In Defense of…“closure”

Yes, she got your letter.

Photo by Beth Garrabrant

“It’s been a long time, and seeing the shape of your name still spells out pain.” 

While those are the lyrics from one of my favorite evermore tracks, “closure,” I’ve noticed others may find those lyrics describe their negative feelings towards the song itself instead.

“closure” is not a fan-favorite of Taylor Swift’s discography, but in this new series, “In Defense of…,” let me explain why I believe we shouldn’t close the book on “closure.” 

Just like the production of “closure,” we’re starting off strong. Produced by Aaron Dessner, BJ Burton, and James McAlister, “closure” encompasses a signature sound. At first listen, some may mistake the percussion and production for the likeness of frying pans or simply, just a lot of loud noise. 

But I beg the question, doesn’t the lack of closure feel like chaotic noise? 

Doesn’t the lack of closure with someone who was once oxygen to your lungs feel like suffocating noise? Noise identified by your thoughts, running at warp speed trying to understand while also moving on? 

While BJ Burton is often known for eclectic, bold instrumentations as part of his musical style and McAlister for his synthesizer use, different from Dessner’s trademark, the production of “closure” is a mystical, meaningful mixture of each. Playing off of the idiosyncratic speed and tone Swift uses, Burton, McAlister, and Dessner bring together all of their impressionable sounds to produce “closure.” 

With flickers of instrumentals such as the piano, and sprinkles of keyboard and synthesizer sounds that come close to indescribable, “closure” puts such a blurry concept into focus: the fine line between love, hate, and indifference. The flickers and sprinkles blend together, just as so many feelings do when walking that fine line: sadness, anger, chaos, and peace. 

The production of “closure” loudly says, “I mean more than what you hear.” There’s meaning behind the noise, behind the chaos. Back to the question I begged earlier, don’t you find the silence dysfunctionally loud amidst the lack of closure? 

Aside from the uniquely unparalleled production that so many Swifties find questionable, the lyricism within “closure” is criminally underrated. 

“closure” compacts an experience that can go on for days, weeks, months, years, decades, I bet you even centuries, into 3 minutes and 1 second — saying goodbye without saying why. 

With phrases like, “Yes, I got your letter, yes, I’m doing better, I know that it’s over, I don’t need your ‘closure,’” repeating like a broken record throughout the song, listeners can feel Swift convincing herself. Convincing herself she’s better off, over it, and can give herself closure. 

Swift’s love for her music shows through the details. When looking at the lyrics, the words “closure” and “friends” are in quotations. This small yet effortful punctuation adds a blanket of sarcasm to the entirety of the song. With lyrics like, “Don’t treat me like some situation that needs to be handled, I’m fine with my spite and my tears and my beers and my candles,” Swift is not coy when expressing her anger towards the ones that extend a hand after slapping hers away in the past. “closure” is bitter towards the backstabbers, and says what we all have wished, one time or another, for the courage to say.

Swift sings, “I know I’m just a wrinkle in your new life, staying ‘friends’ would iron it out so nice…Guilty, guilty reaching out across the sea that you put between you and me but it’s fake and it’s oh so unnecessary.” Like the baggage you have when you don’t receive closure, these lyrics could be unpacked for days. 

Like so many of us wish to do, Swift maturely turns away the ones who effortlessly try and weasel their way back into our lives. She recognizes the ingenuity for what it is: fake and unnecessary. Rather than falling for the same tricks and turning back into the old habit of another, Swift knows she’d rather keep the ocean between them an ocean, not a puddle that can be stepped over.

I don’t expect it to become your favorite, but give “closure” a second listen. 

Even though Swift turned away from the fainthearted, as the underlying message of the song implies, give “closure” another chance.

Yes, she’s doing better.

Photo from Taylor Swift’s Instagram