Closer (The Chainsmokers song)
"Closer" is a song by American DJ duo the Chainsmokers featuring American singer Halsey. Andrew Taggart also provides his vocals in the song,[4] which was a first (except for background vocals in "Roses"). It was released on July 29, 2016, through Disruptor Records and Columbia Records.[5] The song was written by Taggart, Halsey, Shaun Frank, Freddy Kennett, Isaac Slade and Joe King. Halsey's vocals were produced by DJ Swivel,[6] while the main song production was handled by the Chainsmokers as usual. Musically, it is a future bass and pop song with a "retro" style synthesizer in the chorus. Taggart and Halsey take turns singing their parts before singing the chorus together as the song concludes.
"Closer"
July 29, 2016
4:04
In the United States, "Closer" became both the Chainsmokers' and Halsey's first number one single on the Billboard Hot 100. The song stayed at the top spot for 12 consecutive weeks; it is the highest-charting EDM song to crack the Billboard Decade-End in the 2010s according to Billboard. The Chainsmokers became the first act to have four songs ("Closer" being the fourth) that top the Dance/Electronic Songs chart, passing Calvin Harris, who held the previous record with three. Internationally the single topped the charts in seventeen countries including Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Ireland, and the United Kingdom, making it both the Chainsmokers' and Halsey's first chart-topping song in all six countries. The song went on to become the first song to spend 26 weeks in the top five of the Billboard Hot 100 chart.[7] It also became the second song in the history of the Hot 100 chart to spend 32 weeks in the top ten of the chart.
The song was performed live for the first time at the Number Fest Concert at Ohio University on Saturday April 16, 2016.[8][9][10] The Chainsmokers performed “Closer” for the second time at Coachella on Sunday, April 17, 2016. Halsey and the Chainsmokers performed the track live at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards as well as a remix of the song at the 2016 American Music Awards. Its music video was released on October 23, 2016.[11] It received a nomination for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance at the 2017 Grammy Awards.
In 2018, the song received a diamond certification by the RIAA for selling 10 million units in the United States.[12] In 2023, the Chainsmokers collaborated with Japanese rock star Yoshiki to perform a classical version of "Closer" in the documentary film Yoshiki: Under the Sky.[13]
Background and release[edit]
The song's beat was created in a session between Chainsmokers member Andrew Taggart and Freddy Kennett of Louis the Child. Taggart wrote the song with Canadian DJ Shaun Frank in one session, and Frank encouraged him to sing on the song. According to Taggart, the track was inspired by the Blink-182 song "I Miss You", which the duo were listening to on repeat and is referenced in the song.[14] He later said the song instead was "Feeling This", though he could not really remember which: "I've listened to their self-titled album so many times the whole thing is pretty much beat," he tweeted.[15] The band Taking Back Sunday also influenced the song.[14] The song is about a couple who broke up and unexpectedly meet long after, leading to romantic attraction again.[16] Before Halsey was brought on as the female vocalist, the collaboration was originally supposed to feature former Fifth Harmony member Camila Cabello.[17] After comparisons were drawn between "Closer" and The Fray's "Over My Head (Cable Car)", lead singer Isaac Slade and guitarist Joe King of The Fray were credited as co-writers of "Closer" on September 2, 2016.[18] The song was released on July 29, 2016, through Disruptor Records and Columbia Records. Genius pointed out the similarity between "Closer" and Fetty Wap's "679" in September 2016, claiming that the songs' choruses are nearly identical, with the only major difference being that Fetty's is in D major and The Chainsmokers' is in A-flat major. Genius even cut together a video of the choruses playing over each other.[19]
Composition and lyrics[edit]
The song is written in the key of A-flat major with a common time tempo of 95 beats per minute and a chord progression of D♭(9)–E♭6add4–Fm7–E♭. The vocals span from E♭2 to B♭5.[20]
The title of the song comes from part of the main hook; the singer asks his lover to "pull them closer" in the car's backseat. The words to the song speak to "youth" and "heartbreak".[21] The song makes very specific references to Rover vehicles, the city of Boulder, Colorado, and the band Blink-182. It talks about being broke and passionate.
Critical reception[edit]
Matt Medved of Billboard wrote the song "sounds like an instant classic," stating that it "[boasts] an earworm chorus and evocative verses like 'play that Blink-182 song that we beat to death in Tucson,' (one of Halsey's few solo verses), "Closer" captures the millennial zeitgeist in brilliantly infectious fashion."[22] MTV journalist Deepa Lakshmin called the song "an upbeat, dance-worthy jam that deserves a spot on your summer playlist. It'll make you forget about all your pesky life problems and live in the moment."[23] The song received a more mixed review from Idolator, with a consensus from various editors resulting in a 5/10 rating.[24] While reviewing Halsey's 2021 album If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power, Dani Blum of Pitchfork described their[note 1] "Auto-Tuned" part of the song as the "ache [...] that threatened to define their career."[25]
Billboard ranked "Closer" at number 29 on their "100 Best Pop Songs of 2016" list: "The year's longest-running No. 1 on the Hot 100 was as predictable a smash as they come: Perfectly played duet drama, an immediately recognizable hook – maybe a little too instantly recognizable – and a Blink-182 reference that made every Millennial listening nod with begrudging respect. Overplay might've done The Chainsmokers and Halsey a temporary disservice, but just wait for the emotional rush that hits in 2025 when you're hanging in a hotel bar and hear this for the first time in years."[26]
Lyric video[edit]
The lyric video for "Closer" was edited and directed by Rory Kramer, and features Alyssa Lynch and Jordan Wright. It received one billion views on January 10, 2017, and two billion views on February 4, 2018, making it the first lyric video ever to reach these milestones, and by September 2021, it is the 30th most-viewed video of all time, as well as the most viewed lyric video with over 3 billion views on YouTube.[38]
Live performances[edit]
The Chainsmokers invited Halsey to the stage during their set at the Bonnaroo Music Festival to perform "Closer" for the first time in June 2016.[40] Halsey and Taggart also performed the song live when they closed the show at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards.[41] The Chainsmokers and Halsey also performed "Closer" at the American Music Awards on November 20, 2016.
Remix[edit]
The official remix features American rapper Wiz Khalifa. It was released online on March 17, 2017.[42]