Chemical Heart was the first single released from Grinspoon's second studio album New Detention in 2002. It was a surprising change for fans because the grunge rock band had released ballads before, but they had never released one as their first single, and most people were expecting a hard rocking song like the later released single "Lost Control". The single marked a change in the band that could be seen after the year long break they took from touring and recording, this time working with the record label Sony Universal, a joint venture with Sony BMG and Universal Music Group, instead of their low-key indie label Grudge Records.