It’s weird how a song that technically doesn't exist on a major label can still rack up millions of plays. If you’ve spent any time digging through the dusty corners of "Chainsmokers lore," you’ve definitely stumbled upon it. People call it "Young," but it’s not the track from Memories...Do Not Open. We are talking about the lyrics of young chainsmokers, specifically the unreleased gem that surfaced during the era when Drew Taggart and Alex Pall were transitioning from EDM-remix kings to global pop superstars.
The internet is a graveyard of leaked demos, but this one stayed alive. Why? Because it captures a specific brand of nostalgia that the duo eventually mastered with "Closer" and "Paris," yet it feels raw. Unpolished. It’s got that "recorded in a bedroom while drinking cheap beer" energy that you just can't fake in a multi-million dollar studio.
The Mystery of the Young Chainsmokers Lyrics
You won't find this on Spotify. Honestly, that’s part of the charm. When people search for the lyrics of young chainsmokers, they are usually looking for the leak that features lines about "drinking in the backseat" and "faking IDs." It’s classic Taggart songwriting. It’s grounded in the mundane reality of being twenty-something and terrified of growing up.
The lyrics paint a picture of suburban escapism.
Think about the line “We were just kids, we were just young.” It sounds simple. Maybe even a little cliché if you’re being a cynic. But in the context of their rise, it’s a time capsule. This was written before the Grammys. Before the world tours. It was written when the "young" they were singing about was their actual reality, not a memory they were trying to monetize for a stadium crowd.
Why the Song Never Officially Dropped
The music industry is a messy place. Sometimes a track gets shelved because of sample clearance issues, or maybe the vibe just didn't fit the "vibe" of the current album cycle. During the Memories...Do Not Open era, The Chainsmokers were under intense scrutiny. Critics were tearing them apart for being "too frat-bro," while fans were screaming for more of that melodic, melancholic EDM.
"Young" (the unreleased version) was likely a casualty of branding. If you listen closely to the leaked audio, the production is a bit more indie-pop than the glossy synth-work found on Sick Boy or World War Joy. It’s guitar-heavy. It’s almost... Emo? In a 2017 interview with Billboard, the duo mentioned they had dozens of songs that would never see the light of day because they "didn't feel like The Chainsmokers anymore."
That’s a tough spot to be in. You write a song that’s honest, but it doesn't fit the "brand" you built with "Selfie."
Breaking Down the Verse Structure
Most pop songs follow a rigid Formula. Verse, Chorus, Verse, Chorus, Bridge, Chorus. The lyrics of young chainsmokers in this specific unreleased track actually play with the rhythm a bit more than their radio hits.
- The opening verse sets a cinematic scene: a specific street, a specific car, a specific feeling of being trapped in a small town.
- The pre-chorus builds tension not with a "drop," but with a lyrical crescendo about the fear of the future.
- The chorus is a repetitive anthem. It’s designed to be screamed back at a stage, even if that stage was just a mental projection at the time.
It’s interesting to compare these lyrics to "Closer." In "Closer," the nostalgia is specific—the Rover, the tattoo on the shoulder, the roommate in Boulder. In the unreleased "Young," the nostalgia is broader. It’s about the state of being young rather than the specific artifacts of it.
The Soundcloud Resurrection
Soundcloud is where this song lives. If you go there right now, you'll find "Young (Unreleased)" with comments from three months ago, six months ago, and three years ago. Fans use it as a badge of honor. "I liked The Chainsmokers back when they wrote stuff like this," the comments usually say.
There’s a certain level of gatekeeping in music fandom, and unreleased lyrics are the ultimate currency. To know the lyrics of young chainsmokers (the version the general public hasn't heard) is to prove you’re a "real" fan. It’s a way to connect with the artists before they became a corporate juggernaut.
The Evolution of Drew Taggart's Pen
Let’s be real for a second. Drew Taggart is a better songwriter than people give him credit for. It’s easy to dismiss EDM lyrics as shallow, but Taggart has a knack for "The Great American Suburban Songbook." He writes about the things that actually happen to people: getting drunk at a party you didn't want to go to, missing an ex who was probably bad for you, and feeling like you’re running out of time at age 22.
The lyrics of young chainsmokers show the seeds of this talent. You can see him experimenting with internal rhymes. You can see him trying to find that balance between being relatable and being poetic.
Is it Shakespeare? No. Is it the exact internal monologue of a college student in 2015? Absolutely.
Common Misconceptions About the Track
A lot of people get confused. They see "Young" on the tracklist for Memories...Do Not Open and assume that’s the song everyone is talking about. It isn't. The official "Young" is a polished, mid-tempo nostalgic track. It’s good. It’s fine.
But the "Leaked Young"? That’s the one with the grit.
Another misconception is that the song was "stolen" or "ghostwritten." There is zero evidence for that. In fact, the raw nature of the lyrics suggests it’s one of the most "Taggart" songs in existence. It has his fingerprints all over it—the phrasing, the breathy vocal delivery, and that specific obsession with the passage of time.
How to Actually Find the Lyrics
Since the song isn't on official lyric sites like Genius (at least not in an official capacity), you have to go to fan-made wikis. Be careful, though. Because it’s an unreleased leak, different versions of the audio have different levels of clarity.
Some people transcribe the line as "We were chasing the sun" while others swear it’s "We were chasing the some". (The former makes way more sense, obviously).
- Step 1: Search Soundcloud or YouTube for "The Chainsmokers Young Unreleased."
- Step 2: Look for the versions that are roughly 3 minutes and 15 seconds long.
- Step 3: Compare the lyrics to the official "Young" to see the massive difference in tone and production.
The Legacy of the "Young" Era
The mid-2010s were a wild time for electronic music. We were moving away from the "Put your hands up!" era of EDM and into something more "vibey." The Chainsmokers led that charge. The lyrics of young chainsmokers represent the bridge between those two worlds.
They weren't just making beats anymore; they were telling stories. They realized that a synth lead is great, but a lyric that makes someone feel seen is what creates a career that lasts longer than a festival season.
Even if "Young" never gets a 10th-anniversary remaster or an official "From the Vault" release, it doesn't matter. The fans have it. The lyrics are etched into the digital archives of the internet. It serves as a reminder that even the biggest stars in the world started out as kids in a room, trying to figure out how to put their messy, youthful feelings into a four-chord progression.
If you want to understand the DNA of modern pop-EDM, you have to look at these unreleased fragments. They are the blueprints. They show the mistakes, the "almost" moments, and the raw talent before the polish of fame smoothed everything over.
Actionable Next Steps for Fans
If you're hunting for the full experience of this era, don't just stop at the lyrics. To truly grasp the "Young" era of The Chainsmokers, you should track down their early "Nice Hair" radio episodes from 2014 and 2015. They often played demos and discussed their writing process in a way they don't do anymore in polished press junkets.
Additionally, check out the early remixes they did for bands like Smallpools and The Killers. You’ll hear the same lyrical themes—youth, rebellion, and a hint of sadness—woven into the production of other people's songs before they had the confidence to put their own words front and center.
