Songfacts®:

• Michelle Branch wrote "Something To Sleep To" with her high school best friend, Jenifer Hagio. When they were younger, the two would dream about which clothes they would wear when they finally made it to the Grammys. (Hagio and Branch were "known as the musicians of Red Rock High School" in Sedona, Arizona).
  
  Like a few other songs on Branch's first major-label album The Spirit Room, it's about a relationship in conflict. All is well until the girl makes a run for it, leaving him no one to sleep next to at night.
• The crazy string sounds on this track came from session pro Patrick Warren, who played a Chamberlin, a keyboard-like instrument that samples string noises, sort of like a keyboard.
• The album was produced by John Shanks, whom Maverick Records teamed with branch when she signed to the label. It was a good fit: Branch was just 17 when they made the album, and Shanks was an experienced pro who respected her ideas. On this track, he got a writing credit along with Branch and Hagio.
  
  Shanks returned to produce Branch's next album, Hotel Paper, in 2003.
• Branch plays keyboards on the track. She normally plays only guitar, but here she decided to "branch" out.
• Branch listened to singer-songwriters like Lisa Loeb when she was growing up, but her songbooks were artists like Fleetwood Mac and Cat Stevens, and she was a big fan of these classic artists. She says "Something To Sleep To" was influenced by The Beatles.