Anita Lane rose to prominence through her association with Nick Cave and contributed lyrics to such Bad Seeds and Birthday Party recordings as "Kiss Me Black," "From Her to Eternity," and "Stranger Than Kindness." She also appeared on tracks by Barry Adamson, Einstürzende Neubauten, and Mick Harvey.

Her sporadic solo career began with the four-song EP Dirty Sings, which showcased her bruised vocal style. 1995's Dirty Pearl was an odds-and-ends collection of tracks that Lane recorded over the period of a decade. Cave and various Bad Seeds members make appearances on the release, as does Einstürzende Neubauten. Bad Seed Mick Harvey produced much of the effort and Barry Adamson contributed to the arrangements. 2001 saw the release of Lane's first fully-realized studio LP, Sex O'Clock.