Writing
While not a concept album as such, Afraid of Sunlight repeatedly examines the destructive side of celebrity. In particular, "Afraid of Sunlight" refers to self-destructive thrill-seekers such as James Dean; "Out of This World" is about world land and water speed record holder Donald Campbell, killed in 1967, while "Gazpacho" seems to refer to Mike Tyson. "King" refers to Elvis Presley, Kurt Cobain, and Michael Jackson. The song "Beyond You" is reminiscent of Phil Spector's Wall of Sound productions, and is recorded monaurally rather than in stereo.
The first half of the album has a more satirical tone. "Gazpacho" lampoons the Hollywood lifestyle, "Cannibal Surf Babe" is a Beach Boys pastiche also inspired by late-night horror movies, and "Beautiful"'s utopian lyrics may be written from the perspective of an unmoored celebrity.
Steve Hogarth named the 1980 Martin Scorsese film Raging Bull, about a boxer's inability to deal with fame, as a strong influence on the album. Hogarth also cited O.J. Simpson, on trial for murder at the time the album was recorded, as another influence on its theme; the wind-down of "Gazpacho" ends with a sample from a news report on Simpson's infamous flight from the police.
The wreckage of Donald Campbell's Bluebird K7 and Campbell's remains were not recovered until 28 May 2001 when diver Bill Smith was inspired to look for the wreck after hearing "Out of This World". Both Steve Hogarth and Steve Rothery were present at the raising.
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“For it is not the bare words but the scope of the writer that gives the true light, by which any writing is to be interpreted; and they that insist upon single texts, without considering the main design, can derive no thing from them clearly.”
—Thomas Hobbes (1579–1688)
“That isn’t writing at all, it’s typing.”
—Truman Capote (1924–1984)
“All writers are vain, selfish and lazy, and at the very bottom of their motives lies a mystery. Writing a book is a long, exhausting struggle, like a long bout of some painful illness. One would never undertake such a thing if one were not driven by some demon whom one can neither resist nor understand.”
—George Orwell (1903–1950)