"Good Things Fall Apart" Should Have Been A Generation Defining Anthem

You remember that song “Closer” by The Chainsmokers? It was a huge song that kind of legitimized The Chainsmokers as artists and made a big star out of Halsey. I don’t love it, but it’s a good song and there were many people who declared it to be a generation defining song when it came out five years ago and I can see why. It’s got a nice hook, some smooth vocals, and I think it has something to say in regards to the difficulty of relationships in the modern age. The reason I bring up that song is because the 2019 song ”Good Things Fall Apart” by EDM producer Illenium and featuring Jon Bellion in my opinion is what a lot of other people thought Closer actually was. This is one of the best songs I’ve ever heard and I’ve been listening to it daily basically for the last two months. 

I’m not a huge music guy. I enjoy music though, and I dabble in a lot of different genres. I don’t know music the way I know sports or movies. But I know good music when I hear it and this is not good, but great music. In the music industry especially, what’s good is not always what’s popular, but I’m genuinely surprised this song didn’t become some huge Summer anthem because it’s not like it has nobodies behind it. I know it’s not technically his song, but Jon Bellion sings on this and I know who Jon Bellion is. He was the guy who sang the All-Time Low song. He had a pretty big album like five years ago.

I know I’m way behind the times with this song. It was released in 2019, but I heard it for the first time this year and it just slaps every time. It has one of the greatest hooks I’ve ever heard. This song is like if David Guetta and Dashboard Confessional had a beautiful love child. It feels like the kind of song you hear on the radio over and over during the summer as you drive back and forth to the local pool everyday, one of those songs that immediately takes you back to where you were the first time you heard it. In some ways, it reminds me of “Mr. Brightside” by the Killers. I mean it’s not THAT good but it’s one of those rare songs that succeeds at being both remarkably happy and remarkably sad at the same time. 

It’s not like “Good Things Fall Apart” wasn’t a hit in its own right. It peaked at number 4 on the US Dance/Electronic Songs chart and wound up being certified platinum. Both Illenium and Jon Bellion clearly have built in audiences of their own, but this thing should’ve been a billion times platinum. It plays like one of those generation defining heartbreak songs, with a hook that just sinks into your soul. I hope it finds a second wind someday. Give it a listen if you haven’t already.