You Thought

"You Thought" is a song by American recording artist Alex Washington.

Background
After the runaway success of "Losing", Washington quickly followed up with the uptempo track, "You Thought" as the second single from the hit EP Mourning & Other Pleasantries. The track takes heavy influence from the sounds of late 1990s R&B/funk tracks, with Timbaland, Missy Elliot, and Rodney Jerkins all as inspiration for the track. Thematically, the song relates to the regret of giving a former lover a second chance, only to see them repeat the same toxic behaviours that separated the couple in the first place.

The track was an early favourite at radio, picking up enough airplay to reach the Top 40 a mere two weeks after "Losing" debuted on the same chart. The single eventually reached #1 upon release, staying there for two weeks, Washington's second single to do so, after 2006's "Brothers".

Music Video
Sophie Muller directed the video for "You Thought", as a continuation of her previous video for "Losing". It was filmed on location in and around Los Angeles, California in March 2022. The video sees Washington return from his trip to Cuba, revealing at the end that his trip was for contraband Cuban cigars to celebrate the birth of his child with his partner. Something of a continuation of his previous video for "Love Games", Washington's partner is once again played by actor Conrad Ricamora.

The video was well-received by critics, who enjoyed the high-action and light tone of the video.

Digital EP

 * 1) You Thought (Album Version)
 * 2) You Thought (Audiodrama's Think Twice Vocal)
 * 3) You Thought (Audiodrama's Second Thoughts Dub)
 * 4) You Thought (Over Thinkers Anonymous Dub)
 * 5) You Thought (Retta's Screwed & Chopped Mix)
 * 6) We Thought (H1J4CK's Alex x Brandy Mashup)
 * 7) You Thought (Bootleg Mix)
 * 8) Alone Again

7" Vinyl

 * 1) You Thought
 * 2) Alone Again

12" Vinyl

 * 1) You Thought (Album Version)
 * 2) You Thought (Audiodrama's Think Twice Vocal)
 * 3) You Thought (Audiodrama's Second Thoughts Dub)
 * 4) You Thought (Retta's Screwed & Chopped Mix)
 * 5) We Thought (H1J4CK's Alex x Brandy Mashup)
 * 6) You Thought (Bootleg Mix)

Credits

 * Alex Washington (Vocals, Songwriter & Production)
 * La'Shawn Michaels (Songwriter & Production)

Chart Performance
'You Thought' debuted at #1 on the UK singles chart, becoming Washington's fifth chart-topper. The single was Washington's first to stay at #1 for two weeks in over a decade, and has sold over 460,000 copies to date.