Songfacts®:

• If you've ever had a friend stuck in a spectacularly bad relationship, the sort where you want to shake them and shout, "He's not a saint just because he bought you flowers!" then you already know the premise of Perrie's "If He Wanted to He Would." It's a country-pop anthem that doubles as relationship counseling.
• Having released several breakup anthems since going solo, such as "Tears" and "You Go Your Way," Perrie didn't want to release another heartbreak dirge.
  
  "I realized that if I released another song about heartbreak, my fans would have gone into a downward spiral," she told Rolling Stone, "but if I write about a friend going through it, it's kinda different!"
• The song's central message is blunt: stop applauding a partner for doing the bare minimum. In Perrie's words: "We get one chance in life, so let's spend it with someone who is deserving."
• The track originated in 2023 as a slow R&B sketch written by Scottish singer-songwriter Nina Nesbitt that wasn't picked up by her record label. In a session with Perrie and production duo The Nocturns (Charlie Martin and Joe Housley), Perrie said she wanted to create a song that feels like supportive, tough-love advice. This concept transformed the dusty demo into an empowering country-pop anthem. The final version is a powerful singalong about recognizing red flags and reminding your friends that they deserve more.
• Perrie's solo tracks often draw directly from personal experiences, like spotting red flags in relationships. Speaking on ITV's Lorraine, Perrie described the song as "definitely the most me. I think it's very like cheeky with the lyrics, but still talking about something that I think everyone kind of relates to. Either they have a friend going through it or they've gone through it. It's just about a wronging and going out with a wronging and not seeing the red flags really and needing like your friends or your family to be like, 'Babes, this isn't it.'"
• The video leans all the way into rom-com territory, with Perrie playing the wise best friend and Nina Nesbitt starring as the one in need of comfort. Directed by Dora Paphides, it tips its hat to classics like The Holiday, Bridesmaids and Pretty Woman.