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Song Stories

“Closer”

Ne-Yo | 2008

Ne-Yo's dance-pop hit "Closer" marked a musical departure for the singer-songwriter, who's known for a more soulful sound. The risk paid off. "Closer" topped the charts in the U.K. and was featured in episodes of Gossip Girl and 90210. "It was very much inspired by just the vibe of some of these house and techno clubs we went to while we were in London," Ne-Yo explained. "You know, kinda smoky, kinda dark and mysterious ... With just that constant, four-on-the-floor house beat … I basically tried to capture that energy and put the Ne-Yo spin on it. And 'Closer' was the end result."

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Song Stories

“I'm Yours”

Jason Mraz | 2008

Jason Mraz re-emerged after his disappointing second album with this lead single, a Jack Johnson-esque ditty about giving yourself fully to someone else. The success of the reggae-tinged song (it earned two Grammy nods and a spot on the Billboard singles chart for well over a year) was something the folk-pop singer never predicted when he wrote it in 15 minutes at home. "I played a happy-hippie chord progression that would probably work without 50 different Bob Marley songs," he told Rolling Stone. "I thought, 'It's too novelty. This is a nursery rhyme,'" concluding that "you can never guess what's gonna be a hit."

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