Released April 15, 2008 Genre Dance pop
R&B
House Label Def Jam | Recorded 2008 Length 3:54 | |
Format CD single, digital download | ||
"Closer" is a song by American recording artist Ne-Yo. The song was written and produced by Ne-Yo and Stargate. It was released as the lead single from Ne-Yo's third studio album Year of the Gentleman (2008).
Contents
- Background
- Chart performance
- Music video
- Track listing
- Remixes
- Awards and nominations
- Cover versions
- References
"Closer" reached number one in the UK, scoring Ne-Yo his second UK number one, following 2006's "So Sick". "Closer" became the fifteenth biggest selling single in the UK in 2008 according to BBC Radio 1's chart of the year. The song and its music video were used in a commercial for Overstock.com in early 2008. The commercial was also used as promotional tool for Year of the Gentleman.
Background
"Closer" marked a musical departure for Ne-Yo, taking on a dance-pop style over the more rhythmic and urban sound his songs usually possess. In the song, Ne-Yo sings of having an urging attraction to a woman he sees, having the desire to "come closer" to her. His attraction to her becomes stronger, and almost hypnotic, as he sings "And I just can't pull myself away, under a spell I can't break/I just can't stop." The song was featured in episodes of The CW shows Gossip Girl and 90210.
Speaking in May 2008 to noted UK R&B writer Pete Lewis of the award-winning Blues & Soul, Ne-Yo explained the inspiration behind the song: "It was very much inspired by just the vibe of some of these house and techno clubs we went to while we were in London. You know, kinda smoky, kinda dark and mysterious... With just that constant, four-on-the-floor house beat that just really gets bashed into your skull the whole time you're there, by the way the music makes you feel. I basically tried to capture that energy and put the Ne-Yo spin on it. And 'Closer' was the end result."
Chart performance
"Closer" is Ne-Yo's most successful single in Europe, and in general. It debuted at number twenty-two on the UK Singles Chart, and managed a peak of number one based on downloads alone after seven weeks on the chart. Upon the release of the physical CD single, "Closer" climbed to number-one, becoming his second UK number one, following "So Sick", "Closer" spent 11 weeks in the UK Top 10. In Ireland, "Closer" initially peaked at number-twelve for four weeks before jumping to number-three. It has peaked at number four on the German Singles Chart, becoming his highest charting single there. It recently debuted at No. 37 in Italy. In addition it has peaked in the top ten or top twenty in Austria, Denmark, Netherlands, Norway and Switzerland.
In the United States "Closer" peaked at number-seven, becoming his seventh top ten hit on the Billboard Hot 100. While having a relatively weak peak on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop songs for a Ne-Yo song, peaking outside of the top twenty at No. 21, "Closer" has instead had surprising success on Top 40 radio. After losing its bullet and falling down the charts on CHR/Top 40, suddenly the track exploded and frequently had the biggest bullet on pop radio, at times with over +1000. It has become his biggest U.S. radio hit, despite the lack of Urban airplay, becoming his first song to top the Hot 100 Airplay chart. As of August 2011, "Closer" has sold nearly 2,000,000 digital downloads in the US alone, making it Ne-Yo's best-selling song as a lead artist.
The song jumped fifteen spots from number-twenty to number five on the New Zealand RIANZ Singles Chart and reached a peak of number-three, it has also been certified Platinum with sales of over 15,000. In Australia, "Closer" debuted at number-seventeen on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart and has thus far peaked at 8, and is his second top ten single after "So Sick".
Music video
The video was filmed at Santa Clara Studios, California. It was directed by Melina Matsoukas who also directed his "Because of You" and "Do You" video. Ne-Yo wore a "gentleman-looking" suit dancing with a woman. Other shots also show him alone in the center of the spotlight being backed up with four dancers, or with a Matchless motorcycle. A number of on-set pictures from the video leaked over the Internet.
The video premiered on BET on April 25, playing every hour of the day with the last airing being at 7 pm. It features Ne-Yo performing dance moves, with lyrics from the song occasionally appearing on-screen.
The video was nominated in the "Best Dancing in a Video" category at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards, but it lost to Pussycat Dolls's "When I Grow Up" which would appear in Dance Dance Revolution a year later.
Track listing
- "Closer" – 3:54
- "Closer" (Agent X Bassline Remix) – 5:22
- "Closer" (Instrumental) – 3:54
- "Closer" (Video)
Remixes
- "Closer" (StoneBridge Club Remix) – 7:36
- "Closer" (Subkulcha House Remix) – 7:22
- "Closer" (Cotto's Club Mix) – 7:56
- "Closer" (Cotto's Can't Stop Remix) – 7:25
- "Closer" (StoneBridge Dub) – 6:37
- "Closer" (G Music Remix)
- "Closer" (Tha Bizness)
- "Closer" (X-Mix Remix)
Awards and nominations
This song was number 60 on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 Best Songs of 2008. The song was nominated for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, while the Stonebridge Radio Edit was nominated for Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical for the 51st Grammy Awards, which were held on February 8, 2009.