The basis of the song was a demo originally recorded by Downes and Horn of The Buggles before they joined Yes in 1980.
Trevor Horn has said that his lyrics of "Video Killed the Radio Star" by The Buggles were inspired by this story of a world without music.
It was a candidate for inclusion on The Buggles' second album, Adventures in Modern Recording (1981) and was eventually featured as a bonus track on the album's 2010 reissue.