It features Colombian-American DJ Erick Morillo, who co-wrote the song with Burke, Britt Burton, Josh Wilkinson, Harry Romero, and Jose Nuñez.

"[2] "Elephant" was co-written by Burke with Britt Burton,Emily Farrell, Josh Wilkinson, Erick Morillo, José Nunez and Harry Romero; Sympho Nympho and Mike Spencer produced the track.

[3] When asked about how the collaboration with DJ and producer Erick Morillo came to be, Burke revealed that he had heard the remix of "Elephant" and stated that he "wanted to get on board.

"[2] After Burke returned from a writing camp in the United States, her record label and management contacted Morillo and asked him if he would like to be involved with the song, to which he said yes within 24 hours.

[5] Burke revealed that she explored other options for the lead single as a result of the delays, but she knew that she wanted "Elephant" to be released first since July 2011.

[4] In an interview with Digital Spy, the singer explained the meaning of the lyrics, saying "everyone has been through something in relationships; whether it be with a loved one, a partner or family members where something needs to be discussed - and I've been through that situation.

"[2] In an interview with ITV's Daybreak, Burke revealed that she had been unaware of the phrase "elephant in the room" before hearing it at a writing camp in the United States.

[6] Lewis Corner of Digital Spy gave the song three out of five stars writing, "Like all good starters, the intro is a perfectly-sized portion of thumping beats and slick synths that leads into an even tastier main course.

"[8] In his review for The Guardian, Michael Cragg criticized the use of Auto-Tune and wrote, "While the verses rattle along over stop-start synths, the heavily distorted pre-chorus crashes like an anvil, not only breaking up momentum but also bringing to mind a group of "revellers" stopping to burst into laughter.

"[9] Mark Molloy of Metro called the song's production "stuck in a 90s time warp" writing, "Worse than the predictable thumping beats, slick synths and Burke's auto-tuned vocals is the laughable chorus drop which has minimal impact.