“That’s Hilarious” by Charlie Puth

Charlie Puth has explained that the lyrics of “That’s Hilarious” are based on “the worst breakup of (his) life”, an incident that occurred back in 2019. Usually when dealing with such lyrics, we are met with a vocalist who is unable to get over the troubling emotions which tend to be part and parcel of such dissolutions. And well, in a roundabout way such is actually the case with “That’s Hilarious”.

However, the truth of the matter is that a lot of times after being dumped, as it appears would be akin to what Charlie went through, an individual may be heartbroken alright. But there is also this feeling of vengeance that develops. In other words, that less-altruistic side of our character may look forward to a day when our ex finds him or herself so lonely and distraught in our absence that they long to have us back. 

To reiterate, such is more or less a common emotion in such situations, i.e. wanting the lover who did us wrong to suffer emotionally. And in this case the vocalist indeed lets his petty side come to the forefront of the lyrics.

The Lyrics

So herein we witness Charlie basically mocking the addressee, his ex, who is trying “badly” to get back with him. Indeed he’s finding it hard to believe – or “hilarious” as stated – that she is making such an effort in the first place. 

This isn’t only because she ‘didn’t love him when she had him’. But also in her new pitch, she’s flipping the situation like it was rather Charlie who caused their breakup. So it’s like she’s up to her old tricks, if you will. But sorta in the addressee’s defense, Puth insinuates that the reason she proved to be such a toxic lover is because when he did date her she was on the rebound, which apparently she may be again even now.

Honestly, there’s a lot going on in this song. Yes, to some degree it does read like a romantic-revenge fantasy, i.e. the vocalist getting a kick out of his disagreeable ex now trying to maneuver herself back into his life. But it isn’t necessarily like he’s chillin’ in the here and now either. Instead, he’s able to recognize that from an emotional and psychological standpoint, his past relationship with the addressee ‘took away a year of his f***in’ life’ that he may never be able to reclaim.

What Charlie Puth has said about “That’s Hilarious”

According to him, listening to this song always makes him think of a very dark chapter in his life when he was unable to let a romantic partner go. He further stated that this is “the hardest song” he had ever written.

When was “That’s Hilarious” released?

“That’s Hilarious”, which came out on 8 April, marked Puth’s second release of 2022. And as with the first, “Light Switch“, both of these songs are to be featured on “Charlie” – Puth’s third studio album.

The first time Puth teased this song was in late March, 2022.

And this song was put out by Atlantic Records, whom Puth initially signed with in 2015.

Credits

Puth, who also produced this track, wrote it with Jacob Kasher. And by the way, this isn’t Jacob’s first time writing a song with Puth. The two have a long working history. For example, Jacob co-wrote Puth’s 2017 hit song “Attention“.