The song also showcases fuzz noise on all of the instruments, a quality created by producer Robert Schneider.

"Holland, 1945" was one of the last songs Neutral Milk Hotel frontman Jeff Mangum wrote for In the Aeroplane Over the Sea.

[3] The single version of "Holland, 1945" was released in October 1998 on the Blue Rose Record Company label.

A critic for The Boston Phoenix wrote in 1998 that this "dark brother" was someone who committed suicide, a family member of one of Mangum's close friends.

[9] Colbert's emotional connection to the song was noted in an article by Maureen Dowd in The New York Times in 2014.