“Closer” is a millennial romance anthem that celebrates youth and heartbreak. It features vocals from singer-songwriter Halsey and Chainsmokers member Andrew Taggart, marking the first time the Chainsmokers feature their vocals on a track—Taggart previously performed backing vocals for the chorus of “Roses”. It is also their first collaboration with Halsey.

At the 2016 MTV VMAs, both the duo and Halsey performed “Closer”. The duo teased the performance as “new level” on Twitter. This was the second time that “Closer” was performed at Madison Square Garden — the first being at Halsey’s sold-out Badlands Tour show on August 13th, 2016 where The Chainsmokers performed as guests.

In September 2016, after “Closer” had already reached the summit of the Billboard Hot 100, Isaac Slade and Joe King, respectively the lead singer and guitarist of The Fray, were given additional songwriting credits on the song due to the similarity of its chorus to the verses of their 2005 breakout hit, “Over My Head (Cable Car).”

On the March-25-dated chart, “Closer” tied LeAnn Rimes Cibrian’s 32 week record in the Billboard Hot 100 top 10. The singer held it for 20 years – beginning December 13, 1997 – with her single “How Do I Live.” She congratulated the hitmaker duo on Twitter by singing a mashup of “Closer” and her own song.

On September 15, 2018, the song was certified Diamond by the RCAA, verifying that the song had sold an equivalent ten million units in the United States alone.

Related: How Blink 182’s “I Miss You” Inspired The Chainsmokers And Halsey’s “Closer”