In 1984, Lloyd Webber and producer Cameron Mackintosh began working on the "Phantom of the Opera" musical. Sarah Brightman, whom Lloyd Webber married in 1984, was set to play the heroine Christine. As development of the musical continued, Lloyd Webber decided that releasing the title track as a pop single would be a good way of promoting the upcoming musical and to "test the water" in terms of public reception. He stressed that he wanted the song to have a rock 'n' roll sound, to which producer Mike Batt added an "electro-pop beat and heavy metal guitars".