Charli XCX Explains Why ‘Boom Clap’ Has ‘a Tinge of Sadness in It’

The best music makes you feel lots of conflicting emotions. Charli XCX said “Boom Clap” is about something beautiful, and yet it still has a sad undercurrent. The singer also revealed what it was like for “Boom Clap” to appear in the popular movie The Fault in Our Stars.

Charli XCX’s ‘Boom Clap’ was co-written by the writer of another great pop song

During a 2014 interview with MTV News, Charli XCX discussed the meaning of “Boom Clap.” “It’s just about being epic-ly in love,” she said. “Being totally immersed in passion and feeling really safe and really alone with that person. Although I always hear a tinge of sadness in it, that song has quite an acute feeling.”

Charli XCX is apt to hear some sadness in “Boom Clap” because she revealed songs, movies, and so many other things make her cry. “‘Wishes’ by Beach House makes me cry, and I cried at ‘Dancing on My Own’ at a Robyn gig once,” she said. “I told her that, and she was like, ‘Cool … that’s really weird.’ But it’s Robyn; she can say that because she’s a bad*ss b***.” Interestingly, “Dancing on My Own” was co-written by Patrik Berger, who also co-wrote “Dancing on My Own.”

What Charli XCX had to say about ‘The Fault in Our Stars’

While working with Berger might seem like a calculated move, Charli XCX insisted she didn’t have any formula for writing songs. “If I had a method, I think I’d freak out,” she revealed. “For me, it’s always spontaneous, and that’s how I write my best songs. I do like writing at night, however.”

“Boom Clap” grew in prominence because it was included in the romantic drama The Fault in Our Stars, the film adaptation of John Green’s novel of the same name. Charli XCX said that she watched the movie first and had almost finished the book by the time he gave the interview. Charli XCX was pleased with her song’s inclusion in the film, commenting that it was a superb teen movie that reminded her of The Notebook. In Charli XCX’s opinion, there hadn’t been a superb teen movie in a long time. Unsurprisingly, The Fault in Our Stars made Charli XCX cry. 

How ‘Boom Clap’ performed and impacted modern music

“Boom Clap” reached No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100, lasting on the chart for 25 weeks. The tune appeared on the album Sucker. That record reached No. 28 on the Billboard 200 and lasted on the chart for eight weeks.

“Boom Clap” was one of three Billboard Hot 100 hits Charli XCX had in 2014. The others were “Fancy,” a collaboration with Iggy Azalea, and “I Love It,” a collaboration with Icona Pop. While those tracks were bigger hits, “Boom Clap” was the first chart success that Charli XCX had on her own. It helped establish her as an artistic force to be reckoned with. The track paved the way for the prominence of her 2024 album Brat, which tickled both critics and audiences in a way that few albums do. 

“Boom Clap” became one of the defining songs of 2014, and it helped Charli XCX become one of the defining artists of 2024.