L'Amour de Ma Vie

Following her second studio album Happier Than Ever (2021), Eilish kept collaborating with her brother Finneas O'Connell, and the next year she surprise-released Guitar Songs (2022) consisting of two tracks. In October 2022, she unveiled that she also made another track in a Vanity Fair interview, before experiencing a writer's block, broken by involvement in the soundtrack of the 2023 movie Barbie, where Eilish contributed "What Was I Made For?"—which became her second number one in the United Kingdom and earned her second Academy Award for Best Original Song, after "No Time to Die" (2020).^[1]

In an interview with Apple Music's Zane Lowe, the siblings recalled that they made a song called "Over Now" in October 2022 with purpose of being a track to exercise to. For over the year, they did not decide what to do with the song, with Finneas suggesting to release it as it was as the "bravest" move. However, they chose to re-write and shorten it and add it at the end of an unrelated song as a "little surprise". It featured on "L'Amour de Ma Vie", a song with a "mean" and "dismissive" chorus and bridge. The producer said that they wrote verses to justify the negativeness present on the rest of the song, which he compared to the previous album track, "The Greatest", that it contrasts its lyrics.^[2]

Eilish announced the release of her third studio album titled Hit Me Hard and Soft on April 8, 2024, with a promotional video.^[1] Five days later, she previewed "L'Amour de Ma Vie" during her surprise DJ set at Coachella, alongside "Lunch" and "Chihiro".^[3] On April 18, she unveiled the track listing of the album.^[4] Hit Me Hard and Soft was released on May 17 as scheduled, with "L'Amour de Ma Vie" being the seventh song on the record.^[5] The following Tuesday, Eilish pushed the "club-ready" extedended edit of the song's second part, subtitled "Over Now".^[6] "L'Amour de Ma Vie" debuted at number 22 on the US Billboard Hot 100, landing in the top 40 along with all of the album tracks, doubling her top 40 entries from ten to 20.^[7]

"L'Amour de Ma Vie" is a two-part song, consisting of "L'Amour de Ma Vie" and "Over Now" collectively running for a length of over five minutes.^[2][8] It starts as a retro and bossa nova-influenced side, where she restrospects the past relationship, before segueing into an electronic part with an ad-libbed lyrics focusing on a positive effect of the breakup.^[8][9][10] Media outlets noted that the track begins as a piece reminiscent of works by late French singer Édith Piaf and Icelandic singer-songwriter Laufey,^[11][12] while the ending has been compared to Charli XCX hyperpop material, as well as to the Weeknd's "Blinding Lights" (2019).^[13][14] Eilish's attitude on the song was compared to her previous songs such as "Bitches Broken Hearts" and "Party Favor" (both 2018),^[15] while the sonicscape called back reviewers to "Happier Than Ever" (2021).^[16][17][18]

"L'Amour de Ma Vie" has been described as a "melancholic", "lounge", "swingy", and "torchy" ballad,^{[8][19][20][21]} combining easy listening, jazz, retro-pop and soft rock genres.^{[10][17][22][20]} Eilish sings in "smokey" and "unrepentant" tone,^[21] reminiscent of Laufey.^[14]as well as Eilish's records such as her debut album and Happier Than Ever's "Billie Bossa Nova".^[12][9] In the first verse, she unveils that she told her ex-partner that she told them a lie–that they were the titular love of her life.^[23] Later, she admits that the situation became ironic, hence they found a new lover, even though they stated they would not be able to "fall in love again because of [Eilish]".^[24] Through this part, she is supported by a "wobbl[y]" and "warp[y]" guitar.^[25] The lyric "And you moved on" starts to be repeated, while the sonicscape changes to an electronic part, introducing club beats.^[10]

The second part,^[a] titled "Over Now", is a high-tempo and "hectic"^[17] disco,^[11] electropop,^[22] hyperpop,^[13][18] and synth-pop^[14] song with synths reminiscent of 1980s^[14] and Auto Tuned vocals.^[21][27] During this side, Eilish sings about the outcome of the breakup, as she lays with a woman telling her about her past lover–calling them "mediocre" and addressing that both of them are "glad" that the relationship ended.^[18][28] A "dark", "pinwheeling[ing]", and "pulsating" outro of the album track ends on lyrics: "Miss me / Say you miss me / It's such a pity / We're both so pretty".^[8][22][29] In an extended edit, Eilish swoops more biting words towards her previous lover, finishing the song singing: "I wasn't satiated / You're looking older lately / Dating another baby".^[18]