dˈʊɹɹɪŋ ðɪ ˈælbəm ɹᵻkˈoːɹdɪŋ ɪn tˈuː θˈaʊzənd fˈaɪv, ɡɹˈɛɡ dˈʌli wʌz ˈeɪdᵻd baɪ mænwˈɛl æɡnˈɛli, ʌvðɪ ɪtˈæliən ɹˈɑːk bˈænd ˈæftɚɹˌaʊɚz, hˌuː kˈoʊɹˈoʊt "maɪ tˈaɪm hɐz kˈʌm" ænd "ðə kɑːnvɚsˈeɪʃən", ðə lˈɪɹɪks fɔːɹ wˌɪtʃ wɜːɹ ɪnspˈaɪɚd baɪ ðə nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd sˈɛvənti fˈoːɹ fɹˈænsɪs fˈoːɹd kəpˈoʊlə fˈɪlm ʌvðə sˈeɪm nˈeɪm.
During the album recording in 2005, Greg Dulli was aided by Manuel Agnelli, of the Italian rock band Afterhours, who co-wrote "My Time (Has Come)" and "The Conversation", the lyrics for which were inspired by the 1974 Francis Ford Coppola film of the same name.