Songfacts®:

• This song was inspired by Oleta Adams' "Get Here." Smith told 4Music: "I used that same format with the list of ways that he will never love you like I can."
• Many of the songs on In The Lonely Hour were penned by Smith about his unrequited love for another man. He told The Sun: "I was the only one in the relationship. We never even kissed, nothing ever happened. He highlighted something about myself - that I was really lonely. I'd never been in a relationship before and that was starting to affect me."
• The black-and-white music video, directed by Sophie Muller (Gwen Stefani, Beyonce, Ellie Goulding), shows Smith with a bunch of guys at a bachelor party.
• In mid-August 2021, the song went viral on TikTok, sending it back into the UK singles chart. The trend sees users create videos set to the lyrics:
  
  There may be lovers who hold out their hands but
  He'll never love you like I can, can, can
  
  As Smith sings the final line, the videos freeze frame in black and white.