It’s not just the verse, or the pre-chorus. Importantly, it’s not just the chorus that gets stuck in your head. The Chainsmokers have been subjected to a fair amount of public ridicule for abusing the 4, 5, minor 6th chord progression to death, but there’s a reason for that: they know what’s catchy.Īnd that’s the goal of a pop song.
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When it comes to the music involved in this song, this is still a pop song, so it’s not complex, but if you don’t think it’s catchy, you’re insane. But in “Closer,” with the artist trying to elicit similar imagery, you’re painted a portrait of someone interesting. There isn’t anything else there beyond their sex drives. But that chorus is describing a very generic encounter between two people trying to get it on. See the difference? I’m not even hating on Niall here, that’s a fine song too (it’s freaking catchy). Yeah, I already know that there ain’t no stoppin’ Like sweat dripping down our dirty laundry This is important, because it is such a pleasant change of pace from how most pop songs are as generic as possible so that people can “relate” to them.Ĭompare the above lyrics, for example, to the chorus from another very popular song that talks about sex, “Slow Hands,” by Niall Horan. Yeah, I can’t relate to this story personally, never having dated a woman who a) owns a Rover, b) is poor, c) has a tattoo, d) likes stealing mattresses, or e) exists, but it paints a vivid picture of someone else’s life that really draws you in. I just want you to think for a second about the fact that one of the most popular songs in the last few years dedicates a quarter of the chorus to a mattress that this chick stole from a girl in Boulder, Colorado.ĭetails like this in songwriting, story writing, poetry writing – in any kind of writing – connect with the audience. It’s kinda weird, right? It sure isn’t Shakespeare, but you know what else it isn’t? Safe. But look at these lyrics from the chorus for a second. It’s not a philosophical allegory about the existential suffering that takes place inside of all of us, sure. “Closer,” by the Chainsmokers, is one of the most perfect pop songs I’ve ever heard, both in its lyrics, and in its composition, so we’ll start there. I’ll leave you some songs to look down on (looking at you, “Diamonds”).
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So, buckle up, read on, and yell at me about how wrong I am in the comment section.Īnd don’t worry.
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Yes, they get annoying, and it doesn’t sound cool to say you like them.Īnd that’s what I’ll be doing in this series: talking about pop songs I think transcend the stereotype, and why. And in fact, there are some really good songs that get blasted ad nauseam over the radio. In music, especially among “music people,” who only listen to “real music” (I hope you can hear the disdain in those quotation marks), there is nothing we like turning our noses up at more than the top 40 list, filled with cheesy, soulless, over-produced pop songs written by some guy you’ve never heard of and given to a famous person to sing.Īnd, to be fair to “music people,” these songs are often terrible.īut, with the exception of the hotdog industry, no group is ALL bad.
#Closer song not chainsmokers plus#
Like, “I may not be able to add two plus seven, but at least I’m not one of those idiots in the hotdog industry who took more than, I don’t know, ONE DAY to come up with bun length hotdogs.” We don’t often get the chance, but when we do, we relish the chance to assert ourselves above something. We all like looking down on things that are beneath us.