The song's piano melody was composed by guitarist Tony Iommi, who was experimenting with the instrument in the studio. The lyrics were by bassist Geezer Butler, and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne has referred to the song as "heartbreaking". Quite different from Sabbath's previous work, the song was described as a "forlornly pretty" ballad by critic Barney Hoskyns. It was inspired mainly by Bill Ward's breakup with his first wife.

Serenade is the fourth album by Welsh mezzo-soprano Katherine Jenkins, released on 6 November 2006, in the UK. It charted at number 5 on the UK Albums Chart and at number 1 on the UK Classical Album Chart.