"Closer" was ranked number 60 on Rolling Stone 's list of the 100 Best Songs of 2008. The video was nominated in the "Best Dancing in a Video" category at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards, but it lost to Pussycat Dolls's " When I Grow Up" which both songs would appear in Dance Dance Revolution Hottest Party 3 a year later. It features Ne-Yo performing dance moves, with lyrics from the song occasionally appearing on-screen. The video premiered on BET on April 25, playing every hour of the day with the last airing being at 7 pm. A number of on-set pictures from the video leaked over the Internet. Other shots also show him alone in the center of the spotlight being backed up with four dancers, or with a Matchless motorcycle. Ne-Yo wore a "gentleman-looking" suit dancing with a woman. It was directed by Melina Matsoukas who also directed his " Because of You" and " Do You" video. The video was filmed at Santa Clara Studios, California. In Australia, "Closer" debuted at number 17 on the ARIA Singles Chart before peaking at number eight on the chart, becoming Ne-Yo's second top ten single in Australia after "So Sick" in 2006. It has also been certified Platinum, with sales of over 15,000. In New Zealand, the song jumped 15 spots from number 20 to number five on the New Zealand Singles Chart and eventually reached a peak of number three on the chart. In addition, it peaked within the top 10 or top 20 in Austria, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, and Switzerland. In Italy, "Closer debuted at number 37 on the Italian Singles Chart. In Germany, the song peaked at number four on the German Singles Chart, becoming Ne-Yo's highest charting single there at that time. In Ireland, "Closer" initially peaked at number 12 on the Irish Singles Chart for four weeks before jumping to number three. "Closer" spent a total of 11 weeks in the top ten of the UK Singles Chart. After seven weeks on the UK Singles Chart, and upon the release of the physical CD single, "Closer" climbed to the summit of the chart on J– for the week ending date J– becoming Ne-Yo's second number one single in Britain following " So Sick" in March 2006. In the United Kingdom, "Closer" debuted at number 22 on the UK Singles Chart based solely on downloads. As of August 2011, "Closer" has sold nearly 2,000,000 digital downloads in the US alone, making it Ne-Yo's best-selling song as a lead artist.
radio hit, despite the lack of Urban airplay, becoming his first song to top the Hot 100 Airplay chart.
After losing its bullet and falling down the charts on CHR/Top 40, suddenly the track exploded and frequently had the biggest bullet on pop radio, at times with over +1000. While having a relatively weak peak on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop songs for a Ne-Yo song, peaking outside of the top twenty at number 21, "Closer" has instead had surprising success on Top 40 radio.
"Closer" peaked at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming his seventh top ten hit on the chart. And 'Closer' was the end result." Chart performance I basically tried to capture that energy and put the Ne-Yo spin on it. With just that constant, four-on-the-floor house beat that just really gets bashed into your skull the whole time you're there, by the way the music makes you feel. You know, kinda smoky, kinda dark and mysterious. Speaking in May 2008 to noted UK R&B writer Pete Lewis of the award-winning Blues & Soul, Ne-Yo explained the inspiration behind the song: "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. His attraction to her becomes stronger, and almost hypnotic, as he sings, "And I just can't pull myself away, under a spell I can't break/I just can't stop." The song was featured in episodes of The CW shows Gossip Girl and 90210. In the song, Ne-Yo sings of having an urging attraction to a woman he sees, having the desire to "come closer" to her. "Closer" marked a musical departure for Ne-Yo, taking on a dance-pop style over the more rhythmic and urban sound his songs usually possess.