Songfacts®:

• Clickmusic asked bassist Stefan Olsdal about the meaning and inspiration behind this song's lyrical content. He replied: "Well, Brian (Molko) is the main writer for this band, so the only way I can answer is by offering you my own interpretation. There's always a bit of a conflict going on in the characters that are there in the songs that he writes. I think 'Battle For The Sun' works in the same way that 'Without You I'm Nothing' did as the title track on the second album. 'Battle For The Sun' kind of puts a little umbrella over what the characters are going through in the other tracks, in the sense where the moon is in front of the sun, and when the moon is there like the umbrella, it's dark but when it moves away there is light and you can choose whether to be in the dark or in the light. You can choose to lead a happier life, it might not be easy, but you should hold on to the hope and the optimism."
  
  Drummer Steve Forrest added: "It's the idea that if you love something, it's worth fighting for."
• Molko told Australia's J Mag how the song idea sparked in the studio. He said: "We were in the rehearsal room mucking about, and Stefan came up with the riff. I don't know where it all came from, but I just started (singing) 'I, I, I, I, I will battle for the sun.' I don't know where it came from. I was like, 'Ooh, that's weird, that's different.' It was interesting rhythmically so I thought, 'Let's go down this route. Steve - play some rim shots.' And off we went."
• Molko described the theme of the band's sixth studio album to NME, saying: "We've made a record about choosing life, about choosing to live, about stepping out of the darkness and into the light. Not necessarily turning your back on the darkness because it's there, it's essential; it's a part of who you are, but more about the choice of standing in the sunlight instead."
• Peaking at #8, this was Placebo's fifth non-consecutive studio album to chart in the Top 10 in the UK. It also managed to hit #51 in the US, making it their highest-charting album in the States.