Written during the recording sessions for U2's album All That You Can't Leave Behind (2000), the song features Daniel Lanois, who played pedal steel guitar.

[1] After completing the novel, Rushdie sent a copy of the manuscript to U2 lead vocalist Bono and asked him to set the song lyrics to music.

"[7] U2 uses Rushdie's lyrics almost word for word, except for omitting the following line: McGuinness said that there was interest in releasing the song to promote Rushdie's novel, well before the completion of All That You Can't Leave Behind; one plan called for the song to be published online to coincide with the 13 April 1999 release of the novel as a promotional tie-in.

[2] The song debuted in a performance by Bono and the Edge on a Rushdie-centric episode of the BBC Two television series Arena that aired on 22 April 1999.

[6][10] Plans for a single release changed after Island Records president Marc Marot viewed The Million Dollar Hotel.

[9] He thought the film was poor and recounted the uncomfortable experience of sitting next to Bono in a Dublin theatre having to give his opinion.

Steve Matteo of Newsday called the song "a haunting track of rousing, visceral majesty that can stand alongside anything U2 has recorded".

[11] Rob Brunner of Entertainment Weekly rated the song a C+, calling it "so ordinary" and saying, "Eno's sonic atmosphere can't conceal a serious lack of melodic substance.