The single peaked at number six on the UK Singles Chart and number eight on the US Billboard Hot 100 and topped the Mainstream Top 40, as well as peaking inside the top ten of the charts in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Ireland and Italy. This song is featured as downloadable content on Just Dance 2015.
"Boom Clap" is a "radio-ready" electropop and synth-pop ballad, written by Charli XCX, Fredrik Berger, Patrik Berger and Stefan Gräslund. The song was initially written during writing sessions for XCX's debut studio album, True Romance, then later offered to singer and actress Hilary Duff for her new album. Once Duff's management declined the offer, XCX decided to use the song as her contribution to The Fault in Our Stars motion picture soundtrack. In a later interview, Duff said she had no idea that XCX had offered the song to her people and would have accepted the song if she had known. The song is composed in the key of E major.
"Boom Clap" received positive reviews from music critics. 4Music said the song was "infectious" and a "feelgood track which contrasts softly-sung verses with a big attitude-packed chorus" resulting in a song that was "catchier than the clap." Spin listed "Boom Clap" at number 24 on its list of "The 101 Best Songs of 2014," writing that "Charli XCX's excellent use of onomatopoeia gives this intoxicated Sucker cut her most unforgettable chorus yet." Pitchfork named it the 37th best song of 2014. In January 2015, "Boom Clap" was ranked at number eight on The Village Voice's annual year-end Pazz & Jop critics' poll. In April 2022, Clash listed the song among the 17 best of Charli's songs, with Isabella Miller stating that "it captures the essence of youth culture with timeless stylistic and lyrical content that awakens the 2014 Tumblr teen in us all."
The song debuted at number 62 on the Billboard Hot 100 on the week dated 21 June 2014, becoming XCX's first entry as a lead artist. On 28 June 2014, the song jumped to number 29, becoming her first top-40 hit as a lead artist. The song became XCX's first top 10 hit as a solo artist (after her features on "I Love It" and "Fancy") and re-entered the top ten twice before peaking at number eight. The song has sold more than 3 million copies in the United States. "Boom Clap" also peaked at number one on the Mainstream Top 40 chart and topped Dance Airplay. In the UK the song has sold over 200,000 copies and has received a silver certification.
The accompanying music video for "Boom Clap", directed by Sing J. Lee, was filmed in Amsterdam and premiered on 2 June 2014. The video features brief clips from The Fault in Our Stars set to the song as well as on-screen text written in the style of the book cover and film poster. An alternative music video for the song, directed by Kazuya Murayama, was filmed in Tokyo and premiered on 29 October 2014.
Boom Clap
Charli XCX Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You're picture-perfect blue
Sunbathing on the moon
Stars shining as your bones illuminate
First kiss just like a drug
Under your influence
You take me over, you're the magic in my veinsThis must be love
Boom, clap
The sound of my heart
The beat goes on and on and on and on and
Boom, clap
You make me feel good
Come on to me, come on to me now
Boom, clap
The sound of my heart
The beat goes on and on and on and on and
Boom, clap
You make me feel good
Come on to me, come on to me now
No silver or no gold
Could dress me up so good
You're the glitter in the darkness of my world
Just tell me what to do
I'll fall right into you
We're going under, cast the spell, just say the word
I feel your love
Boom, clap
The sound of my heart
The beat goes on and on and on and on andBoom, clap
You make me feel good
Come on to me, come on to me now
Boom, clap
The sound of my heart
The beat goes on and on and on and on and
Boom, clap
You make me feel good
Come on to me, come on to me now
You are the light and I will follow
You let me lose my shadow
You are the sun, the glowing halo
And you keep burning me up with all your love, ah
Boom, clap
The sound of my heart
The beat goes on and on and on and on and
Boom, clap
You make me feel good
Come on to me, come on to me now
Boom, clap
The sound of my heart
The beat goes on and on and on and on and
Boom, clap
You make me feel good
Come on to me, come on to me now
Boom, clap
The sound of my heart
The beat goes on and on and on and on and
Boom, clap
You make me feel good
Come on to me, come on to me now
Boom, clap
The sound of my heart
The beat goes on and on and on and on and
Boom, clap
You make me feel good
Come on to me, come on to me now
The lyrics to Charli XCX's song "Boom Clap" depict love as an intense feeling that takes over the heart and fills it with powerful emotions. The opening verse describes the singer's lover as "picture-perfect blue," indicating an idealized quality to the person. The imagery of sunbathing on the moon and bone-illuminating stars creates a fantastical atmosphere that matches the euphoric feelings of being in love for the first time, which is likened to a drug.
The chorus acts as a refrain that emphasizes the sound of the heart in love as "boom, clap," with the beat going on and on. This repetition indicates the persistent nature of love and the way it can enrapture a person to the point of losing themselves in the experience. The reference to being made to feel good is indicative of the positive effects love can have on one's well-being.
The second verse highlights the transformative power of love, with the singer being made to feel like the glitter in the darkness of their world. The image of going under a spell suggests a loss of control and surrendering to the overwhelming emotions of love. The outro references a sense of following and loss of self in the presence of the person they love. Overall, the song expresses the all-encompassing nature of love and its transformative powers.
Line by Line Meaning
Boom, boom, boom, clap
The sound of my heart beating with excitement as I'm about to express my love for you.
You're picture-perfect blue
You possess an indescribable charm and beauty that's rare and captivating.
Sunbathing on the moon
You exist in a world of wonder and imagination that's beyond the realm of ordinary reality.
Stars shining as your bones illuminate
Your inner self-rays of light that bring brightness to the darkest of nights - twinkles with a radiant aura that draws people towards you.
First kiss just like a drug
Our love is intoxicating, and every touch from your lips is like a rush of adrenaline running through my veins.
Under your influence
I'm entranced by your love and swept up in your spell, ready to follow you wherever you lead.
You take me over, you're the magic in my veins
Your love has the power to transform me, to heal me, and to make me whole again.
This must be love
I'm convinced that what we share is the purest form of love - a feeling that cannot be measured or explained.
No silver or no gold
The material world has nothing on the beauty and value you bring to my life.
Could dress me up so good
No amount of wealth or luxury could rival the joy and satisfaction I feel when I'm with you.
You're the glitter in the darkness of my world
In a world of gloom and despair, you bring joy and light with your presence, and I can't imagine life without you.
Just tell me what to do
My love for you is so intense that I'm willing to do anything to make you happy.
I'll fall right into you
I'm helpless in the face of your love, and I'll gladly lose myself in you deeper and deeper with each passing moment.
We're going under, cast the spell, just say the word
Our love has the power to take us to places we've never been before - to depths of emotions we thought were impossible to experience.
I feel your love
The warmth and intensity of your love surround me, fill me, and make me complete.
You are the light and I will follow
You're my guiding star, my beacon of hope and inspiration, and I'll follow you wherever you lead.
You let me lose my shadow
Your presence is so bright and luminous that it erases all the darkness and negativity in my life.
You are the sun, the glowing halo
You radiate with an otherworldly glow, and your love is the warmth and light that sustain me.
And you keep burning me up with all your love, ah
Your love is like a never-ending flame that engulfs me in warmth and passion, and I can't get enough of it.
You make me feel good
Your love is a source of immense pleasure and happiness that fills me with joy and contentment.
Come on to me, come on to me now
I'm ready to embrace your love and all the wonders that come with it, and I'll do so with open arms and an open heart.
The beat goes on and on and on and on and
Our love is timeless and endless, and it will continue to beat with a steady rhythm no matter what life throws at us.
Lyrics © CTM Outlander Music LC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Patrik Jens Berger, Fredrik Berger, Charlotte Emma Aitchison, Stefan Alexander Graslund
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@AnnLeStudio
Love the beat and energy of this song
@myaspencer3027
Me too it really expresses the love between hazel and Augustus
@shugocharaai
Totally agree, Ann!
Haha, I was excited to see your comment here, I love your videos :)
@Ryarli
mya Spencer lmao, it really expresses how much I love you.
@zainabmani3148
Yasss! Ikr
@bowtiesncoolnes5715
You are literally EVERYWHERE
@officialcharlixcx
Hey angels. I've been nominated for Best British Video at the BRIT Awards for BOOM CLAP. Please vote by tweeting (every week) using #BRITCHARLIXCX - <3 <3
@333dios
I love you so much. -
@angelrobinson6263
1
@buteracave7703
Well done you are so good at singing