While written about fictional earthquakes, the song’s popularity "catapulted" during 2020 as listeners found literal parallels in the global lockdown. JP Saxe & Julia Michaels - If The World Was Ending
The song is a piano ballad at 75 BPM, primarily featuring soft piano chords and subtle gospel-style backing vocals. JP Saxe, Julia Michaels - If The World Was Ending
The Anatomy of a Modern Anthem: "If The World Was Ending" "If The World Was Ending," a hauntingly intimate duet by JP Saxe and Julia Michaels, stands as a rare cultural artifact: a song written for a specific moment that inadvertently became the soundtrack for a global era. Released in October 2019, months before the COVID-19 pandemic, the song explores the "logic of the heart" versus the "logic of the world". Produced by Finneas , known for his work with Billie Eilish, the track utilizes a minimalist arrangement to foreground its conversational lyricism and emotional vulnerability. Creative Origins and Spontaneous Composition Released in October 2019, months before the COVID-19
The song ends on a minor chord (B-flat minor) with all harmonies and reverb stripped away. This musical choice mirrors the lyrical lack of resolution; listeners never learn if the person actually "came over". Cultural Resonance and the Pandemic Effect This musical choice mirrors the lyrical lack of
The song’s inception was remarkably swift; Saxe and Michaels wrote and recorded the track on the very day they met . The lyrical inspiration was triggered by the July 2019 earthquakes in Los Angeles, which led the duo to discuss who they would reach out to if a catastrophic event truly occurred. Saxe describes the experience as "mystical," noting that Michaels—a prolific songwriter for stars like Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber—brought a poetic sharpness that elevated the song’s emotional contour. Lyrical Themes: The Logic of Regret
The apocalypse serves as a metaphor for the removal of pride and social consequences. It asks if a global ending is necessary to justify a moment of irrational reconnection.
To preserve the "integrity" of the original demo, the artists recruited Finneas to accentuate the track's raw feeling rather than burying it in flashy production.
