The track features an unusual sliding bassline, and although played live by the band bassist Gary Johnson on many occasions, the bass in the original recording was played on a fretless bass by Landscape bassist Andy Pask, who also co-wrote the theme from The Bill.[2]
The lyrics of the song was inspired by images from World War I that lead vocalist and keyboardist Gary Daly had seen, while the title "Christian" was added when recording the song:
"The actual ‘Christian’ of the title was the name of a little boy, who was friends with a nephew of mine… I’d never heard of anyone having that name. And when recording the track in Strawberry South, Dorking with Pete Walsh producing, we had nothing happening in the middle eight. Pete asked if we had any ideas and I would have just sang “Christian” at the point where the music changes and it worked beautifully."
