on October 8, 2018. It was a collaboration between Scholfield, Belgian musician Stromae, Luc Junior Tam, and Eilish. ==Credits and personnel==

Credits adapted from the liner notes of ''Don't Smile at Me''. • Billie Eilish vocals, songwriter • Finneas O'Connell producer, songwriter, engineer • Rob Kinelski mixer • John Greenham mastering engineer ==Charts==