No Promises
by Cheat Codes (featuring Demi Lovato)

Album: Single release only (2017)
Charted: 18 38
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Cheat Codes are a DJ trio from Los Angeles comprising Trevor Dahl, Kevin Ford and Matthew Russell. They rose to stardom on the electronic scene in 2016 with "Sex," which samples the chorus from Salt-N-Pepa's "Let's Talk About Sex."
  • This summer club banger is about the beginning of a relationship. "No Promises is a concept we've been thinking on for a while now," Cheat Codes told OfficialCharts.com. "The idea that we don't own the people in our relationships. Nothing's guaranteed. Give people the space to be the best versions of themselves and THEN, come together."
  • Cheat Codes vocalist Trevor Dahl is joined by guest singer Demi Lovato on this song. "She's such a professional in the studio and made it look so easy," Cheat Codes said. "Demi was actually the first artist we thought of when we started working on this track, so we're blessed it was able to work out the way it did! She sounds amazing on it!"
  • In the Hannah Lux Davis–directed video, Lovato and the trio roam a post-apocalyptic wasteland. The clip was shot outside of Los Angeles in a desolate rural area featuring abandoned buildings and surrounded by panoramic mountains. Lux Davis also helmed Lovato's "Cool For The Summer" visual.
  • The origins of the collaboration lay in a show that Cheat Codes played with Demi Lovato in December 2016 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Matthew Russell explained to Billboard magazine:

    "When we left that show, a lot of the fans were hitting us up and saying we should collab because they had enjoyed the festival and wanted to see what our sounds would sound like together. We had the song 'No Promises,' and we had a moment of 'Wow, she would be the perfect fit for this song if we could choose anyone in the world.' She was our No. 1 choice and we sent it to her - she really just connected with the song, and a few months later, she recorded it in the studio with Trevor and just kind of knocked it out."
  • After Cheat Codes sent Lovato the song, she tweaked some of the lyrical content to make it a bit more from her personal experience. Russell explained: "The thing with Demi is, the reason her vocals sound so good is because she's singing from a real place of personal experience, and that's kind of why we wanted her on the song. We had the general outline and concept of 'No Promises,' and she kind of put it into her own words, which is what we wanted anyway."
  • Matthew Russell explained the song meaning to ABC Radio saying it's about "when you're in a relationship... and you form those expectations [of] your partner and sometimes that can ruin the magic."

    "So the song is about just being with each other, and being in the moment, and not thinking too far ahead and not over-thinking things," he continued. "'Cause I think us as humans... we tend to over-think things, and that can ruin things."
  • Demi Lovato recorded an acoustic version for the deluxe edition of her Tell Me You Love Me album. "She asked us if we were down for that and we said, 'Yeah!'" Matthew Russell told Billboard magazine.

    "It's such a beautiful song and sometimes you focus the production and the synths but when you break it down with just a piano, you're able to focus on the lyric and the message a lot more," added Trevor Dahl.
  • The song was written by Demi Lovato and Cheat Codes with Lauv, Emma Block and Jackson Foote. Lauv told iHeartRadio that it was a "total dream come true to be collaborating with Demi Lovato:

    "I've been friends with, especially Trevor from Cheat Codes, for a number of years, back in the Myspace days, we worked together and played some shows," he explained. "His little project was called Plug in Stereo."

    "I originally worked on the song with some other friends of mine that are called Loote," Lauv continued. "And then Trevor heard the song, and loved it. Then we all collaborated on it and they were like okay, we have an A list, female pop star, who we think we're going to get to feature, but we can't say who it is until she gets back from Africa. So we're like scouring the internet, like who is in Africa right now? And crazy enough, like five minutes later we saw a picture of Demi in Africa. We were like it must be Demi. And it was."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Spooner Oldham

Spooner OldhamSongwriter Interviews

His keyboard work helped define the Muscle Shoals sound and make him an integral part of many Neil Young recordings. Spooner is also an accomplished songwriter, whose hits include "I'm Your Puppet" and "Cry Like A Baby."

Meshell Ndegeocello

Meshell NdegeocelloSongwriter Interviews

Meshell Ndegeocello talks about recording "Wild Night" with John Mellencamp, and explains why she shied away from the spotlight.

TV Theme Songs

TV Theme SongsFact or Fiction

Was a Beatles song a TV theme? And who came up with those Fresh Prince and Sopranos songs?

Which Songs are About Drugs?

Which Songs are About Drugs?Fact or Fiction

"25 or 6 to 4" to "Semi-Charmed Life" - see if you can spot the songs that are really about drugs.

Charlotte Caffey of The Go-Go's

Charlotte Caffey of The Go-Go'sSongwriter Interviews

Charlotte was established in the LA punk scene when a freaky girl named Belinda approached her wearing a garbage bag.

Trucking Songs That Were #1 Hits

Trucking Songs That Were #1 HitsSong Writing

The stories behind the biggest hit songs about trucking.