If the World Was Ending (feat. Julia Michaels)

At its core, "If the World Was Ending" is a profound exploration of the enduring nature of love after a relationship has run its course. It centers on the concept of a "rational breakup"—a split where there is no villain, no betrayal, and no mutual hatred, but simply a mature realization that two people are not compatible for the long term. The lyrics acknowledge this painful truth directly with the line, "I know, you know, we know we weren't meant for each other and it's fine." However, the song argues that just because a relationship has ended logically, the underlying love and desire for emotional safety do not simply vanish.

The hypothetical apocalypse acts as a powerful narrative device to strip away the complexities, anxieties, and pride of the real world. In everyday life, keeping boundaries and maintaining silence are necessary for healing. But when faced with the absolute end of existence, those logical boundaries become meaningless. The song reveals that in a moment of ultimate crisis, our instinct is to strip away all defenses and return to the person who represents the deepest sense of emotional safety and comfort. By asking, "Would you love me for the hell of it? All our fears would be irrelevant," the artists capture the human yearning for a love that exists purely in the present moment, free from the burdens of future consequences, past regrets, and practical realities.

An earthquake unexpectedly rattles Los Angeles, shaking the physical ground and triggering an immediate emotional shockwave within the narrator. Though stuck in heavy traffic and initially distracted, the sudden seismic rumble shifts his thoughts entirely to his former partner. He finds himself wondering about her whereabouts, imagining whether she is out drinking with friends or simply relaxing in her living room, watching television. It has been a full year since their separation, and he has spent that time trying to heal, learning how to let her go and allowing their daily communication to fade into silence. He openly admits that they both knew their relationship was not built to last forever, and he has accepted this difficult truth. Yet, the sudden brush with disaster lays bare his lingering attachments. He poses a poignant, hypothetical question: if the world were truly ending, would she bypass all their history, drive over to his house, and spend that final night with him? In this imagined apocalypse, all their past grievances, fears, and the practical reasons for their breakup would instantly become irrelevant. They would hold each other tight and love simply for the sake of it, finding comfort in their shared history without needing to explain why or face the agony of saying goodbye.

The perspective then shifts to her, revealing that she has also been counting the days since they parted. She has marked the one-year milestone, believing she has finally learned how to think about him without feeling her heart physically rip apart. Despite this progress, she confesses that she still drives past his street, showing that the emotional coordinates of their love remain deeply mapped in her psyche. She remembers the most intimate, vulnerable details about him, such as his fear of the dark and his habit of keeping a nightlight on. Like him, she accepts the cold reality that they were not meant to be together in the long run. But as the imaginary sky begins to fall, those boundaries collapse. Together, they repeat the chorus, yearning for a physical reunion where the rules of the ordinary world no longer apply. The repeated, fragile question of whether they would seek each other out when everything else is stripped away stands as a mutual, silent plea, suspended in the air as they dream of one final, consequence-free night together.

The creation of "If the World Was Ending" is a story of instant artistic and personal chemistry. In July 2019, American singer-songwriter Julia Michaels discovered the music of Canadian artist JP Saxe and shared it on her social media. Around the same time, Saxe had been listening to Michaels' Inner Monologue EPs. Recognizing their mutual admiration, the two arranged a writing session in Los Angeles on July 20, 2019.

Just a couple of weeks prior to their session, Southern California had been shaken by the powerful Ridgecrest earthquakes on July 4 and 5, 2019. This real-world event became the primary inspiration for the song. When Saxe and Michaels met in the studio, they began discussing the earthquakes and how, in Los Angeles, residents frequently contemplate both natural disasters and their ex-partners. This conversation sparked the central premise of the song: would you reconcile with an ex if the reasons for your breakup no longer mattered because the world was ending?

The two wrote the entire song on the day they met and recorded the vocals that very same day, capturing a raw, authentic emotion. The track was produced by the Grammy-winning producer FINNEAS (Finneas O'Connell), known for his work with his sister, Billie Eilish. FINNEAS chose a highly minimalist, piano-driven production to ensure the focus remained entirely on the intimate, conversational vocals of Saxe and Michaels. The song was released on October 17, 2019, by Arista Records as the lead single from Saxe's EP, Hold It Together, and was later included on his debut studio album, Dangerous Levels of Introspection. Adding to the song's real-life romance, JP Saxe and Julia Michaels began dating shortly after writing and recording the track.

The rhyme and rhythm of "If the World Was Ending" are designed to mirror the natural cadence of human speech, prioritizing emotional authenticity over rigid structural rules:

• Slant and Internal Rhymes: The verses heavily favor modern slant rhymes and assonance over perfect rhymes. For example, in the first verse, Saxe pairs "happened" with "drinkin'", and "television" with "thinkin'". This loose rhyming structure keeps the lyrics feeling like an organic, spoken-word confession rather than a highly polished, artificial pop song.
• Structured Chorus Rhymes: In contrast to the loose verses, the chorus adopts a more structured, traditional rhyme scheme (ABAB/AABB variations) with pairings like "night / tight" and "why / goodbye." This sudden harmonic and rhythmic lock-in provides a satisfying emotional payoff, emphasizing the clarity of their shared apocalyptic fantasy.
• Tempo and Meter: The song is set in a slow 4/4 meter with a gentle, floating tempo of around 76 BPM. The rhythm of the piano has a rubato feel, expanding and contracting slightly to follow the breath and emotional pauses of the singers. This interplay between the lyrical rhythm and the musical backing creates a highly intimate, reflective atmosphere.

The song employs several notable literary and musical stylistic techniques that enhance its raw, diary-like intimacy:

• Parallel Verse Structure: The song utilizes a mirrored structure in its verses. JP Saxe begins the first verse with "It's been a year now, think I've figured out how...", and Julia Michaels begins the second verse with the exact same line, but resolves it differently. This parallelism highlights that they are on identical healing timelines, sharing the same mental space despite their physical separation.
• Conversational Narrative and Colloquialisms: The lyrics are written in an incredibly casual, conversational style, using phrases like "chillin', watchin' television" and "down for forever." This realistic, unpretentious dialogue makes the listener feel like they are eavesdropping on a private, deeply personal conversation between two real people.
• Rhetorical Questions: The chorus is built around a series of rhetorical questions ("You'd come over, right?"), which emphasizes the uncertainty, vulnerability, and desperate hope of the narrator.
• Minimalist, Piano-Driven Arrangement: Produced by FINNEAS, the song's musical arrangement is sparse, relying almost entirely on a soft, warm piano and subtle atmospheric synths. This lack of heavy production ensures that the listeners' focus is directed entirely toward the raw vocals and emotional delivery.
• Breathy, Close-Mic Vocal Delivery: Both artists sing with a soft, conversational, and breathy tone. The vocals are mixed very dryly and prominently, creating a "close-up" audio effect that mimics someone whispering their deepest secrets directly into the listener's ear.

Originally released in October 2019, "If the World Was Ending" experienced a massive cultural resurgence in early 2020 due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The song's themes of wanting to be near loved ones in the face of global uncertainty and isolation struck a deeply personal chord with millions of people during worldwide lockdowns, transforming the song into an accidental anthem of the pandemic era.

The track achieved significant commercial and critical success:

• Chart Performance and Certifications: The single peaked at number 27 on the US Billboard Hot 100, number 14 on the UK Singles Chart, and number 13 on the Canadian Hot 100. It has been certified quadruple platinum by the RIAA in the United States and six times platinum by Music Canada, accumulating billions of global streams.
• Grammy Nomination: The song received a prestigious nomination for Song of the Year at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards in 2021, marking a career-defining milestone for JP Saxe and adding another accolade to Julia Michaels' established career.
• Charity All-Star Version: In April 2020, Saxe and Michaels assembled an all-star cast of artists—including Sam Smith, H.E.R., Alessia Cara, Niall Horan, Keith Urban, and FINNEAS—to record a collaborative cover of the song. The project raised significant funds for Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) to support their pandemic relief efforts.
• Media and Covers: The track has been featured on the soundtrack of the television film The Thing About Harry and has been covered extensively by various artists, cementing its legacy as a modern pop ballad classic.

Several key symbols and metaphors enrich the emotional tapestry of "If the World Was Ending":

• The Earthquake / Apocalypse: This serves as a metaphor for structural breakdown, both physical and emotional. Just as an earthquake disrupts the physical foundation of a city, a crisis collapses the emotional barriers and pride that former lovers erect to protect themselves. The apocalypse represents a state of absolute truth where social rules, healing timelines, and logical boundaries are instantly rendered useless.
• The Nightlight: Mentioned in Julia's verse, the nightlight symbolizes vulnerability, fear of the dark, and an intimate level of knowledge that only a former partner would possess. It highlights that despite their physical separation, the deep, tender details of their personalities remain preserved in each other's memories.
• "Love me for the hell of it": This phrase acts as a metaphor for consequence-free affection. In normal life, loving someone requires commitment, navigating compatibility, and worrying about the future. Loving "for the hell of it" during the end of the world represents a return to pure, unburdened romance, where love exists solely for its own sake.
• "Communication die out" vs. "Rippin' my heart out": This contrast highlights the different paths to processing grief. While JP's verse focuses on the slow, passive decay of contact, Julia's verse emphasizes the active, sharp pain of memory, showing that healing from a mutual breakup is a multi-faceted emotional struggle.

There are several crucial recurring phrases and motifs that anchor the song's structure and deepen its emotional resonance:

• The Mirrored Verse Openings: Both JP and Julia begin their verses with "It's been a year now, think I've figured out how...". This repetition acts as a powerful lyrical motif, establishing that despite their physical distance and silence, they are experiencing the exact same passage of time and healing process. It shows they are still emotionally synchronized.
• The Vulnerable "Right?": At the end of the chorus, the question "You'd come over, right?" is followed by a repeated, soft "Right? Right?". This repetition is a key hook and emotional motif. It shifts the lyric from a confident hypothetical declaration to a fragile, insecure plea, exposing the deep-seated fear of rejection and the desperate need for reassurance.
• The apocalypse motif (The Sky Falling): The imagery of "the sky'd be falling" is repeated across the choruses, serving as a recurring visual motif that represents the ultimate catalyst for their reunion. It emphasizes that only a total breakdown of the universe could give them permission to be together again.