"That's Not How This Works" is a song by American singer-songwriter Charlie Puth, featuring vocals from American country pop music duo Dan + Shay. It was released through Atlantic Records as a single on March 31, 2023. The song was produced by Puth himself and additionally produced by Dan Smyers from Dan + Shay, and the two wrote it alongside Jordan Reynolds. It is also Dan + Shay's second time being featured on a song (they have previously been featured on RaeLynn's song "Say"). A duet version of the song, which also features fellow American singer Sabrina Carpenter, who stars in the official music video for the song, was released on April 14, 2023.[1]
On the same day that "That's Not How This Works" was released, Puth elaborated on the creation of the song through social media:
Verified I wrote That's Not How This Works on zoom with @danandshay in April of 2020. I went through many changes musically in my life, but always kept this song in my back pocket because I knew how special it was. It was after all the song that propelled me into the next phase of my life. It was the song that healed me. With all of these feelings that I hadn't come face to face with before, I finally mustered up the courage to put a melody against them. When you listen to this song, I hope you feel what I felt when I wrote it- a sense of relief. Thank you @sabrinacarpenter for your brilliant portrayal of this character. You are so unbelievably multitalented. That's Not How This Works is out everywhere! Thank you.[2]
"That's Not How This Works" is an electropop song that lyrically focuses on an ex-partner who is indecisive and confuses the other person, in which Puth and the duo members of Dan + Shay sing on the chorus at separate times: "You can't say you hate me, then call me when you're hurt / Baby, you know that's not how this works, no / That's not how this works / You can't walk away, then come back to what we were / Baby, you know that's not how this works, no / That's not how this works, no".[3]
The official music video for "That's Not How This Works", premiered alongside the release of the song on March 31, 2023. It stars both Puth and Sabrina Carpenter, who plays his love interest, in which they play the part of having a relationship and shows the good and bad moments before they break up. Puth shared a trailer video of the music video two days before its release, while the duo members of Dan + Shay do not appear in the video at all.[4] It also includes clips of Puth creating the song in his home recording studio.[5]
