Thought It Was

"Thought It Was" is a song by American musicians Iann Dior, Travis Barker and Machine [Gun Kelly (musician)|Machine Gun Kelly]. It was released on January 18, 2022 as the third single from Dior's second studio album On to [Better Things] and is the second collaboration between the three artists, following "Sick and Tired". Produced by Barker, the song contains a sample of "Closing Time" by Semisonic.

Composition and lyrics

An alternative-leaning track, "Thought It Was" samples Semisonic's "Closing Time" and interpolates it in the melody. The lyrics revolve around Iann Dior and Machine Gun Kelly becoming disenchanted with the results of fame and success, through feeling lonely despite being surrounded by people. In the chorus, Dior croons: "Chasing the feeling in the hills at night / City of Angels, but it hurts sometimes / Finally made it, but it don't feel right / Don't feel like I thought it would". Kelly talks about taking drugs to cope with his loneliness.