The Door

Album: I've Tried Everything But Therapy (Part 1) (2023)
Charted: 5 24
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Songfacts®:

  • On the album I've Tried Everything But Therapy (Part 1), Teddy Swims dives headfirst into the messy realities of life, using the studio as his own personal couch. Every session became a group therapy throwdown, with Swims and his co-writers dissecting his emotional peaks and valleys. Swims admits he went into each session with an open mind, but even he was surprised by the lyrical outpouring.

    "I think that those are the things your heart needs to say, or your subconscious is trying to tell you that you're not fully tapped into," he said. "There's been a lot of therapy through that. There were times that I found out that I didn't even know I was feeling this way."
  • "The Door" showcases Swims at his most self-aware. The song chronicles his hard-earned escape from a toxic relationship, a partner who poisoned the well with friends and family.

    "That song is about saving my own life," Swims declared. "It was so hard to convince myself of that in the moment, but that's when my priorities shifted from her to me, to saving myself, to loving myself again. 'The Door' is about believing that you're always going to be OK if you trust in yourself."
  • Swims assembled a heavyweight crew for "The Door," co-writing with veterans John Ryan and Julian Bunetta, who penned smashes for One Direction. Frequent Kesha collaborator Ammo joins the party alongside singer-songwriter Mikky Ekko and Sherwyn, who supported Swims on his 2022 tour. Bunetta and Ammo also share production credits on the track.
  • Bunetta, Ammo, and Ekko also helped craft Swims' breakthrough single, "Lose Control." Both "The Door" and "Lose Control" delve into the complexities of relationships, but they approach the theme from distinct angles. "The Door" is a powerful anthem of self-preservation as Swims breaks free from a poisonous relationship. "Lose Control" is a raw portrayal of emotional dependence and desperate addiction to his lover.

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