Songfacts®:

• The second single from The Ride, this emotional song along with the rest of the album was produced by John Congleton of the band The Paper Chase. The two met through Annie Clark of St. Vincent and had a musical chemistry from the moment Nelly entered his Dallas studio. Furtado told Billboard magazine the story of how she linked up with the producer.
  
  "I met Annie Clark from St. Vincent - she and I were both playing a festival in Tokyo called Summer Sonic and we struck up a friendship. One day I asked Annie to give me John's phone number. I asked what he was like to work with, and she spoke very highly of him. John and I met up for a drink in a hotel lobby in LA, and I think he was mixing the Earl Sweatshirt album at the time. He and I chatted for a long time and really got along.
  
  I flew to Dallas and was staying at this tiny hotel called The Belmont -- not far from his recording studio called Elmwood Recording, which used to be a mortuary. At the time, I was managing myself because I had just ended a 20-year professional relationship -- our friendship has remained, but we just went in different directions professionally. I found myself having this thrill of being completely independent, and I got a shuttle ride over to John's studio. That first day we wrote the song 'Flatline,' which ended up being one of my favorites of the album."