Songfacts®:

• This was the first single from Giants, which was the 17th studio album released by the venerable Punk band The Stranglers - their first was Rattus Norvegicus in 1977. The song (like all Stranglers compositions) is credited as a band composition, but was the brainchild of Baz Warne, a relative latecomer to the group, having joined them on guitar in 2001. It was his rocky start with the group that inspired the song. Lead singer JJ Burnel told us: "It was mainly written by Baz, who felt that there was a bit of antagonism towards him in the initial stages of when he joined the band. But that quickly disappeared. I think his contribution was respected. But there's always a conservative element in something that has been going for quite a while. People don't like change."
• If the "mercury is rising" it's getting hotter - the term refers to the mercury in a thermometer that rises when the temperature goes up. The phrase is often used to describe a feeling of pressure or anger - emotions that lead to increased body temperature. Mercury Rising is also the title of a 1998 Bruce Willis movie.