Lyrically, "In Common" is about a woman and her first date. She is immediately infatuated and enamored by the experience and the evening.
Keys gave the first televised performance of the track on Saturday Night Live and later at the UEFA Champions League Final.
A remix of the song features American rappers Kanye West and Travis Scott.
Brittany Spanos of Rolling Stone called it an "hypnotic, catchy single."
Pitchfork list "In Common" on their ranking of the 100 best songs of 2016 at number 87.