‘We ain’t never getting older’ with Chainsmokers’ ‘Closer’
With the rising success of Chainsmokers’ two singles “Roses” and “Don’t Let Me Down”, comes the third, most successful and best-selling song to hit the Billboard charts, “Closer.”
The single dropped in late July and was received as an insta-smash debuting on the Hot 100 all the way up to number nine and zipping to number one in just three weeks. Early in the week of Oct. 24, the duo released the music video to the EDM chart-topper. As of today, it has reached over 50 million views as it finally brings to life the millennial romance anthem that celebrates youth and heartbreak. The song is considered a dedication to anyone that hooked up with their ex and right after remembered all the reasons why they broke up. So let’s break down the music video.
As anyone who’s heard the song knows, it is a duet between the lead singer Andrew Taggart and Halsey as they reminisce about the good that came out of the relationship. The video starts with them at a party talking to their friends separately until they turn and recognized each other. We get to Taggart’s verse and we are shown throughout the video flashbacks of their first meeting to the spark that ignited in the bedroom between them. Taggart’s verse acknowledges that part of their relationship didn’t work out because he would get drunk.
The pre-chorus suggests that rush of memories and emotions, mostly physical, leading to a hook up. The chorus describes the couple having sex, but also the attitude of the woman leading to her “rich kid” lifestyle that possibly was one of the reasons the relationship didn’t work out in the first place. The chorus ends with the line “we ain’t never getting older.” This line is about living in the moment and acting for a little while like there are no consequences to one’s actions. They are in the moment that they will never leave and they can enjoy it for all that it is worth.
When we get to Halsey’s verse, we see her side as to how the relationship turned around. It’s a constant back and forth between the two as they indulge in the moment of being together only to remember why things ended to begin with. The video ends with Halsey leaving the party and Taggert following her until she stops to turn around and look at each other.
When looking deeper into the song, we can notice a financial barrier between the two and that seems to have been part of what helped them to define themselves as separate from each other. The writers of the song refer to this hook-up being purely physical. It’s all about the physical attraction and it’s a celebration, in a way, but it’s also a warning. The line “we ain’t never getting older” sums up the sentiment of the reunion, like the experience made you feel like nothing’s changed. It could also mean how we are stuck in time repeating a mistake of the past, not learning or growing from it, but it also refers to the light-heartedness of that period in our lives.
This song captures the struggle and difficulty that comes within a relationship when the emotional feelings aren’t there anymore, but the physical attraction still is. Even if you happen to run into your ex, just live in the moment of the good that the two of you shared, but also be cautious before you find yourself repeating a mistake from the past.