If there is a detail that gives a song a special touch, it is when we find references to other artists in it. Whether as part of the narrative or as a simple emotional detail, there are musical projects that use this resource to give their compositions another dimension… And yes: that was the case of The Chainsmokers with the song “Closer” and their relationship with Blink-182.
Have you already remembered it? Believe it or not, this song by the electronic duo was released 7 years ago (so in 2016) and it still feels pretty fresh actually. In addition to the simple was a milestone in the career of Andrew Taggart and Alex Pall (with Halsey as the guest on voice), for many the mention of Blink was an unexpected but interesting detail.
But there was something else behind it because “Closer” by The Chainsmokers made reference to a song by the pop-punk trio, but without specifically specifying what it was. And well, if they don’t have the data, Here we tell you what all this stuff is about.
The mention of Blink-182 in “Closer” by The Chainsmokers
And to all this, what is the verse of “Closer” by The Chainsmokers that refers to Blink-182? Well, as some of you may remember, the song is narrated from the perspective of an ex-partner who meets again after a long time.
Thus, in the middle of the meeting, a lot of memories come to one of the former lovers. “You look as good as the day I met you/I forget just why I left you, I was insane/Stay and play that Blink-182 song/That we beat to death in Tucson, okay”, says Halsey’s verse on the song. Here is his translation:
“You look as good as the day I met you
I forgot why I left you, I was crazy
Stick around and play that Blink-182 song
that we put to death in Tucson, that’s fine.”
What Blink-182 song are The Chainsmokers referring to in “Closer”?
That is the dilemma… The first thing we must take into account is that both Andrew Taggart and Alex Pall are declared fans of Blink-182. In an interview they gave for GeniusThe Chainsmokers mentioned that “Closer” was somehow inspired by the pop-punk band’s “I Miss You”..
“We were listening to ‘I Miss You’ and had just started playing it in our sets when we wrote this song.… A lot of the inspiration for writing songs comes from bands like Blink-182 and Taking Back Sunday”Taggart said
As a result of that statement, many people reinforced the idea that this Blink-182 song is what The Chainsmokers referred to in “Closer”… And although what Andrew Taggart previously expressed seemed a valid argument, the truth is that he himself clarified the rumors through latere.
“I Miss You” had only been a song that inspired them to compose their hit. As Billboard points out, Taggart launched a (now deleted) tweet around September 2016 where he specified that in reality, the song they referenced in “Closer” was “Feeling This”…But he immediately contradicted.
In one more tweet (also deleted), Taggart said that the references could be to any song from the Blink-182 self-titled album released in 2003, where “I Miss You” as well as “Feeling This” among others come from. Apparently, is one of his favorite albums by the band led by Tom DeLonge, Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker.
And then The Chainsmokers collaborated with their idols
Somehow we could say that “Closer” brought The Chainsmokers closer to Blink-182. Three years after the release of that song, that is to say in 2019, the electronic music duo teamed up with the pop-punk band (at the time with Matt Skiba on vocals) for a collaboration called “PS I Hope You’re Happy”.
Can you imagine that? Getting to work with one of your favorite bands? What a great moment to go from making mentions to collaborations with those artists who mark you big. The real dream…
