But when I sing it, it still feels very much like my own. “I think it’s cool that when someone listens to it, they interpret it the way they want to interpret it-and in that sense, it kind of does become their song. “I’m so grateful has connected with so many people, and I’ve heard from a lot of them telling me about the people and memories they associate the song with,” she says. “We held each other tight before the night was over / You looked over your shoulder.” Photo by Andrew ScottĪs the song continues to collect streams, it has taken on a new life, and its meaning now belongs to Kays’ flourishing listener base. “We went for a drive, 2:30 in the morning / I kissed you, it was pouring,” she sings. Her ex reached out to her with this single prompt: “Remember that night?” It soon sent her careening back into her memories, and she shares every bruised detail with the listener. The Nashville-based musician was healing, soon casting the chains of the past aside to live her life anew. “But after one month, I started to move on / And after two, I felt alright / Then three months in, you were off my mind.” She tenderly unravels her emotional journey, as dark, swirling clouds slowly dissipate from view. “The day after you said goodbye / All I did was lay in bed and cry,” she weeps over a single piano.

The unshakable thematic core is an unwavering foundation for a vocal performance that cracks like thunder, often glistening yet remaining weary and wilted. “Doing the song in a stripped down way makes me feel more emotional,” she tells American Songwriter, “but it doesn’t change the meaning of the song for me.” Now, Kays peels back the song’s layers for an acoustic performance that cuts even deeper. Her daring to write so candidly about the breakup and its aftermath has led to the song becoming a massive streaming hit its Spotify tally currently stands at more than 35 million. But when her ex reached out to her, it “opened up some old wounds,” as she describes it, and she knew she had to write through her pain. Sara Kays wasn’t necessarily looking for closure when she wrote “Remember That Night?,” a guitar-pinned pop track with a thumping undercurrent.

Sarah kays remember that night