A Brief Ode to “Paris”

In the wake of their breakout hit “#SELFIE” in 2013, electronic duo The Chainsmokers cultivated a reputation as the pop scene’s resident frat bros. Drew Taggart stood as the producer, songwriter, and vocalist of the group, while Alex Pall worked as the DJ, A&R Rep, and art director. By 2016, The Chainsmokers had three more year-end Hot 100 hits under their belt, and by 2017 that number had risen to five. With their success came a precarious reputation. A Billboard interview with the two from 2016 describes “THC-laden gummy bears,” strip clubs, and poorly aged comedy sketches. 

But the pop landscape had changed drastically since their breakthrough, the raucous dance pop from the turn of the decade having given way to moody haze and an introspective weariness. So The Chainsmokers adjusted, and, at times, struck gold. Despite flaunting their frat-boy personas in the press, when one looks at the group’s strongest hits, they’re a far cry from the music you’d expect so-called frat boys to be making. One of those instances is the song “Paris,” hailing from their 2017 album Memories… Do Not Open. 

At their best, The Chainsmokers relish in the ethereal, hazy, and a little bit stupid, in a particular kind of carelessness that comes with having your whole life ahead of you and a trust fund to fall back on. This appeal is at its most potent on “Paris,” where in the opening lines, the speaker and their love interest whisk away to the city of love on a whim to escape nagging parents. 

While this context brings an assumption of carefree ease, “Paris” is not devoid of conflict. Over a loop of four chords played on an echoing synth, the song reveals snippets of detail about a relationship on the rocks, the only real hope coming from “getting drunk on the past.” Drew Taggert’s delivery is almost monotone, defeated yet nonchalant, stating these facts with a shrug. Having once mocked the taking of “#selfies,” The Chainsmokers paint the image of this love interest posting pictures of themselves with a cool detachment smoking cigarettes on a terrace with a frown on her face. “If we go down…” Taggert sings, “then we go down together.” It’s an “if” that seems to be teetering at the edge of becoming a “when.” 

It’s a relationship that seems doomed to fail, but there’s more to the story than meets the eye. Underneath the first verse, we get a muffled kick drum, then ambient synths and backing vocals. The song remains at this stasis until the end of the chorus, where Taggert sings the line that will become the song’s ethos: “Let’s show them we are better.” At this, a buzzy guitar lick slices through the moody soundscape before disappearing off into the ether, as if foreshadowing what’s to come. 

In the aftermath of this, the production gets brighter, clearer, like a camera slowly falling into focus. The drums become more crisp, more detailed with the addition of a cymbal. A motif of processed vocals warbles in the background, fleshing out the atmosphere. A female voice falls in behind Taggert’s, courtesy of the duo’s long-time collaborator Emily Warren. Warren’s voice gives the impression of the love interest’s perspective getting a chance to be heard, sometimes following a different melody from Taggert’s, but ultimately drives the same point home: “Let’s show them we are better.”

The gravitas of the song builds and builds, before reaching one of the most cathartic climaxes in the group’s entire discography. At the song’s peak, Taggert’s voice ascends to deliver that main line once again: “Let’s show them we are better,” and the song plays at full force. This is where “Paris” officially makes its switch from coolly detached to openly defiant. The song sparkles in the aftermath, shining bright for a brief moment before it finally dissipates, giving a listener a moment to reflect. 

It feels like it’s been eons since 2017, but when I return to “Paris,” I can’t help but cherish the starry-eyed hope welling up within me that only two supposed frat bros singing about playing hooky in Europe could inspire. Even if we’re all going to “go down,” then we better enjoy it while it lasts. We can be the best people we can be in the face of it, hand-in-hand.

Let’s show them we are better.