”And yet for several months in the spring and summer of ’98, “Closing Time” was everywhere in a way that songs would soon never be again.”
The Simmonization of Steven Hyden is nearly complete. Even though towards the end of the piece he acknowledges that “Someone Like You” is, indeed,…
I enjoyed “Whatever Happened to Alternative Nation?” but I’ve been noticing lately that Hyden’s kinda weak sometimes. His explanation for why “Closing Time” has had a comeback boils down to “this is a song a lot of people who listen to different music know!” as if that’s somehow novel. Why didn’t he analyze the song itself to figure out what makes it so anthemic? “Closing Time” works because it’s about a very specific feeling that is familiar to everyone but doesn’t often turn up in pop music: cautious optimism (no AV Club pun intended). The way that anything seems possible at three in the morning, how everything feels more intense after a few drinks, but also the acceptance of diminished expectations and the search for some small measure of joy in the mundane. Oh yes, and there’s that chorus, and also that piano riff.
(Also: Hyden, the chorus isn’t “‘closing time’ [said] in a sing-songy manner.” It’s “I know who I want to take me home/Take me home.” Which, if the song’s so inescapable, you should probably have figured out.)
