Twenty One Pilots frontman Tyler Joseph married Jenna Black on March 28, 2015. During this song, Joseph lays bare his insecurities, questioning his ability to express the depth of his love. "I wrote the song about my relationship with my wife but kind of tapped into earlier on in our relationship when I was trying to woo her," he told BBC Radio 1's Jack Saunders. "But it was interesting I wrote it at the kitchen table. You know, with a couple of our kids on either side of us kind of a crazy time to be thinking back to when we weren't sure if we were going to be a thing or not. And here what I was writing a song on the ukulele with two children eating their food on either side of me. So that's kind of where the song came about."

"The Craving" was released on May 22, 2024, through Fueled by Ramen as the fourth single from Clancy. Since 2015, every Twenty One Pilots album has included a love ballad dedicated to Jenna Joseph. "The Craving" is the fourth, following "Tear In My Heart," "Smithereens," and "Formidable." Their 2020 standalone single "Level of Concern" is also inspired by her.

The song arrives in two distinct flavors. The album version, titled "Jenna's Version," is a stark, acoustic portrait of the song's core with production by Tyler Joseph and Mutemath frontman Paul Meany. The single version with additional production by Spencer Stewart injects a pop sensibility, offering a more upbeat counterpoint.