The album opens with the Dowd-Clapton produced "
It's in the Way That You Use It", co-written with
Robbie Robertson, late of
The Band. It was featured in the
Paul Newman-
Tom Cruise film
The Color of Money in October 1986, a month before the album's release, subsequently reaching No. 1 on the
Mainstream Rock Tracks chart for one week. Two tracks, "Run" and "Hung Up On Your Love", were written by veteran
Motown composer
Lamont Dozier while "
Tearing Us Apart" was a duet with
Tina Turner and "Bad Influence" was a cover of a number by blues musician
Robert Cray. "Holy Mother", co-written with
Stephen Bishop, was dedicated to the memory of another member of The Band,
Richard Manuel, who had taken his own life earlier that year. The album's only UK top 20 hit, "
Behind the Mask", was recorded at the suggestion of
Greg Phillinganes. Legend has it that upon hearing
Yellow Magic Orchestra's original track, around 1980–82, producer
Quincy Jones fell in love with the track, and he and
Michael Jackson recorded their own version with new lyrics by Jackson during his
Thriller sessions. The track never made the
Thriller album but Phillinganes, at the time keyboard player for Jackson, released his own version of the song on his 1984
Pulse album, which resembles the Clapton version that became
August's lead single in the UK. Jackson's version was finally released in 2010 on the posthumous album
Michael. Clapton's studio band for the album included Collins on drums and backing vocals, bassist
Nathan East and keyboard player
Greg Phillinganes; saxophonist
Michael Brecker, trumpeters
Randy Brecker and
Jon Faddis, and trombone player
Dave Bargeron. Collins, East and Phillinganes would recreate their studio roles for Clapton's acclaimed live appearances over the next two years. Veering between Collins soul/pop and Clapton blues/rock,
August cemented Clapton's comeback. ==Track listing==