Have you ever been captivated by a song, humming along to its rhythm, only to pause and wonder about the true meaning behind a particular lyric? This exact scenario unfolded for me with the chart-topping hit “Closer” by The Chainsmokers, featuring Halsey.
For those who might need a quick refresher, The Chainsmokers are the dynamic duo of Andrew Taggert and Alex Pall.
The Chainsmokers performing at VELD Music Festival in 2016
Even if you don’t recognize the name immediately, chances are you’ve encountered their ubiquitous anthem, “Closer.” Dominating airwaves and playlists alike in 2016, the song was virtually inescapable. To jog your memory, you can listen to a preview of “Closer” on iTunes. A few seconds are all it takes to recognize this mega-hit.
Album art for The Chainsmokers' single "Closer" featuring Halsey
The sheer omnipresence of “Closer” was undeniable. Imagine strolling through a shopping mall, hopping from store to store to pass the time. In almost every establishment – from clothing boutiques to coffee shops – within minutes of stepping inside, “Closer” would begin playing. It was a constant, inescapable sonic presence.
With such repeated exposure, it was only natural to start paying closer attention to the lyrics. Beneath the catchy melody, the lyrics actually narrate a poignant, albeit slightly unconventional, love story: boy meets girl, boy and girl part ways, boy unexpectedly encounters girl again in a bar, and their rekindled connection leads to a backseat rendezvous in an SUV.
A dimly lit bar with people socializing
The song’s chorus is undeniably infectious, lodging itself firmly in your brain for days on end. “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, “Tattoo On Your Shoulder Song Lyrics,” that stopped me in my tracks. “Wait a minute,” I thought, “did I really hear that correctly?”
As the chorus played again, I focused intently, trying to decipher the seemingly peculiar detail. And yes, 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?!” My interpretation, perhaps flawed, led me to believe the narrator was suggesting he could deduce her financial instability – specifically, her inability to afford the Rover they were currently occupying – based solely on the “tattoo on your shoulder.”
A person's shoulder with a tattoo visible
This lyrical interpretation sparked immediate confusion. Two questions sprang to mind:
- Is it actually possible to ascertain someone’s financial status from their tattoo? Could a tattoo really be a socioeconomic indicator? Is there a secret tattoo language among the inked elite that reveals car affordability?
While I appreciate tattoo artistry, I wouldn’t consider myself a tattoo connoisseur. I can probably distinguish between a professionally executed tattoo and, say, a DIY attempt gone wrong. However, differentiating between a tattoo belonging to a Range Rover owner versus a Hyundai driver seemed like an impossible feat.
A person with tattoos on their arm and shoulder
And furthermore…
- Is he actually voicing this financial judgment aloud during a moment of intimacy? The line begins with “Baby, pull me closer…” which hardly suggests an internal monologue. Considering the chorus contains several potentially judgmental observations, perhaps the entire song is a Freudian slip of epic proportions.
Regarding the vehicle in question, a Rover – be it a Range Rover or Land Rover (the lyrics are ambiguous) – generally falls into a higher price bracket. Certainly beyond my own budget. Definitely more expensive than, for example, the trusty second-hand Toyota Corolla, a vehicle frequently associated with musicians and those on a tighter budget.
A silver Range Rover parked on a street
Intrigued, I researched the average cost of a Rover. According to TrueCar.com, Land Rover models start around $36,000 USD, while Range Rover models are classified as “high-end luxury SUVs” and can reach six-figure price tags when fully loaded. Indeed, a considerable expense.
So, it’s understandable why the narrator might be surprised to see his former flame in such a luxurious car, especially given the earlier verse indicating she was moving to the city in a less reliable vehicle. Or was it him who drove the unreliable car? Regardless, the chorus shifts focus to the “tattoo on your shoulder,” prompting me to wonder, “just how bad is this tattoo?”
My mind flashed back to a scene from a Jackass episode featuring Henry Rollins. They were driving a Humvee across sand dunes while Steve-O received a tattoo in the backseat. The resulting tattoo was… memorable, to say the least.
A poorly done tattoo on a person's arm in a GIF
Okay, realistically, the tattoo in the song is probably not that disastrous. However, given the song’s attempt to evoke a romantic, summer anthem vibe, The Chainsmokers likely intended listeners to visualize something more along these lines:
A couple embracing romantically outdoors
But instead, with my initial mishearing of the lyrics, the chorus conjured a mental image closer to this:
A person pointing and laughing at another person's tattoo
Then, a sudden realization struck me, and everything clicked into place. This wasn’t just any tattoo on her shoulder… it was a prison tattoo!
Aha! That explained why he believed she couldn’t afford the Rover. He knew it was stolen, and she was fresh out of a prison sentence. That accounted for the long absence and lack of communication. Even the subsequent line in the chorus, “Pull the sheets right off the corner of that mattress that you stole from your roommate back in Boulder,” reinforced this narrative. Who steals a mattress from a roommate? Characters from Orange is the New Black, that’s who.
Promotional image for the TV series "Orange is the New Black"
At this point, I recognized I was probably letting my imagination run wild, constructing an elaborate backstory fueled by a misheard lyric. I decided to investigate the actual meaning behind the “tattoo on your shoulder lyrics.”
“Bite that tattoo on your shoulder”
I turned to the internet, expecting to uncover a wild tale of a woman who absconded in a broken-down car, ended up incarcerated, escaped on probation, stole a mattress and a Range Rover, and had a chance encounter in a bar before fleeing to Mexico with law enforcement in hot pursuit.
Predictably, reality was far less dramatic.
I consulted the lyrics for “Closer” on Genius.com, complete with commentary from The Chainsmokers themselves, detailing their inspiration and the song’s narrative. The girl, Halsey’s character, was not an ex-convict. There was no prison tattoo. She wasn’t even the one with the unreliable car. It was Andrew’s character, the male narrator, who owned the dilapidated vehicle and had been out of contact for four years. The girl, in fact, represented the stereotypical “spoiled rich girl” type, accustomed to parental handouts and luxury vehicles like Mercedes Benzes and Range Rovers.
And the ultimate revelation… It wasn’t “by that tattoo on her shoulder,” but “BITE that tattoo on her shoulder.” The intended meaning was a passionate, impulsive act of biting her shoulder in the heat of the moment. That’s right – I had completely misheard the lyric.
If you, like me, are somewhat underwhelmed by the mundane truth compared to the rollercoaster of a narrative my misinterpretation conjured, you’re not alone. The revelation reminded me of the feeling after watching Shutter Island.
Still image from the movie "Shutter Island"
For those unfamiliar with Shutter Island, spoiler alert: an FBI agent embarking on a thrilling investigation into a vast conspiracy involving the KGB and sinister experiments at a psychiatric facility ultimately discovers… he’s just mentally ill. He’s not an agent; he’s a patient. A thrilling premise leading to a rather deflating conclusion.
Similarly, the “tattoo on your shoulder song lyrics” initially sent me down a path of intrigue and elaborate scenarios, only to arrive at a much simpler, less sensational reality.
Perhaps I was taking it all too seriously. After all, the misinterpretation was my own fault, ironic considering a recurring line in the song is “We ain’t ever getting older.”
Well, let me tell you something, Chainsmokers, from someone who once vehemently declared, “I ain’t ever getting older.” One day, it will happen. And on that day, you might be listening to a new song on the radio, and a lyric will catch you off guard, prompting you to exclaim, “What? Huh? What did he just say?”
In the meantime, you can watch the lyric video for “Closer” right here… a video with nearly 2 billion views.
