Written by lead vocalist Raine Maida, it was released in August 2002 as the second single from the band's fifth studio album, Gravity.

The producer, Bob Rock, made him rewrite most of the songs from Gravity in order to make them more accessible and easier to understand.

The song refers to the legendary rock musicians John Lennon and Kurt Cobain.

[3][better source needed] Local school children in Hawaii sang backing vocals on the chorus of the song.

The music video for "Innocent" was filmed on August 31, 2002, in Syracuse, Los Angeles, New Orleans and a school parking lot in Toronto.