On tragedy, Oscar Wilde once said:

“It often happens that the real tragedies of life occur in such an inartistic manner that they hurt us by their crude violence, their absolute incoherence, their absurd want of meaning, their entire lack of style.”

Wow, Oscar Wilde clearly hadn’t heard “Closer” by The Chainsmokers ft. Halsey when he threw that shade. In fact, I would argue that “Closer” by The Chainsmokers ft. Halsey is a sterling example of a stylish depiction of tragedy; the formal structure of the song, which tells of the bittersweet encounter between two former partners, serves to elegantly restate and enhance its meaning.

Pictured: Proof that I am an authority on misusing Oscar Wilde quotes.

1. Verse 1 & Verse 2

The first stage of the relationship is casual and conversational, and the form of the verses is similarly arranged. Let’s take a look at the structure of the following stanza:

Hey, I was doing just fine before I met you
I drink too much and that's an issue but I'm okay
Hey, you tell your friends it was nice to meet them
But I hope I never see them again

Besides the first word sounding like every Tinder conversation you’ve ever ignored, the fact that you’re denying a drinking problem is not okay, friend. That is an issue. You’re too old to pretend like it isn’t.

Beyond the literal meaning of the words, though, the structure of this stanza likewise reflects the familiar, conversational aspect of this interaction. The lines do not rhyme, and lack a standardized form in terms of their length (measured in syllable counts for you nerds out there). There is also no set rhythm that determines which syllables are stressed and unstressed - at least, none that I can parse out. I was always very bad at that part of scansion, to be honest, which is my go-to answer when interviewers ask for my worst quality.

The second verse, while introducing a new speaker, is surprisingly consistent with the formal structure of the first, to the point where they are nearly interchangeable. Both verses show the same lack of concern with finding consistency in line length, rhythm, and rhyme. They all sort of just do their own thing, which reflects the casualness of their initial encounter. Note that despite being separate speakers, they have the same brand of independent, freethinking communication at the start, which strengthens the idea that these individuals are viscerally connected. That’s profound, The Chainsmokers ft. Halsey. Stylish, one might even say!

Pictured: A guy with an unhealthy addiction to polaroids doing just fine.

2. Bridge

In this section of the song, there is an abrupt formal shift. Rather than the loosely composed free verse, this stanza - wherein the speakers proceed to further expound on their connected past involving a “broke down car,” “mov[ing] to the city,” and “four years, no calls” - is in a ballad format, being composed of (mostly) iambic pentameter and an ABCB rhyme structure. You honestly don’t have to know what that means, just know that it’s a drastic change.

Why would this dramatic shift occur? I’m going to be honest: I’m not really sure. Not even your professor knows, okay? They’re just really good at convincing you that their interpretation is correct. Being an English major means finding patterns in places that might not be obvious or intentional. I chose to be an English major because I'm really paranoid, which really helped me develop those skills!

The point is, I know enough that I can safely say that this shift is because the ballad structure tends to be associated with romance and love, which symbolizes their relationship heating up. And now that I’ve committed to that interpretation, I’ve realized that I’m definitely right and don’t you dare say otherwise in class, Derrick. I’m getting so sick of how you keep trying to one-up me.

Pictured: Has anyone ever questioned why the capital "I" in cursive is a backwards lowercase "b"? Seems sus.

3. Chorus

I’ve just realized that I haven’t explained what counting syllables looks like, and because I am not STEM and therefore don’t support exclusionary practices, I will show you exactly what I mean in the chorus. The numbers in parentheses at the end indicate how many syllables there are in the following lines:

So baby pull me closer (7)
In the backseat of your Rover (8)
That I know you can't afford (7)
Bite that tattoo on your shoulder (8)
Pull the sheets right off the corner (8)
Of the mattress that you stole (7)
From your roommate back in Boulder (8)
We ain't ever getting older (8)

As you can see, there’s a lot of consistency in the chorus, with each line containing 7-8 syllables. Likewise, these stanzas offer the most consistent rhyme so far; nearly every line ends with “-er”.

The fact that the chorus has the most typically adherent formal structure not only contributes to how catchy and memorable these lines are, but also conveys the intensity of the attraction these individuals feel. Experts might call the way each line takes its cue from the preceding line a form of obsessive codependency; I choose to call it being in tune with each other's needs, because I'm a positive person! Contrast this with the complete disregard for structure that the verses exhibited, and we see that these speakers have undergone significant changes in terms of how they communicate with each other.

Pictured: People who are not codependent.

4. Conclusion

In conclusion, examining the formal structure of “Closer” by The Chainsmokers ft. Halsey reveals that form and meaning are as interwoven as people in the backseat of a Rover. Which... isn’t that intimate actually - have you seen the backseat of a Rover? That was a topical but overall ineffective metaphor. I’m sorry.

Pictured: Roomy Rover backseat. They could be playing backgammon back there, for all we know.

The abrupt shift from a free, conversational tone in the verse, to ballad format in the bridge, to stringent structure in the chorus, comes together to convey a progression that mimics the stages of their relationship, from casualness, to infatuation, to complete obsession. In simpler terms: the formal structure of the piece progresses with the stages of their relationship.

The tragic nature of the piece comes in at the very end, after the final chorus is over. The song concludes as the phrase “we ain’t ever getting older” echoes out. As this repeats, we can’t help but be reminded of our own mortality. Like that guy at the party who keeps telling you how totally chill and feminist he is, people who excessively repeat a phrase start to sound suspicious at a certain point. At ten repetitions, the almost maniacal insistence that they’ll be young forever starts feeling flimsy and meaningless. These people will get older, and this drunken encounter will be a lot less cute in a few years when they’re alcoholics abandoning their families to meet up with past flings. That’s assuming they even ever see each other again, which they probably won’t.

I'm a positive person

And that’s the heart of it, isn’t it? Sure, this song is stylish and catchy, but it's imbibed with an insidious fear, a deep-seated anxiety and dread regarding commitment and death. The truth is, we will all wake up some day to find ourselves old - at least, that's what we can hope. We will all find ourselves looking back on regrettable relationships, romantic or not - we'll be lucky to have those experiences, too. It’s up to us to see something meaningful in the quiet aftermath of pain. That’s what “Closer” by The Chainsmokers ft. Halsey does, in a way - it makes tragedy something stylish, relatable, and beautiful. In the end, it’s an ephemeral beauty, certainly. Some might argue that makes it better.