Songfacts®:

• This song is an emotional affair about unrequited love. Smith explained to The Sun: "The person I loved, loved me, but not in a way I wanted them to. It is a very sad song – my mum gets sad when she listens to it."
• The song features production and co-songwriting from Fraser T Smith (Adele's "Set Fire to the Rain," Taio Cruz's "Break Your Heart").
• Many of the songs on In the Lonely Hour were inspired by Smith's unrequited love for one person. This one details his realization that as much as he loves the guy, he will never reciprocate Smith's feelings. "I remember when we wrote this song I was nearly in tears, because it explained exactly what I can't explain to that person, but in a song," he recalled to Digital Spy. "I knew that person was going to be listening to that song, so in a way I was saying it to them. It was an amazing moment for me."