Songfacts®:

• Realism is the ninth studio album from the New York-based indie pop band, Magnetic Fields. The group's leader Stephin Merritt has described the record as "my folk album" and he cited the influence on it of the orchestrated British folk of the late '60s / early '70s, and Joshua Rifkin, who arranged the Judy Collins albums In My Life and Wildflowers.
• For Realism, Merritt banished instrumentation that needed to be plugged in, making it totally acoustic. The only exception was this track, which incorporates subtly an electric guitar. Merritt explained: "That's because the original track dates back to 1986, remaining unreleased until now: It had been waiting for me to do my folk album, and here I am, doing my folk album."
  Merritt also avoided using a traditional drum kit on the record. He admitted the sound on this track "is kind of drum-like, but I think they are bongos."