Written by band members Michael Dempsey, Robert Smith and Lol Tolhurst, the lyrics tell the story of a man who has given up trying to regain the love that he has lost, and tries to disguise his true emotional state.

In an interview with the NME, Smith stated: And as an English boy at the time, you're encouraged not to show your emotion to any degree.

[6] The 7" mix of the new version has not appeared on any subsequent release by the Cure, but can be heard in the music video for "Boys Don't Cry".

The video, released in 1986 to promote the "New Voice New Mix" re-recording, features three children, actors Mark Heatley, Christian Andrews and Russell Ormes miming the song.

[12] American band I Dont Know How But They Found Me released a cover of the song in November 2021 as part of the deluxe version of their album Razzmatazz.