“I Know What You Did Last Summer” by Shawn Mendes & Camila Cabello
On “I Know What You Did Last Summer”, Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello play the role of a couple who are aware that they are both cheating on each other, yet are unwilling to settle the issue in their conversation.
The lady begins by admitting that she’s cheating and is aware that her partner knows about it. Although she feels guilty, she does not want to confess her actions to him. Both partners contrast the feelings they have about the relationship as they suggest that revealing their secrets is the actual thing that is hurting them. Camila seems to be slipping away, and Shawn doesn’t appear to hold on or let go.
Shawn confronts her to tell him where she’s been cheating on him, but realizes that she doesn’t look at him the same way she used to and does not show enough commitment like before. It’s clear to him that she may no longer love him as much and consoles himself with memories from their past.
Co-writer, Camila Cabello has mentioned that the song is mainly a conversation between a couple where neither of them wants to admit that their relationship is dying.
“I Know What You Did Last Summer” samples “Ain’t No Sunshine”
One of the most outstanding parts of this Mendes and Cabello collaboration is the prominent usage of the late Bill Withers’ hit 1970’s classic “Ain’t No Sunshine“. A number of analysts have actually credited this classic hit as the reason the collabo became successful.
Writing Credits
Owing to the sampling of “Ain’t No Sunshine”, Bill Withers is credited as one of the writers of “I Know What You Did Last Summer” alongside Cabello and Mendes.
Full Songwriting Credits
- Shawn Mendes
- Camila Cabello
- Ido Zmishlany
- Noel Zancanella
- Bill Withers
According to Mendes and Cabello, they wrote the song while backstage at a Taylor Swift tour. In an interview with Teen Vogue, Cabello revealed that the lyrics are partly autobiography. According to her, the inspiration came a couple of days after finding out that a boy she was romantically attracted to was also romantically attracted to others.
Release Date of “I Know What You Did Last Summer”
On November 18th, 2015, Island Records released this as the fourth single from Mendes bestselling maiden album “Handwritten”. It actually appears on the revisited version of the album.
Chart Success
This was a commercially successful collaboration for both Mendes and Camila. In New Zealand, the United States and Britain, it made it numbers 1, 20 and 42, respectively. It was also a top 10 hit on the Greek and Hungarian singles charts.
