"Dinner at Eight" is one of many songs from the Wainwright family about inter-familial strife. It was composed in response to a fight with Rufus's father, acclaimed singer-songwriter Loudon Wainwright III. The two had recently finished a photo shoot for Rolling Stone and were eating together when Rufus joked that his success had gotten his father back into the magazine. This escalated into a very heated exchange. Rufus composed the song later that night; its title refers to the meal and makes reference to the fight in the lyrics. It also recounts his father leaving the family when Rufus was young. Though unreleased as a single in the U.S., Rufus performed the song on Late Show with David Letterman on October 6, 2013.