"Closer" is a song by American DJ duothe Chainsmokers featuring American singerHalsey. Halsey duets with Chainsmokers member Andrew Taggart,[4] who had never provided lead vocals on a song before (although he provided background vocals for "Roses"). It was released on July 29, 2016, throughDisruptor Records andColumbia Records.[5] The song was written by Taggart, Halsey,Shaun Frank,Freddy Kennett,Isaac Slade andJoe King. Halsey's vocals were produced byDJ Swivel,[6] while the main song production was handled by the Chainsmokers as usual. Musically, it is afuture bass andelectropop 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. The song is also included on the Japanese edition of The Chainsmokers' debut studio album,Memories...Do Not Open (2017).
In the United States, "Closer" became both the Chainsmokers' and Halsey's first number one single on theBillboard Hot 100. The song stayed at the top spot for 12 consecutive weeks; it was the highest-chartingEDM song to crack theBillboard Decade-End in the 2010s according toBillboard. The Chainsmokers became the first act to have four songs ("Closer" being the fourth) that top theDance/Electronic Songs chart, passingCalvin 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 theBillboard 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.[8]
In 2018, the song received a diamond certification by theRIAA for selling 10 million units in the United States.[13] In 2023, the Chainsmokers collaborated with Japanese rock starYoshiki to perform a classical version of "Closer" in the documentary filmYoshiki: Under the Sky.[14]
The song's beat was created in a session between Chainsmokers member Andrew Taggart and Freddy Kennett ofLouis the Child. Taggart wrote the song with Canadian DJShaun Frank in one session, and Frank encouraged him to sing on the song. According to Taggart, the track was inspired by theBlink-182 song "I Miss You", which the duo were listening to on repeat and is referenced in the song.[15] He later said the song instead was "Feeling This", though he could not really remember which: "I've listened to theirself-titled album so many times the whole thing is pretty much beat," he tweeted.[16] The bandTaking Back Sunday also influenced the song.[15] The song is about a couple who broke up and unexpectedly meet long after, leading to romantic attraction again.[17] BeforeHalsey was brought on as the female vocalist, the collaboration was originally supposed to feature formerFifth Harmony memberCamila Cabello.[18]
The song was mixed byJordan Young who also oversaw the recording of the guest vocal.[19]
After comparisons were drawn between "Closer" andThe Fray's "Over My Head (Cable Car)", lead singerIsaac Slade and guitaristJoe King of The Fray were credited as co-writers of "Closer" on September 2, 2016.[20] The song was released on July 29, 2016, throughDisruptor Records andColumbia Records.Genius pointed out the similarity between "Closer" andFetty 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.[21]
The song is written in the key ofA-flat major with acommon time tempo of 95beats per minute and a chord progression of D♭(9)–E♭6add4–Fm7–E♭. The vocals span from E♭2 to B♭5.[22]
The title of the song comes from part of the main hook; the singer asks his lover to "pull themcloser" in the car's backseat. The words to the song speak to "youth" and "heartbreak".[23] The song makes references toRover vehicles, the city ofBoulder, Colorado, and the bandBlink-182.[24] It talks about being broke and passionate.[citation needed]
Matt Medved ofBillboard wrote the song "sounds like an instant classic," stating that it "[boasts] an earworm chorus and evocative verses like 'play thatBlink-182 song that we beat to death inTucson,' (one of Halsey's few solo verses), "Closer" captures themillennialzeitgeist in brilliantly infectious fashion."[25]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."[26] The song received a more mixed review fromIdolator, with a consensus from various editors resulting in a 5/10 rating.[27] While reviewing Halsey's 2021 albumIf I Can't Have Love, I Want Power, Dani Blum ofPitchfork described their[note 1] "Auto-Tuned" part of the song as the "ache [...] that threatened to define their career."[28]
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."[29]
"Closer" debuted at number nine on theBillboard Hot 100 in the issue dated August 20, 2016.[30] It became the third top ten single for the Chainsmokers on the chart, after "Roses" and "Don't Let Me Down". It is Halsey's first top ten on the chart and their second top forty. In the issue dated September 3, 2016, the song moved from number six to one, becoming both artists' first number-one song and the first song by a duo to top the chart sinceMacklemore & Ryan Lewis' "Thrift Shop" and "Can't Hold Us" in 2013.[31][32] It is also the first song titled "Closer" to reach number one (Ne-Yo'ssong of the same name reached number 7 in 2008). Moreover, the song also topped theDance/Electronic Songs chart, becoming the first song to reach number one on both the Hot 100 and the Dance/Electronic chart simultaneously sinceBaauer's "Harlem Shake" in early 2013.[31] It became the duo's fourth number one song to top the latter chart, passingCalvin Harris' previous record of three songs.[32] It went on to top the Hot 100 chart for twelve consecutive weeks.[33]
On the issue date November 5, 2016, "Closer" became the 33rd song to top the chart for at least 10 weeks. By spending an 11th week atop the chart, it became the longest number one single of 2016 surpassingDrake's "One Dance" which spent 10 non-consecutive weeks at number one. In its fourth week, the song was joined byTwenty One Pilots' "Heathens", which moved from number three to number two. This marks the first time (and the third time overall) that duos have held the top two spots at the same time since June 1985, whenTears for Fears was on top with "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" andWham! was number two with "Everything She Wants." (The week before, the two songs were in the opposite order.)[34] On the chart issue dated November 26, 2016, the song was ousted from number one by "Black Beatles" byRae Sremmurd featuringGucci Mane. On the issue dated January 28, 2017, "Closer" surpassedJustin Bieber's "Love Yourself" for the most weeks logged in the top 10 from a song's debut, having totaled all 32 of its weeks on the chart in the region since its debut on the issue dated August 20, 2016.[35]
On the issue dated March 11, 2017, "Closer" became the 4th song to stay in the top ten for 30 weeks. OnlyLeann Rimes' "How Do I Live",Santana's 1999 single "Smooth" (feat.Rob Thomas) andMark Ronson's "Uptown Funk" (feat.Bruno Mars) have achieved this feat since theBillboard Hot 100 was formed in 1958. On the issue dated March 25, 2017, "Closer" spent its 32nd week in the top ten, tyingLeAnn Rimes' all-time record with "How Do I Live", before finally dropping out the following week. The record was broken later that year byEd Sheeran's "Shape of You", which spent 33 consecutive weeks in the top ten.[36] The song's long run within the top 10 caused it to place at number 7 onBillboard's 2017 year-end chart after placing at number 10the previous year, making "Closer" one of only four songs in the history of the chart to be ranked on the top ten of two separate Hot 100 year-end charts, along withChubby Checker's "The Twist" (#10 in 1960 and #9 in 1962),Elton John's "Candle in the Wind 1997" (#1 in 1997 and #8 in 1998), andLeAnn Rimes' "How Do I Live" (#9 in 1997 and #5 in 1998).
"Closer" achieved its 12th week atopDigital Songs with 84,000 downloads sold in the week ending October 27, according to Nielsen Music; the total is the lowest for a number one song on the tally in 10 years.[37] The track became the third best-selling song of the year, behindFlo Rida's "My House" andJustin Timberlake's "Can't Stop the Feeling!".[38]
Internationally, the song reached number one in Australia on August 13, 2016, also becoming both the Chainsmokers' and Halsey's first number-one song there.[39] It also peaked at number one in the UK, New Zealand and Canada. The song topped theUK Singles Chart for four weeks, becoming the first song by a duo to log multiple weeks at number one in both the US and the UK sinceLMFAO's "Party Rock Anthem" in 2011.[34]
"Closer" is currently thefifteenth most streamed song onSpotify. On May 19, 2017, it became only the second song to achieve 1 billion streams on the streaming platform. In April 2021, "Closer" surpassed 2 billion streams on Spotify, making it the sixth song to do so.[40]
Thelyric video for "Closer" was edited and directed byRory 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. As of July 2025, it has received 3.2 billion views, and is among thefifty most-viewed videos of all time.[41]
Andrew Taggart and Halsey in a scene of the official music video for "Closer."
The music video for "Closer", directed byDano Cerny,[42] was released on October 24, 2016. The video begins with the Chainsmokers' Andrew Taggart looking at Halsey while at a party. It then flashes back to an earlier time where Taggart and Halsey's characters met for the first time in a party, where they eventually ended up kissing in a kitchen. Through the video, Halsey and Taggart are seen singing, with Halsey in bra and panties and Taggart shirtless, with both in bed.
The video ends with Halsey leaving the party in present time, Taggart follows them outside and Halsey stops and turns around to see Taggart. They both look at each other, implying they regret drifting apart.
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.[43] Halsey and Taggart also performed the song live when they closed the show at the2016 MTV Video Music Awards.[44] The Chainsmokers and Halsey also performed "Closer" at the American Music Awards on November 20, 2016.
^"Rankings" (in Spanish).CAPIF.Archived from the original on August 19, 2017. RetrievedJanuary 20, 2017.To view the peak position, selectdigital mensual,2016 andSeptiembre.
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic.Note: Select 48. týden 2016 in the date selector. Retrieved December 6, 2016.
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic.Note: Select 39. týden 2016 in the date selector. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic.Note: Select 46. týden 2016 in the date selector. Retrieved November 22, 2016.
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic.Note: Select SINGLES DIGITAL - TOP 100 and insert 201637 into search. Retrieved September 19, 2016.
^"Gaon's 관찰노트" [Gaon's Observation Notes].Gaon Chart (in Korean). Korea Music Content Industry Association. September 12, 2019.Archived from the original on November 28, 2018. RetrievedSeptember 12, 2019.
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