During promotion for the record, Smith stated that "The Head on the Door" was inspired by the albums "Kaleidoscope" by Siouxsie and the Banshees and "Dare" by the Human League. He wanted the album to be eclectic with different styles and moods: "It reminds me of the "Kaleidoscope" album, the idea of having lots of different sounding things, different colours". "Kyoto Song" contains an oriental hook, while "The Blood" is played in a flamenco style. The piano tune of "Six Different Ways" had been previously used by Smith during his tenure with Siouxsie and the Banshees, for the single "Swimming Horses". The last song of the album, "Sinking", was reminiscent of the band's "Faith" era, while "Close to Me" (released as the album's second and final single) was described as a "disco thing" by critics. The opening track and first single, "In Between Days", was compared to New Order's material. "A Night Like This" contains a saxophone solo by Ron Howe from Fools Dance. The title of the album comes from a line in the chorus of "Close to Me".