Puth initially signed with the record label eleveneleven after performing on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, while songwriting and producing for other artists. With primary intent on a solo career, Atlantic Records and Artist Partner Group eventually sought the artist and released his debut single, "Marvin Gaye" (featuring Meghan Trainor), in 2015. His next single and first feature, "See You Again", which he co-wrote, co-produced, and performed with Atlantic label-mate Wiz Khalifa for the Furious 7 soundtrack as a tribute to actor Paul Walker. It peaked at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 for 12 non-consecutive weeks. After the success of "See You Again", he gained worldwide recognition for multiple subsequent releases, including his next single, "One Call Away". The single reached number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Puth's debut studio album, Nine Track Mind, was released in January 2016 to moderate commercial success. The album was preceded by the singles "One Call Away" and "We Don't Talk Anymore" (featuring Selena Gomez), which peaked at number 12 and number 9 respectively on the Billboard Hot 100. In 2017, he released two songs, "Attention" and "How Long", with the former peaking at number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100. Both were included on his second studio album, Voicenotes (2018), with ameliorated critical reception and a peak of number 4 on the Billboard 200. In 2019, Puth released the singles "I Warned Myself", "Mother" and "Cheating on You". The following year, Puth released singles "Girlfriend" and "Hard on Yourself". After deciding not to put these songs on his next album and scrapping what other songs he had written for it in early 2020, Puth released "Light Switch" in January 2022 as the lead single of his upcoming third studio album Charlie, which is scheduled for a 2022 release. "Light Switch" peaked at number 27 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album's second single, "That's Hilarious", was released in April 2022.
Cheating on You
Charlie Puth Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
On your momma's couch
2012 was nothing serious
And then we caught the feels
It got really real
Too good to be true
I guess I thought you was, yeah
Why did I run away, run away, run away?
Oh, your love was everything, everything, everything
I know it's gettin' late, gettin' late, gettin' late
But can I still be on my way, on my way? Yeah
I know I said, "Goodbye," and, baby, you said it too
But when I touch her, I feel like I'm cheating on you
I thought that I'd be better when I found someone new
But when I touch her, I feel like I'm cheating on you
Baby, now, oh, cheating on you
Baby, now
But when I touch her, I feel like I'm cheating on you
Thought I could get you back any time of day
Shouldn't have been so cocky
Shouldn't have did you wrong (whoa)
And now I miss you bad, really, really bad
Guess you don't know what you got until it's gone
Why did I run away, run away, run away? (Run away)
Oh, your love was everything, everything, everything (everything)
I know it's gettin' late, gettin' late, gettin' late (gettin' late)
But can I still be on my way, on my way? Yeah
I know I said, "Goodbye," and, baby, you said it too (you said it too, baby)
But when I touch her, I feel like I'm cheating on you (cheating on you)
I thought that I'd be better when I found someone new (ooh)
But when I touch her, I feel like I'm cheating on you
Baby, now, ooh, cheating on you
Baby, now, oh
But when I touch her, I feel like I'm cheating on you
Baby, no
There ain't no lips like your lips
And nobody else feels like this
There's no moving on, I'll admit
If you go away, yeah
I know I said, "Goodbye," and, baby, you said it too
But when I touch her, I feel like I'm cheating on you (cheating on you)
I thought that I'd be better when I found someone new (found someone new)
But when I touch her, I feel like I'm cheating on you (believe it, baby)
Baby, now, ooh, cheating on you (said, "Goodbye," said, "Goodbye")
Baby, now, ooh (said, "Goodbye," said, "Goodbye")
But when I touch her, I feel like I'm cheating on you
I said, "Goodbye"
And you said, "Goodbye"
In Charlie Puth's song "Cheating on You," the artist reflects on a past relationship that he had and the guilt he feels after moving on. He starts by describing the beginning of their relationship as something casual that wasn't taken seriously. However, as time went on, he caught "the feels" and it became too good to be true. Despite this, Charlie eventually ended the relationship and moved on with someone new. However, he can't shake the feeling of guilt and the sense that he is cheating on his ex every time he touches his new partner. The chorus is an admission of his guilt and a plea for forgiveness as he realizes that he took his past relationship for granted.
The lyrics of the song paint a very relatable picture of the aftermath of a breakup. Even after moving on, it is natural to feel guilty and like you are betraying your former partner when you are with someone new. By acknowledging this feeling, Charlie Puth is trying to come to terms with his actions and seek catharsis. The bridge of the song is also an emotional plea to his former partner not to leave and to come back to him because he cannot move on.
Line by Line Meaning
It started with a kiss
Our relationship began with a simple kiss.
On your momma's couch
We shared our first kiss on the couch at your mom's house.
2012 was nothing serious
We were both just having fun and not taking our relationship too seriously back in 2012.
And then we caught the feels
However, our feelings grew deeper and we fell in love with each other.
It got really real
Our relationship became much more serious as we fell in love with each other.
Too good to be true
Our relationship was amazing, almost too good to be true.
I guess I thought you was, yeah
I believed our relationship was perfect and you were the one for me.
Why did I run away, run away, run away?
I regret running away from our relationship and want to go back to it.
Oh, your love was everything, everything, everything
Your love was the most important thing to me and I miss it terribly.
I know it's gettin' late, gettin' late, gettin' late
I know it's late, but I still want to be with you.
But can I still be on my way, on my way? Yeah
I want to come back to you and be with you again.
I know I said, 'Goodbye,' and, baby, you said it too
We both said goodbye to each other but I still miss you deeply.
But when I touch her, I feel like I'm cheating on you
When I'm with someone else, I feel like I'm betraying you.
I thought that I'd be better when I found someone new
I thought I would move on and find happiness with someone else, but I still miss you.
Baby, now, oh, cheating on you
I feel like I'm cheating on you when I'm with someone else.
But when I touch her, I feel like I'm cheating on you
Even though I thought I would move on, I still feel guilty for being with someone else.
Thought I could get you back any time of day
I foolishly believed I could win you back at any time, but it's not that easy.
Shouldn't have been so cocky
I shouldn't have been so arrogant about our relationship and taken you for granted.
Shouldn't have did you wrong (whoa)
I made a mistake by hurting you and regret it deeply.
And now I miss you bad, really, really bad
I miss you terribly and wish I could be with you again.
Guess you don't know what you got until it's gone
I didn't realize how much I loved you until you were no longer in my life.
There ain't no lips like your lips
No one kisses me like you do.
And nobody else feels like this
No one else makes me feel the way you do.
There's no moving on, I'll admit
I can't move on from you and still love you deeply.
If you go away, yeah
If you leave me, I don't know what I would do.
Believe it, baby
I am telling you the truth about how I feel.
Said, 'Goodbye,'
We said goodbye to each other.
Lyrics Β© Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Charlie Puth
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind