Songfacts®:

• Nick Lowe told The Huffington Post that this song is about retreating from reality with the help of a good book: "I actually cannot remember writing this song. I remember working at it very hard and being in a trance very hard for a few weeks, and then suddenly, I came out of it with a song. I don't really know why somebody hasn't done this before because it's such an obvious idea. In fact, I'm sure someone has done it before because everything has been done before. It's very simple, and it's about somebody who is very, very blue, and all they can do it stick their head in a book and try to escape from whatever terrible case of the blues that they've got, until some sort of recovery takes place."
• Lowe revealed to Interview magazine that he does indeed read a lot: "I suppose I do. I can't really read much when I'm at home, because I've got a very young little boy. Every time I try to pick up a book he comes and bugs me about something or other. The only time I can really read a book is when I'm on the road. Yeah, of course I like to read."
• The Old Magic was Lowe's thirteenth solo album. Lowe told KLRU that much of the album's material was influenced by old music standards: "There's no doubt I'm very drawn to that classic songwriting style. It is nice when it comes along. It feels like it has been around for a great while."