Franks Wild Years

The songs were written by Waits and collaborators, mainly Kathleen Brennan, for a stage musical of the same name, subtitled Un Operachi Romantico in Two Acts. The Steppenwolf Theatre Company gave it its world premiere at the Briar St. Theatre in Chicago on 22 June 1986, with Waits playing Frank. The title comes from the Swordfishtrombones track Frank's Wild Years, and the album completes the loose trilogy that began with that record. If I Have to Go was used in the play but was not released until Orphans in 2006.

It was Waits's first collaboration with David Hidalgo, who plays accordion on Cold, Cold Ground and Train Song. Various versions of Way Down in the Hole were used as the theme of the HBO series The Wire. Temptation and Cold Cold Ground appeared in the film Leolo in 1992, and Innocent When You Dream in Smoke in 1995. Diana Krall covered Temptation on her 2004 album The Girl in the Other Room. NME critics placed the album fifth for 1987, and Elvis Costello put it on his list of essential albums, highlighting Hang On St. Christopher and Innocent When You Dream.