The origins of the track stretch back to early writing sessions for The Truth About Love album, Moore's sixth studio LP. Pink initially entered the studio with indie-pop innovator Nate Ruess and master producer Jeff Bhasker intending to write a standard standalone piece. Bhasker, celebrated for shaping the brassy, drum-forward hooks of Fun.'s Some Nights and Kanye West's 808s & Heartbreak, brought a stark acoustic foundation to the session: an understated grand piano line grounded by crisp, unquantized kick drums.
As the session unfolded, Moore realized the lyrical perspective could not remain one-sided. The track's core tension required two distinct perspectives talking past one another. She lobbied Ruess heavily to turn the track into a full-scale vocal partnership. Ruess initially hesitated, wary of stepping into the pop mainstream outside his band identity, but the organic pull of the vocal arrangement prevailed. His crystalline, theatrical tenor paired against Moore's raspy, blues-drenched belt turned an introspective pop demo into an operatic acoustic pop ballad built on unresolved domestic tension.
