Songfacts®:

• This was written and originally recorded by Prince as "How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore." He recorded it using just his voice and piano, and released it in 1982 as the B-side of "1999." Keys is a classically trained pianist, so the song appealed to her.
• Keys is a big fan of Prince. She got the idea to record this after someone from her record company put it on a tape for her to listen to.
• Keys played this at Prince's 43rd birthday celebration at his Paisley Park compound in Minneapolis. She met Prince there for the first time; he gave her some advice and told her he liked her version of the song. This was high praise, as Prince generally didn't like people covering his songs.
• Keys performed all of the songs from the album during her visit to Paisley Park. In her 2020 memoir, More Myself: A Journey, the singer recalled that Prince had just one rule: No cursing allowed. While she managed to avoid dropping any f-bombs, the curse-loving singer did let a few minor swear words slip. On her way out the door, Prince told her she owed him a dollar for his curse jar.
• Canadian director Little X (Nelly's "Hot In Herre," Usher's "U Don't Have To Call") directed the music video for Keys' version, which follows the singer throughout her day as she prepares for a gig and wonders why her boyfriend hasn't called her. When he finally calls her at the end of the clip with a lame excuse, she hangs up on him. Comedian Mike Epps (Next Friday, The Hangover) played her boyfriend.
• This is the third single from Keys' debut album, Songs In A Minor, following her breakthrough "Fallin'" and "A Woman's Worth."