Songfacts®:

• This song finds Nicki Minaj and The Weeknd trading moody vocals over a trap beat. Both artists are addressing exes and love and The Weeknd's verses are thought to be directed at Selena Gomez.
  
  Tell me why you let me come inside for real
  Nevermind, you were never mine for real
  
  The Weeknd started dating Selena Gomez in January before splitting nine months later. Just weeks after the split, Gomez reunited with her ex Justin Bieber, with whom she'd had an on-and-off relationship.
• This is the second studio collaboration between Minaj and The Weeknd. Their first collaboration was back in 2015 when Minaj added a raunchy verse to a remix of The Weeknd's hit single, "The Hills."
• The song originally featured an unnamed rapper before Minaj removed that verse. "Once I took the rapper off the song, I loved it even more; it felt like more of an easy listen," she said.
• Minaj's recording engineer, Aubry "Big Juice" Delaine, told Rolling Stone he made sure the song's vibe fitted in with its lyrical content. "On 'Thought I Knew You,' it had to be smooth, something that changed your mood and put you in another place when you listen to it," he said. "The sonics have to match the mood that is being sung or rapped about."