The Title of ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’ Got Reused For a Bad Song
Judging by titles alone, one of the best horror movies of the 1990s is I Know What You Did Last Summer. The name was appropriated for a star-studded song from the 2010s. On the surface, this seems strange, but it makes sense when you look at the movie’s legacy.
The song ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’ is uses the title of a bad 1990s movie
Some horror movies leave a legacy of storytelling. Classics like Frankenstein, Dracula, and Psycho influenced the plots of numerous subsequent films. Audiences primarily remember I Know What You Did Last Summer for its title, which promises a movie that is intriguing and sensational.
Of course, the movie is just another slasher film. The only thing that sets it apart from every other slasher movie is its relatively prominent cast. With that in mind, it’s no surprise that people remember the name of the film more than its plot or characters. The song “I Know What You Did Last Summer” knicks the title of the movie but nothing else.
The tune ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’ is about cheating
During a 2015 interview with Teen Vogue, Cabello discussed the meaning of “I Know What You Did Last Summer.” “The song is about cheating,” she explained. “Two days before we wrote this song I found out from a friend of mine that the boy that I was ‘talking to’ was also talking to other girls. The line ‘can’t seem to let you go / can’t seem to hold you close’ was about that weird period when you find out you’re being played but haven’t said anything to him yet and it’s awkward and distant. In the song, as the ‘cheater,’ I put myself in that guy’s perspective.”
Cabello revealed that her friend, Taylor Swift, was a big fan of the tune. “Taylor and I were texting the other day and she told me she loved the song and was like, ‘Dude, I’m so proud of you,'” she said. “My heart fell out of my butt. I told her how much it meant to me that she said that because she was one of the artists that inspired me to write songs in the first place and she is one of my biggest musical influences.”
How the song performed on the charts
“I Know What You Did Last Summer” peaked at No. 20 on the Billboard Hot 100, staying on the chart for 20 weeks. Considering that Mendes has never been a chart juggernaut like Swift or The Beatles, “I Know What You Did Last Summer” was one of his biggest hits.
The tune appeared on some editions of the record Handwritten. The album topped the Billboard 200 for a single week. It lasted on the Billboard 200 for 124 weeks.
The song was just the beginning for Mendes and Cabello. The duo later performed a love duet called “Señorita.” That track was far more successful than “I Know What You Did Last Summer,” peaking atop the Billboard Hot 100 for one week and lasting on the chart for 37 weeks in total.
“I Know What You Did Last Summer” wasn’t the most significant song ever but it is part of the legacy of a certain 1990s horror film.
