Tate McRae has done it again — left me completely and utterly gagged with her music. On Feb. 21, the singer released her new album, So Close To What, which included the track “Revolving door.” The song details a complicated relationship and is accompanied by an absolutely stunning music video — but there’s more to the track than its catchy chorus.
The song begins on a hopeful note with McRae softly singing, “My cold heart is finally melting.” However, listeners are instantly met with the self-doubt that defines the song: “Say I’m good, but I might be in denial.” The music video reflects this sense of performance and doubt. It opens with McRae walking through a dimly lit hallway filled with posters of herself and into an all-white room with several doors surrounding her. In a simple white outfit, McRae begins to perform complex choreography (perfectly executed, of course). But, there’s something off about the sterile environment she finds herself in.
In the pre-chorus, McRae repeats: “I tried to call you off like a bad habit” as her dancing grows slightly more unsettling. The music video utilizes reverse and viewers can see McRae’s hair and body twisting unnaturally.
For the chorus, McRae is joined by four other dancers, dressed identically to her. The group dances in perfect time to the fast-paced lyrics. The lyrics once again display McRae’s self-doubt and confusion over the relationship, with her singing, “Say I couldn’t want you less, but I just want you more.” The post-chorus laments, repeating: “And more, and more, and more” while McRae and the dancers undress in reverse, swing their hair violently, and their bodies contort. As shown in the lyrics and dancing, this relationship makes McRae feel so out of control, that she can’t make up her mind.
The second verse continues this doubt with McRae singing, “How’d I get from the gym to your couch?” The music video takes a turn here as the dancers leave the room. However, when McRae follows, them the door is locked and she realizes she can’t leave. For the second chorus, McRae completes the choreography by herself and once again showcases her amazing dancing skills.
The bridge lets listeners into McRae’s head, with her singing, “Change my mind so much I can’t find it.” These lines of vulnerability and confusion are echoed in McRae’s dancing as she grasps her head and thrashes her legs in the air. For McRae fans, the bridge also includes a reference to her song “think later” in which she sings, “Met you on a night out in Boston.” In “Revolving door,” McRae chants “I still think ‘bout that night out in Boston.”
The song’s refrain features McRae repeating, “I need a minute.” This exhaustion and desperation can be seen in the music video with McRae lying on the ground and beginning to cry. Here, the music fades and listeners can hear McRae panting while the tears fall. This pause starts at the 2:55 mark of the video, but McRae pulls herself together before asking “again?” and gets back into the choreography’s starting position — almost exactly a minute after she paused, proving McRae really did only need “a minute.”
There’s much more to this song and music video than its beat and amazing choreo. McRae tells a very heartbreaking and relatable story about being confused in love. And all I can say is, I keep coming back to it, almost like a revolving door.