U2 singer Bono devised the idea for the song after reading a manuscript of Salman Rushdie's novel The Ground Beneath Her Feet. In the novel, the fictional character Ormus Cama writes the lyrics as a lamentation for his lover, Vina Apsara. U2 uses these lyrics almost word for word.
Daniel Lanois performs the pedal steel guitar, creating the distinctive guitar sound.
Salman Rushdie was very pleased with the song, claiming it had "some of the most beautiful melodies Bono had ever come up with." In reference to the song, Rushdie said, "So I always knew, you know, that it wasn't going to be an uptempo foot-tapper, because it's a sad song. I think it sounds like, I hope, one of those big U2 ballads for which Bono's voice, actually, is beautifully well suited."