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"Closer"
Single by Tegan and Sara
from the album Heartthrob
Released	September 25, 2012 (2012-09-25)
Recorded	2012
Genre	Synth-pop dance-pop
Length	3:32
Label	Vapor Warner Bros.
Songwriter(s)	Tegan Quin Sara Quin Greg Kurstin
Producer(s)	Greg Kurstin
Tegan and Sara singles chronology
"Feel It in My Bones" (2010) "Closer" (2012) "I Was a Fool" (2013)
Music video
"Closer" on YouTube

"Closer" is a song by Canadian duo Tegan and Sara from their seventh studio album, Heartthrob (2013). The song was written by Tegan Quin with contributions from Sara Quin and Greg Kurstin. It was released as the lead single from the album in September 2012. Closer won "Single of the Year" at the 2014 Juno Awards. The song has been featured on TV series such as Glee and BoJack Horseman. In 2013, it peaked at number one on Billboard's Hot Dance Club Songs chart. It also became their first single to chart on the Billboard Hot 100. On April 20, 2013, 3600 vinyl copies of Closer Remixed, including four more tracks than the digital EP, were exclusively released for Record Store Day 2013. On July 4, 2013, "Closer" was certified platinum in Canada.

Lyrics and composition

Tegan spoke of the song during an interview with Rolling Stone magazine in September 2012, saying, "Although I do imagine that this would be an okay song to make out to, all I intended was to write something sweet that reminded the listener of a time before complicated relationships, drama and heartbreak. I was writing about my youth, a time when we got closer by linking arms and walking down our school hallway, or talked all night on the telephone about every thought or experience we'd ever had. It wasn't necessarily even about hooking up or admitting your feelings back then. In fact, that rarely happened. It was the anticipation of something maybe happening that was truly exciting and satisfying. We were perpetually getting closer, yet we rarely got physical with one another, if ever. These relationships existed in a state of sexual and physical ambiguity." Sara encouraged Tegan to be less self-deprecating when writing the song. Tegan was hesitant about writing a straightforward love song and was concerned that using the phrase "get physical" would remind listeners of Australian singer Olivia Newton-John's 1981 single "Physical".

A synth-pop and dance-pop song, "Closer" is set in common time with a tempo of 137 beats per minute. Its rhythm uses a four-to-the-floor beat with a prominent kick drum. The song is written in C major, with a I-IV-V-I circle progression. The song's sections make use of sharply contrasting dynamics, eventually leading to a synthesizer breakdown. The song was influenced by Tegan's "favorite, mid-'90s dance tracks" by Erasure and Ace of Base.

Critical reception

"Closer" placed thirteenth on The Village Voice's 2013 Pazz & Jop singles list. Consequence of Sound called it "genius levels of fun", while Alter the Press! compared the song to "Dancing on My Own" by Robyn. In 2019, Billboard included the song in its list of the "30 Lesbian Love Songs".

Music video

The music video for "Closer" premiered on November 29, 2012, on Tegan and Sara's official YouTube channel. It starts with Tegan and Sara performing karaoke of the song. It then begins to feature different scenes in-between such as various couples doing various party activities as well as putting make-up on one another, playing spin the bottle, and kissing on top of a car. Tegan and Sara are also seen singing on a swing set and jumping on a trampoline.

In popular culture

The song was covered on Glee in the episode "Feud" (2013) by Ryder Lynn (Blake Jenner) and Jake Puckerman (Jacob Artist) with New Directions. It was featured in the pilot of the Freeform original series Young & Hungry and was later featured again in the season 5 episode "Young & Amnesia". The song was also featured in season 12 of Degrassi. The song plays over the final moments and end credits of first-season finale of the Netflix original series BoJack Horseman which aired on 22 August 2014. It was later used in an AT&T commercial in 2015. It was featured in the 2017 Netflix series Friends from College. WWE also used this song in a promo package to highlight former WWE Diva, AJ Lee. In 2019, it was featured in fifth episode of HBO TV series Mrs. Fletcher. In 2020 it was used as the lipsync song in the semi-final episode of the first season of Canada's Drag Race, in a lipsync between Jimbo and Rita Baga.

Track listing

Digital download

Digital remix EP

(Released March 8, 2013 (2013-03-08))

Vinyl remix EP

(Released exclusively for Record Store Day 2013)

Charts

Certifications

Awards and nominations

See also

• List of number-one dance singles of 2013 (U.S.)

References

1. "RSD 2013 Official Releases List". Record Store Day. March 21, 2013. Retrieved April 25, 2013.
2. Music Canada July 2013 http://www.musiccanada.com/GPSearchResult.aspx?st=&ica=False&sa=tegan%20and%20sara&sl=&smt=0&sat=-1&ssb=Artist Archived 2013-10-29 at the Wayback Machine
3. "Song Premiere: Tegan and Sara Grow 'Closer'". Rolling Stone. 2012-09-20. Retrieved 2013-03-18.
4. Wood, Eden Carter (January 2013). "Tegan & Sara". Diva. No. 199. pp. 52–55.
5. Sia, Nicole (September 20, 2012). "Tegan and Sara Get 'Closer' to Synthpop on New Song: Listen". Spin. Retrieved May 5, 2018.
6. "Tegan and Sara Want to Get 'Closer' on 'Letterman'". Rolling Stone. November 21, 2012. Archived from the original on July 3, 2015. Retrieved June 17, 2015.
7. ^ Quin, Tegan; Quin, Sara; Kurstin, Greg (2012). "Closer" (sheet music). Musicnotes.com. Retrieved January 19, 2014.
8. ^ Reed, Ryan (October 13, 2012). "Singles Reviews". Billboard. Vol. 124, no. 36. Retrieved January 18, 2014.
9. ^ Mason, Kerri (January 19, 2013). "Beat Happy". Billboard. Vol. 125, no. 2. Retrieved January 18, 2014.
10. Trunick, Austin (January 21, 2013). "Track-by-Track: Tegan and Sara's Heartthrob Part One". Under the Radar. Archived from the original on May 30, 2013. Retrieved 2015-04-04.
11. "2013 Pazz & Jop Singles Winners". The Village Voice. January 15, 2014. Archived from the original on January 20, 2015. Retrieved January 19, 2014.
12. Grant, Sarah H. (2013-01-30). "Album Review: Tegan and Sara – Heartthrob". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 2013-03-18.
13. Vallejo, Carolyn (2013-01-25). "Album Review: Tegan and Sara - Heartthrob". Alter The Press!. Retrieved 2013-03-18.
14. "Tegan and Sara Bring Pop—and Heart, Of Course—to 'Heartthrob'". Time. February 1, 2013.
15. Russell, Erica (February 13, 2019). "30 Lesbian Love Songs: Women Singing About Women (Updated 2019)". Billboard. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
16. "Tegan and Sara - Closer - Official Music Video". Tegan and Sara. 2012-11-29. Retrieved 2017-02-09.
17. "Closer Remixed - EP by Tegan and Sara". iTunes.apple.com. 2013-03-08. Retrieved 2013-03-18.
18. "Record Store Day!". 20 April 2013. Retrieved 26 April 2013.
19. "Tegan and Sara Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 23, 2013.
20. "Tegan and Sara Chart History (Canada AC)". Billboard. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
21. "Tegan and Sara Chart History (Canada CHR/Top 40)". Billboard. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
22. "Tegan and Sara Chart History (Canada Hot AC)". Billboard. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
23. "Tegan and Sara Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved August 27, 2014.
24. "Tegan and Sara Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved April 23, 2013.
25. "Tegan and Sara Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved April 23, 2013.
26. "Tegan and Sara Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved August 27, 2014.
27. "Tegan and Sara Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
28. "Canadian Hot 100: 2013 Year-End Charts". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved August 19, 2015.
29. "Dance Club Songs: Page 1". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved August 19, 2015.
30. "Hot Rock Songs: Year End 2013". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved December 13, 2013.
31. "Canadian single certifications – Tegan and Sara – Closer". Music Canada.
32. "American single certifications – Tegan and Sara – Closer". Recording Industry Association of America.

• 2012 singles
• Tegan and Sara songs
• Canadian dance-pop songs
• Song recordings produced by Greg Kurstin
• Songs written by Greg Kurstin
• 2012 songs
• Warner Records singles
• Juno Award for Single of the Year singles
• Canadian synth-pop songs