In 1983, The Call recorded "The Walls Came Down" for their second album, Modern Romans, a record notable for its political content.
Speaking about the inspiration for the song, frontman and songwriter Michael Been stated, "There was a great deal happening politically—Grenada, Lebanon, or the government saying the Russians are evil and the Russian government probably saying the same about us. That kind of thinking inspired me to write the last lines of 'Walls Came Down'."
Peter Gabriel admired the band so much that he called them the "future of American music"[and asked them to open for him during his 1982–1983 tour.
The Simple Minds covered "The Walls Came Down" for their 2022 Direction of the Heart album. Their frontman, Jim Kerr said, "We toured with The Call a few times in the States and even though they were opening for us, we looked up to them especially the singer Michael Been. Michael passed away about a decade ago, but we covered a few of
his songs. I remember the Berlin Wall coming down thinking that was the end of walls, but the last few years have all been about walls and divisions, frontiers, and borders. So that song has really found its time again."
Garth Hudson of The Band played keyboards on this song along with other tracks on the album. He also appeared in the accompanying video.
