Songfacts®:

• This is a song about the importance of empathy, compassion and being true to yourself in a world that is often divided and hostile. "'Sympathy' doesn't have a complex message, and, in itself, encourages simplicity and directness," said Declan McKenna. "It feels like a dream about love and compassion, it wants us to let go of inhibitions and allow ourselves to truly connect with others rather than overthinking and hiding your feelings away. Or put even simpler, it's about peace and love."
• If you don't speak your thoughts aloud
  You just feel them forever
  
  This is McKenna's favorite line in the song, as it sums up its meaning. "The song is about letting go of your inhibitions and not just being true to yourself, but being true to people around you," he told Radio X's Dan O'Connell.
  
  "I think it's just one of these things you learn," McKenna added. "I can be a bit bashful sometimes and I always look back on those moments where you don't say what needs and you just regret it and 'Sympathy' is about looking out for each other and just being honest and true to yourself in a relaxed way."
• Declan McKenna co-wrote "Sympathy" in Los Angeles with Arlo Parks' producer Gianluca Buccellati. "I was in LA when I wrote this and this is like, this was simply such a bright sunny tune," McKenna told BBC Radio 1's Jack Saunders. "Because it's kind of the first thing that I worked on with Gianluca who I produced a bunch of music with. And it was the first thing pretty much that I wrote when I got there and like, there's like a really dark underbelly to LA, and it's kind of a weird place, but initially I was like it's January, it is terrible back home. It's really lovely here, I'm having a great time and kind of sympathy just came out of that."
• Buccellati's production has a Beach Boys feel to it. "It's definitely influenced by some of the pioneers of studio recording where they kind of realized that you didn't have to make it sound like a live band," said McKenna, "and that's kind of me realizing that as well."
• McKenna first performed "Sympathy" live on May 25, 2023, at the Théâtre Corona in Montreal on the first date of his The Big Return tour. It remained on the setlist throughout the headlining North American tour. He released it as the first single from his third album on July 6, 2023.
  
  "'Sympathy' is a summery tune, and it feels like the most outwardly upbeat song I've made, with the most positive message," McKenna told NME. "It made a lot of sense as the first single. It's a bit of a stark introduction to the new world I've created; I've made a new record that is as probably as different as it could be from my previous albums."
• Declan McKenna plays the guitar and bass on the track and Buccellati plays synthesizer, bass, drums and percussion. The other musicians are:
  
  Henry Pearce: flute, percussion and backing vocals
  Laura Jennings: percussion, backing vocals
  Ben Quinn: percussion, backing vocals
  Josh McClorey: percussion, backing vocals
  Connor Price: percussion, backing vocals
  Jules Apollinaire: percussion