The history behind Fisherman's Blues begins with Steve Wickham's contribution to "The Pan Within" on the preceding Waterboys album This Is the Sea.

That year, the Waterboys performed "Fisherman's Blues" on The Tube, which was the first time the new musical direction the band was taking was demonstrated.

"[3] More songs from the album's recording sessions were released on Too Close to Heaven, or Fisherman's Blues, Part 2 as it was titled in the United States, in 2002 by BMG and Razor and Tie Entertainment, respectively.

Country music song "The Lost Highway", featuring Liam Ó Maonlaí on piano, appeared on the B-side.

"Fisherman's Blues" was used on the pilot episode of the TV series Lights Out, and has appeared on the soundtracks of the movies Good Will Hunting, Waking Ned Devine and Dream with the Fishes.

The Waterboys' version on this album is a medley; the song ends with the unplanned addition of verses from The Beatles' "Blackbird", which Scott impulsively sang on the spot.

"Strange Boat" lends its title to Ian Abrahams' biography of Mike Scott and the Waterboys,[6] while the song "World Party" was the inspiration for Karl Wallinger's band name.

"And a Bang on the Ear", in which Scott summarises a past romantic attachment in each verse, finishing the song with a current "woman of the hearthfire", was released as the second single from the album.

Confusion amongst listeners about what a bang on the ear might be about prompted the Waterboys' Frequently Asked Questions page to note, more than ten years later, that it was "a term of affection".

"The Stolen Child", spoken by traditional Irish vocalist Tomás Mac Eoin with backup vocals by Scott, remains the group's "most famous poetic rendition".

From left to right, back to front, are: Jake Kennedy (crew), Colin Blakey, Pat McCarthy (recording engineer), Jimmy Hickey (crew), John Dunford (co-producer), Trevor Hutchinson, Fran Breen, Anthony Thistlethwaite, Mike Scott, and Steve Wickham.