Sting has said that he composed the song in New Orleans and that it was inspired by Anne Rice's gothicnoir novel Interview with the Vampire, which is partially set in the French Quarter of the city. The song reached No. 44 on the British singles chart.
Sting himself has said of the composition "That was inspired by a book by Anne Rice, called Interview with the Vampire, a beautiful book about this vampire which is a vampire by accident. He's immortal and he has to kill people to live, but he's been left with his conscience intact. He's this wonderful, poignant soul who has to do evil, yet wants to stop. Once again, it's the duality which interested me."[3] He also said that although it was inspired by the Rice novel that "there was one moonlit night in the French Quarter of New Orleans where I had the distinct impression that I was being followed ..." (an occurrence which also contributed to the tune's genesis).