Songfacts®:

• Over soaring strings and mellow piano, Sam Smith yearns for love.
  
  I just want somebody to die for
  
  The singer is feeling desperately lonely. The thought of being on his own for the rest of his days constantly eats away at him.
• Sam Smith wrote the heartfelt ballad with his go-to collaborator Jimmy Napes and the Norwegian production duo Stargate. The four previously teamed up for Smith's 2017 single "Too Good At Goodbyes." The singer said that they wrote the song in Los Angeles "during a time of self-discovery and heartbreak."
• Pink lemonade sippin' on a Sunday
  Couples holding hands on a runway
  They're all posing in a picture frame
  Whilst my world's crashing down
  
  Abbot Kinney is a mile-long beach-adjacent boulevard in Los Angeles' Venice neighborhood. The avenue is filled with flagship stores, boutiques, art galleries and is also a popular spot for nightlife.
  
  Smith told Apple Music how a stroll down Abbot Kinney Boulevard served as inspiration for the emotional song. "I was walking down there on a Sunday and everyone was happy because everyone's happy on that road," he recalled. "Just partners everywhere, kissing, and families. And it's basically about that - about feeling alone and feeling like you're on the outside watching everyone else together."
• The song opens with a sample from the 2001 cult film Donnie Darko. The dialogue is taken from a scene where psychologist Dr. Thurman is sitting with troubled teenager Donnie.
• Sam Smith intended this to be the title track of his third album, but when the coronavirus pandemic started spreading worldwide, the singer felt it was insensitive to use the word "die" in the title.