Songfacts®:

• Breaking up is hard to do, but Payton Smith isn't going to write a sad song about it. If the country singer's ex is expecting a heartbreak ballad that's begging her to stay, "This ain't that song." But Smith is nice about it - he assures her they're both going to move on and they'll both be fine.
• In a 2021 Songfacts interview, Smith explained how the tune came together: "That song started with a riff. The riff you hear at the top of the song really sets the tone for a hopeful moving on from a heartbreak situation. I've always loved guitar riffs that go along with the melody of the verse. And Casey Beathard had the idea for 'This Ain't That Song,' and I loved the way that it flipped from a heartbreak song to a moving on song."
• Smith, who was raised in Houma, Louisiana, returned to his home state to shoot the music video with director Doltyn Snedden. The singer told Songfacts of the clip: "I've always wanted to shoot a video in the swamps of Louisiana. There's something about the vibe there that I felt like really connected with 'This Ain't That Song' so we took a team of people down there to shoot it. I got to have my dog in the video so that was pretty cool."
• The clip was filmed on Lake Verret in south Louisiana, about 20 minutes away from where Smith grew up. The only way to get to the location, a small cabin where Smith and his dog hang out, is by boat.
• Smith released his debut self-titled EP in 2019, which featured the single "Like I Knew You Would."