Have you ever been captivated by a song, humming along to the melody, only to suddenly pause and question a particular lyric? That exact moment of lyrical curiosity struck me when I was listening to the chart-topping hit “Closer” by The Chainsmokers, featuring Halsey.
For those who might need a quick refresh, The Chainsmokers are the dynamic duo of Andrew Taggert and Alex Pall.
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Image: The Chainsmokers performing at VELD Music Festival in 2016. Alt text: The Chainsmokers, Andrew Taggert and Alex Pall, performing live at VELD Music Festival, showcasing their energetic stage presence.
And if you’re still drawing a blank, you’ve undoubtedly encountered their ubiquitous song “Closer.” Unless you were completely off the grid in 2016, this track was inescapable. To jog your memory, here’s a link to the song on iTunes. Even a brief preview will instantly bring the tune back to you.
closer chainsmokersImage: The Chainsmokers’ “Closer” single cover featuring minimalist text. Alt text: “Closer” single artwork by The Chainsmokers featuring Halsey, promoting their popular song with simple, impactful design.
The song’s dominance was undeniable. Imagine strolling through a shopping mall, hopping from store to store, just passing the time. In almost every single shop, café, you name it, within minutes of stepping inside, “Closer” would fill the air. It was a constant, a sonic backdrop to the year.
With such frequent exposure, it was inevitable that the lyrics would eventually sink in. And beneath the catchy beat, the narrative is actually quite poignant. It’s a contemporary love story: boy meets girl, they part ways, fate reunites them in a bar, and sparks reignite in the back of a car.
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Image: Atmospheric shot of a dimly lit bar interior. Alt text: Mood-setting image of a bar, representing the lyric “Now you’re looking pretty in a hotel bar” from The Chainsmokers’ song “Closer”, suggesting a chance encounter.
And then there’s that chorus – the one that embeds itself in your brain for days. “Baby pull me closer in the backseat of your Rover, that I know you can’t afford by that tattoo on your shoulder.”
It was this very line that stopped me in my tracks. “Wait a minute, did I just hear that correctly?”
As the chorus played again, I focused intently, trying to confirm the detail I thought I’d caught. And sure enough, it sounded like…
“Baby pull me closer in the backseat of your Rover, that I know you can’t afford BY that tattoo on your shoulder.”
What?! If I’m understanding this correctly, he’s deducing her financial status, specifically her inability to afford the Rover they are currently occupying, based solely on the tattoo on her shoulder?
Image: Close-up shot of a person’s shoulder with a tattoo. Alt text: Shoulder tattoo detail, prompting the question of whether financial status can be judged “by that tattoo on your shoulder,” as in The Chainsmokers’ lyrics.
This sparked a couple of immediate questions:
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Is this actually a thing? Can someone genuinely assess your financial situation based on your tattoo? Is it some kind of unspoken code within the tattoo community?
While I appreciate tattoo art, I’m far from an expert. I can distinguish between a well-executed piece and, well, something less refined. But discerning a Range Rover owner’s tattoo from a Hyundai owner’s? That’s beyond my comprehension.
Image: A detailed tattoo of a skull and roses on an arm. Alt text: Example of a tattoo style, suggesting a possible misinterpretation of lyrics in “Closer” regarding judging someone’s wealth by their tattoo.
And…
- Is he actually saying this aloud during a moment of intimacy? The line begins with “Baby, pull me closer…” That doesn’t sound like an internal monologue. Considering the somewhat judgmental tone of the chorus, perhaps the entire song is a Freudian slip, revealing underlying assumptions and biases.
Regarding the car itself, a Rover, be it a Range Rover or Land Rover (the lyrics aren’t specific), definitely suggests a higher price bracket. Certainly beyond my budget. More aspirational than the reliable, if less glamorous, Toyota Corolla often associated with musicians and those watching their wallets.
Image: Sleek, modern Range Rover vehicle. Alt text: Range Rover car, symbolizing luxury and prompting the lyrical question of affordability based on a tattoo in The Chainsmokers’ song “Closer”.
I decided to investigate the cost of a typical Rover. According to TrueCar.com, Land Rovers start around $36,000 USD, while Range Rover models, classified as “high-end luxury SUVs,” can reach six-figure price tags when fully loaded. Quite a significant investment!
This price point adds another layer to the lyric. It becomes even more surprising that he encounters his former flame in such an expensive vehicle, especially given the verse that hints at their past, where she was leaving town in a less-than-reliable car. Or was it him? The details get a bit hazy. Regardless, the chorus shifts focus to the tattoo, making me wonder just how “bad” this tattoo must be to warrant such financial judgment.
My mind then wandered to the infamous tattoo scene from that Jackass episode featuring Henry Rollins. They were driving a Humvee across sand dunes while Steve-O was getting tattooed in the back. The resulting artwork was… memorable.
Image: Animated GIF of Steve-O getting a shaky, uneven tattoo in a moving vehicle from Jackass. Alt text: Humorous GIF of Steve-O receiving a poorly executed tattoo in a moving vehicle, contrasting with the potential assumptions about tattoo quality in “Closer” lyrics.
Okay, it’s highly unlikely the tattoo in the song is that disastrous. But considering the otherwise romantic, summer-anthem vibe of “Closer,” The Chainsmokers probably intended listeners to envision something more along these lines:
Image: Romantic image of a couple embracing at a wedding. Alt text: Romantic wedding scene, representing the intended passionate and intimate atmosphere of The Chainsmokers’ song “Closer”, contrasting with humorous misinterpretations.
However, with the “by that tattoo” interpretation, my mental imagery veered more towards this:
Image: A poorly drawn, amateur-looking tattoo of a heart. Alt text: Example of a poorly executed heart tattoo, humorously representing a possible misinterpretation of the tattoo mentioned in “Closer” lyrics as being indicative of low financial status.
Suddenly, a thought struck me, and everything clicked into place. What if it’s not just a bad tattoo, but a prison tattoo?
Aha! That’s why he knows she can’t afford the Rover. He assumes it’s stolen, and she’s fresh out of a four-year stint in prison. That explains the long absence and radio silence. It even aligns with the later lyric in the chorus, “Pull the sheets right off the corner of that mattress that you stole from your roommate back in Boulder.” I mean, who steals a mattress from a roommate? Characters from Orange is the New Black, that’s who.
Image: Still image from the TV show “Orange is the New Black” featuring actress Taylor Schilling as Piper Chapman in prison attire. Alt text: “Orange is the New Black” image, humorously linking the mattress-stealing lyric in “Closer” to prison scenarios and misinterpretations of tattoo meaning.
At this point, I recognized I was getting carried away, letting my imagination run wild with a far-fetched narrative. I needed to uncover the real story behind the girl with the questionable tattoo.
“Bite that tattoo on your shoulder”
I turned to the internet, expecting to find some wild, elaborate backstory about a woman who escaped a troubled past, possibly involving jail time, mattress theft, and a stolen Range Rover, culminating in a dramatic bar reunion before a getaway to Mexico with law enforcement in hot pursuit.
Of course, reality was far less sensational.
I found the lyrics for “Closer” on Genius.com with commentary by The Chainsmokers, where they detailed the song’s inspiration and story. Turns out, the girl, Halsey’s character, wasn’t an ex-convict. No prison tattoo. And she wasn’t the one with the unreliable car in the past. It was Andrew’s character, the guy, who drove the broken-down car and disappeared for four years without calling. The girl, in fact, is portrayed as someone from a privileged background, accustomed to parental handouts and luxury cars.
And the ultimate revelation? It wasn’t “by that tattoo on her shoulder,” but “BITE that tattoo on your shoulder.” The lyric is meant to convey a moment of intense passion, an impulsive, physical expression of desire. I had completely misheard the lyric.
If you’re as underwhelmed by the actual explanation as I was, compared to the rollercoaster of a story my mishearing conjured, you’re not alone. The reveal reminded me of the plot twist in Shutter Island.
Image: Leonardo DiCaprio in a scene from the movie “Shutter Island”. Alt text: Leonardo DiCaprio in “Shutter Island,” drawing a parallel between the movie’s plot twist and the anticlimactic reveal of the true “Closer” lyric meaning.
For those unfamiliar with Shutter Island, spoiler alert: An FBI agent, seemingly uncovering a vast conspiracy at a psychiatric facility, embarks on a thrilling quest for truth, only to discover… he’s just mentally unwell. He’s not an agent; he’s a patient. A thrilling build-up leading to a rather deflating conclusion.
Similarly, the song lyric threw me for a loop. I was slightly disappointed that the reality was less… dramatic.
But in fairness, perhaps I was overthinking it. After all, it was my mistake to mishear the lyric in the first place. Which is ironic, considering one of the song’s recurring lines is “We ain’t ever getting older.”
Well, let me tell you something, Chainsmokers, from someone who also once insisted, “I ain’t ever getting older.” One day, it happens. And on that day, you’ll be listening to a new song on the radio, and a lyric will make you say, “What? Huh? What did he just say?”
In the meantime, you can check out the lyric video for the song right here… it has amassed nearly 2 billion views.
