Semisonic's "Closing Time" is a song with weird lyrics. Perhaps you have never taken the time to focus on how truly strange its lyrics are. My initial take on the lyrics were some vague references to hooking up at a singles bar ("I know who I want / to take me home"). Listening to the song again recently (during a recent episode of The Simpsons) I was puzzled by the line "This room won't be open / 'til your brothers and your sisters come." Huh?
I couldn't immediately recall the video so I youtube'd it. Interesting split-screen / parallel stories concept that brings Cibo Matto's "Sugar Water" (Michel Gondry) to mind.
So it turns out (according to Wikipedia) that the song is really about the birth of singer Dan Wilson's child. Thus, all of the getting ready to go images take on a double meaning between the singles bar and childbirth. Weird. I find this turn of events slightly upsetting in the juxtaposition of single young adults looking for casual sex alongside the birth of one's child.
It's one of those moments that makes you feel stupid for trying to interpret a songwriter's intent from lyrics alone. Sometimes, without a full explanation you just end up foolishly trying to merge two disparate themes.
Here's the Chris Appelbaum video:
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