The lyrics and music for "The Lesson of Love" was written in just two four-hour sessions at Patrick Leonard's home.

[3] Nick Laird-Clowes was inspired to write "In Exile" after reading an article in The Village Voice on Rodrigo Rojas.

Upon hearing the demo, Buckingham commented that the song was reminiscent of material from The Beatles White Album, an assessment that Laird-Clowes agreed with.

Buckingham ultimately rebuilt the song from the ground up and also worked with the band on "Indian Summer", which became the lead single off Remembrance Days.

The instrumental version was finally included on the band's 2014 Greatest Hits compilation The Morning Lasted All Day: A Retrospective.