Songfacts®:

• "Selfish" is an emotional ballad in which Madison Beer recounts a tale of romantic disentanglement.
  
  Shouldn't love you, but I couldn't help it
  Had a feeling that you never felt it
  I always knew that you were too damn selfish
  Don't know why I looked the other way
  
  After months of being hurt, the songstress finally realized her lover is "too damn selfish" for the relationship to work. It hit home that her ex never reciprocated her love, and she now feels betrayed by him.
• Many fans believe Madison Beer is referencing her toxic relationship with socialite Zack Bia. The pair dated on-and-off between 2017 and 2019. That Beer has described this as her "most-personal" song she has released to date adds further credence to the theory.
• Madison Beer has previously released several empowering self-love anthems, but this intimate song finds her letting her guard down. She told Radio.com: "I'm so ready to have this vulnerable side of me out in the world. I feel like it's been a long time I've been pushing this narrative of - badass, I hate my ex I'm doing my thing, I'm a cool girl - it's time to wipe that away a little bit and show the real me. The nerdy, sad, lonely girl inside."
  
  "That's the part to me that I'm so excited to show because I think that a lot of people misjudge me and misunderstand me because of the narrative I've pushed in my music so much," Beer added. "I'm only 20 years old, I'm a very emotional girl, I'm a Pisces so, filled with tears all the time. I just think it's really important to show that side. Especially as an artist."
• Madison Beer co-wrote and co-produced the song with frequent collaborator Leroy Clampitt, also known as Big Taste. Clampitt's other credits include Justin Bieber's "Company" and Sage the Gemni's "Now and Later."
  
  The other credited writers of the song are Jeremy Dussoliet, Tim Sommers, Elizabeth Lowell Boland, and Jaramye Daniels.
• The themes of empowerment and breaking free of restraints run throughout Life Support. Beer told The Sun, "I want young girls to listen to this album and feel empowered - about themselves, about their relationships."
  
  She added: "With a song like Selfish, I want them to know that it's OK to reminisce and get sad about somebody who treated you poorly."