Songfacts®:

• This is the third single from Happiness, the debut studio album by English synthpop duo Hurts. Keyboardist Adam Anderson told 69 Degrees magazine: "It's a song we're really proud of because since we met each other we spent ages trying to write the perfect pop song and I don't think we've ever got close to it. But, when we wrote 'Stay' we looked at each other and knew how much we'd improved and it was one of the last tracks we wrote and we realised we had an album – it was a great moment. We're really proud of it."
• The song was recorded in Gothenburg, Sweden and was co-produced by Swedish producer Jonas Quant. It features a four-piece choir comprising Tina Sunnero, Jennifer Götvall, Karianne Arvidsson and Malin Abrahamsson.
• Singer Theo Hutchcraft cited to NME Phil Spector productions like "Unchained Melody" as an influence on Happiness. He said: "'Stay' is influenced by those kind of big, grand ballads, more than the '80s stuff that people usually pick up on."