Songfacts®:

• For Shawn Mendes, the first few months of lockdown was the first extended period in six years he could slow down, relax, and be still. Because he couldn't work, he was able to spend quality time with his girlfriend Camila Cabello, going on bike rides around Miami and really getting to know her. "I had a lot of nostalgia around that time," he told Audacy's Julia in August 2021, "and I think without that time, Camila and I would have found it a lot harder to connect. It really, really brought us together."
  
  Here, Mendes looks back fondly on his golden "'Summer of Love" when he could just chill with his lover.
• To be persnickety, the period Mendes is singing of was April and May 2020, but "Spring of Love" doesn't sound right. He wanted to capture that nostalgic golden time when he was truly happy. Mendes said: "I'm not saying a summer in specific, I'm more so talking about any summer."
• Calling you my señorita
  Didn't know how much I need ya
  
  These lines are a call back to those sung by Mendes and Cabello on their 2019 hit duet "Señorita":
  
  I love it when you call me señorita
  I wish I could pretend I didn't need you
  
  When Mendes and Cabello recorded that track, they weren't dating and were singing of a fictitious romance. Now Mendes can call Cabello his "señorita" for real.
• Mendes teamed up with the Puerto Rican record producer Tainy for the track. Best known for his production work with such Latin superstars as Bad Bunny and J Balvin, Tainy has also collaborated with the likes of Cardi B ("I Like It") and Benny Blanco ("I Can't Get Enough"). "Summer of Love" finds Tainy mixing his world of Reggaeton with Mendes' pop. "SOL has a very "summer vibe" feel, led by main guitars and chords so I just wanted to give it more movement and heavy bass," said Tainy. "That paired with Shawn's vocals made it a perfect fit."
• Shawn Mendes and Tainy wrote the song with:
  
  London-based singer-songwriter Andrew Jackson (Sean Paul featuring Dua Lipa's "No Lie," James Arthur's "Train Wreck").
  
  LA-based songwriter Greg "ALDAE" Heinn (Demi Lovato featuring Marshmello's "OK Not To Be OK," Justin Bieber's "Unstable").
  
  Long Island-based musicians and songwriters Ido Zmishlany and Scott Harris. They co-penned five tracks on Mendes' debut album, including "Life of the Party,' "Something Big," and "I Know What You Did Last Summer." This is Zmishlany's first contribution to a Mendes track since he worked on two songs on Mendez' 2016 Illuminate album. Harrishas continued to be a regular songwriting partner for the Canadian singer.
  
  Ivanni Rodríguez, Alejandro Borrero, Randy Class, and Sarah Solovay also contributed to the writing of the song.
• Matty Peacock directed the dreamy video, which shows Shawn Mendes on vacation in Mallorca, Spain, with friends. Peacock previously shot Mendes' "Wonder" clip, as well as visuals for Selena Gomez ("Boyfriend") and Billie Eilish and Khalid ("Lovely").