Songfacts®:

• SZA rawly airs out her insecurities on this track as she sings about a relationship where the other person is consistently hurting her.
  
  I get so lonely I forget what I'm worth
  We get so lonely we pretend that this works
  I'm so ashamed of myself think I need therapy
  
  The TDE soulstress knows the relationship is bad for – it's affecting her self-esteem and making her doubt herself. However, the loneliness she feels when they're not together makes her want to continue the connection.
• While the track itself doesn't namedrop the actress, the song is heavily inspired by 90's movies featuring Drew Barrymore, such as Never Been Kissed and Poison Ivy.
  
  "I just imagine this being the soundtrack to one of those movies. Cue Freddie Prinze, Jr.," SZA said when she performed the song during a private New York City event on January 10, 2017.
• The song was first previewed on December 3, 2015, when it was the backing track for the Ford Focus "In Focus" campaign that SZA and Zoë Kravitz starred in.
• Want another song inspired by Never Been Kissed? How about Adele's "One and Only," which was partly written after the English songbird stayed up late watching the romantic comedy.
• SZA spoke to Billboard magazine about the background to the song. "I [wrote about] my younger life, which was haphazard: being at ­sleepaway camp away from my parents, being the only black girl, not even noticing until I got older, dealing with boys, self-hate, growth, and God," she said. "It's the first time I'm literally writing about my life instead of figuratively writing about it."
• The song's music video was directed by Dave Myers, who also helmed Kendrick Lamar's "HUMBLE." clip. The highlight of the visual is a cameo from the actual Drew Barrymore, who exchanges coy smiles with SZA as they cross paths.
• While appearing as a guest on The Drew Barrymore Show on January 13, 2025, SZA shared with her muse why she chose the actress' iconic name as the title for this song.
  
  "It wasn't just the title - it was inspired by you," SZA began. "The energy you carry."
  
  Taking Barrymore's hands, the singer elaborated: "The carefree, the understanding. I wrote you a letter once that I never sent, explaining how, as a young Black woman, there weren't always many role models to look up to. You were one of the few white women on TV that I admired so much because you were unapologetically yourself."
  
  SZA continued, "You were quirky. Your smile wasn't perfect. I had a slight speech impediment... but I loved the way you spoke and how uniquely you you were. It reminded me of the things about myself that made me insecure, but in you, they shined so brightly. It gave me permission to embrace who I am."