The Chainsmokers have just released their newest single “You Owe Me,” presenting a dark and brutal portrayal of depression and the media’s influence on their recent lives. The song is ostensibly pop, even with the questionable drop in the latter half, but none of that should detract from the overall meaning of the song.
Right off the bat, Drew sings about reading the papers and feeding back into them with his actions – but even still, he admits that his friends don’t read them, and don’t care about what they say; nevertheless, the papers want to see him “hang on the wall,” as people do with important stories they’ve penned.
Getting back to the music video, it’s hard to find a connection between the plot and the lyrics, unless The Chainsmokers themselves are meant to represent the media, in which case it’s still fairly loose. That being said, the story itself, when taken apart from the lyrics, is entertaining and the way that the ending ties back into the opening scenes is rather fun.
Musically, the song is as far from EDM as we’ve come to expect from The Chainsmokers lately. However, yesterday, they made sure to tease that the song actually had “a drop” and that got fans a little excited.
https://twitter.com/TheChainsmokers/status/964235009845547008
The drop is… underwhelming. It’s discordant and the lead synths are nearly offputting, but it’s rather short so it doesn’t completely detract from the overall tone of the track. Still, it’s a question why that version was the one kept in the final product.
In addition to today’s release, The Chainsmokers have officially paired “Sick Boy” and “You Owe Me” on Spotify, signifying that these two songs really do “go together.” And don’t forget, we still have the unreleased song “Everybody Hates Me” they debuted in Prague to look forward to.
For now, check out the music video for “You Owe Me” below.
The Chainsmokers – You Owe Me Lyrics
[Verse 1]
I don’t really say this that often
But there’s something that the papers forgot
Every time I read them, I know I feed them
But I know, they’re painting but they can’t leave a mark
Because my friends don’t read the papers
And they don’t really care if we’re awesome or not
So every time I read them, I know I feed them
But I know, they wanna see me hang on the wall
[Chorus]
You don’t know me
Don’t you think that I get lonely?
It gets dark inside my head
Check my pulse and if I’m dead you owe me
If you’re lonely
Don’t you think you’re on your own
When it gets dark inside your head
Check my pulse and if I’m dead you owe me
[Verse 2]
Say it to my face if you mean it
Say it to my face, but you won’t
I know I’m not losing
But I’m losing my mind
Does anybody know what that’s like?
[Chorus]
You don’t know me
Don’t you think that I get lonely?
It gets dark inside my head
Check my pulse and if I’m dead you owe me
If you’re lonely
Don’t you think you’re on your own
When it gets dark inside your head
Check my pulse and if I’m dead you owe me
[Refrain]
If I’m dead, you owe me
If I’m dead, you owe me
You owe me, you owe me
You owe me, you owe me
If I’m dead, you owe me
[Drop]
If I’m dead, you owe me
(If I’m dead, if I’m dead, If I’m dead, you owe me)
[Outro]
You don’t know me
Don’t you think that I get lonely?
It gets dark inside my head
Check my pulse and if I’m dead you owe me
If you know me
Don’t you think you’re on your own
When it gets dark inside your head
Check my pulse and if I’m dead you owe me
Whoever wrote this is without a doubt a doubt a Chainsmokers hater… That drop can be described in so many words but “underwhelming” is in no way one of them.
I swear it’s “there” and not “dead.”
Well! how could Alex take the trash out in broad daylight if he’s a vampire. Song and video are bleh. And I used to be a huge fan all their music is the same pop stuff singing nonsense.