Songfacts®:

• A track from The Psychedelic Furs first album, "Imitation Of Christ" is a band composition with lyrics by their lead singer, Richard Butler. The song is about how one way or another, we find ourselves in a similar situation to Jesus on the cross. Butler explained in an interview with ZigZag: "There's a verse about a gay guy getting screwed, and another one about a guy getting beaten up in a bar. It's all the way you end up, whether you're getting beaten up or screwed."
• The song title comes from a 15th-century book called The Imitation of Christ, which explains how to show devotion to God and be a good Christian. Richard Butler, an atheist, sometimes mentions religious guideposts in his lyrics to make a point that there are other ways to approach faith.
• This song was produced by Steve Lillywhite, who worked on the band's first two albums. He also produced another up-and-coming young band around this time: U2.
• In 2000, a fashion, art and design company called Imitation of Christ formed. They took their name from this song.