It was released on 19 March 1990 by Fiction Records as the fourth and final single from the band's eighth studio album, Disintegration (1989).

[5] There are also two different remixes on two UK 12-inch singles, and other singles released around the world, one of which later appeared on Mixed Up as the Extended Dub Mix and differs significantly from the album version in arrangement in that incorporates wholly original drum and bass arrangements.

[8] According to interviews, the inspiration of the song came when a fire broke loose in Robert Smith's home.

The same picture was used as the cover of the "Charlotte Sometimes" single, but that image was heavily warped and distorted.

[9] The Tim Pope–directed video was shot using three Super-8 cameras in Ballachulish, Scotland, during the February 1990 "week of the big snow", with Robert Smith mentioning that he had never been colder before.