Songfacts®:

• In our interview with Marillion lead singer Steve Hogarth, he explained: "'The Damage' is really about infidelity, and the damage done. The power of beauty. Not only the damage done, but the potential damage waiting in the air, waiting to be done. Be careful what you wish for and all of that."
• Marillion made a surprise appearance on UK Singles Downloads Chart with this song when it appeared at #2 (behind "Vertigo" by U2) the week of October 17, 2004. Marillion's hitmaking days had long passed, and they had no label. They did, however, have an ardent and internet-savvy fanbase the helped finance their albums, starting with Anoraknophobia in 2001.
  
  The UK Singles Chart didn't factor downloads into their rankings, which didn't give a true representation of popularity, so on September 1, 2004 they introduced the Downloads chart. A live version of "The Damage," along with the Marbles album that contained the studio cut, were only available via download, and so many Marillion fans downloaded the single that it pushed the song way up the chart, ahead of Destiny's Child, Christina Aguilera and Green Day. It was an anomaly, and Radio 1 refused to play it on their show that recapped the chart.
  
  The following week, the song dropped out, but the press attention helped pique interest in the band, which experienced a revival of sorts, with their 2007 release Somewhere Else reaching #24 on the UK Albums chart. In 2005, downloads began factoring into the UK Singles Chart.