Songfacts®:

• Beginning with just sparse piano, Conan Gray sings about a former romantic partner who has issues accepting that he is trying to move on. When the ex-shows up at his house unannounced one rainy day, he lets them in. However, Gray won't let the person stay overnight, as allowing them back into his life as it will only lead to him getting hurt again.
• On the bridge Gray tells his former partner they can stay long enough to grab books, coat, "and that one good cologne that you bought when we were fighting." This suggests the person bought him expensive cologne as an apology gift. However, the smell lingering on his clothes makes him "feel like dying," hampering him from moving on.
• On the chorus, Gray plays with the idea of the person staying in his head as they won't leave him alone.
  
  I wish that you would stay in my memories
  But you showed up today, just to ruin things
  I wanna put you in the past 'cause I'm traumatized
  
  When the ex appears in real life, it gives Gray fresh, painful memories. "I don't want any new memories from you," he explained to People. "Don't make this any harder than it already is."
• Gray wrote "Memories" after having dinner with a friend who considered texting their ex because she missed them. "I was like, 'Well, you broke up with him, so maybe you shouldn't text him," he told People. "'Maybe you should actually just leave him alone and let him rest and let him get over you.' It just had me thinking about all the times that people texted me that I wished they wouldn't have."
• Gray co-wrote the pleading piano-pop tune with his go-to collaborator and producer Dan Nigro. He worked with Gray on most of the tracks of his debut Kid Krow album, including the hit single "Heather." Nigro is best known as the co-writer/producer of Olivia Rodrigo's big-selling Sour record.