"I Belong in Your Arms" by Chairlift


As far as origin stories go, Chairlift's is pretty unique: the band came together in 2005 to create live music for haunted houses. In 2006, the band outgrew their original aspirations and moved to New York. After the departure of founding member Aaron Pfenning, remaining members Caroline Polachek and Patrick Wimberly released the band's second album Something in 2012.

On paper, "I Belong in Your Arms" seems like a strange song for a band with such a distinctive backstory. Borrowing heavily from '80s synthpop and featuring soaring female vocals, the song is heavily reminiscent of similar bands Class Actress and Hospitality. The lyrics' message isn't particularly new as Polachek sings that "the world goes on without us... when I'm melting into you / I belong in your arms." However, the song proves that execution is everything as it stands up to the similar artists' best.

The song opens to a quiet synth backing that is quickly joined by a steady beat. The synths, combined with Polachek's singing during the hook create an anticipation for the chorus that suitably soars. The lyrics combine a concrete and clear message in the refrain with vague impressions and flashes of quick images during the chorus. Polachek does an admirable job of keeping up with the shifts during the song as the staccato verses build up to the extended chorus.