Gavin Rossdale wrote the song in 1993, about his then-girlfriend, Suze DeMarchi as stated in an interview with Howard Stern.

The refrain towards the end hangs on the vi (D minor) – IV (B♭ major) before returning to the recurring progression for the last verse.

The single includes a previously unreleased B-side, "Solomon's Bones", which was recorded on 7 November 1995 at River Studios, London and engineered by Joel Monger.

[11] The music video for "Glycerine" was shot in a very short time period when the band was on tour in the United States.

Bush performed a new version of "Glycerine" at KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas on 8 December 2012, which featured a surprise appearance from American singer and songwriter, and Gavin Rossdale's then-wife Gwen Stefani.