The origins of this book are in the collaboration between The Royal Opera House, The London Sinfonietta, composer, Dominic Muldowney and author, Graham Roos, which culminated in a series of performances, sponsored by The Guardian, entitled The Arts of News at King's Place in 2009.

The aim was to convert newspaper stories into songs without making them hieratic, instead retaining their tabloid feel. Two strands of work were created out of this commission: Songs of the Zeitgeist (a collaboration with Dominic Muldowney on the themes of celebrity, Binge Britain and ecological disaster) and Songs of Reckoning. Roos also created a verse cabaret set in the Media Suite in Hell where Lucifer stands for election accompanied by three Angels of the New Millennium.

Much of the work in this book derives from Songs of the Zeitgeist and these other works; some are demotic and others hieratic, using more traditional forms.