In an interview with Rolling Stone Aaron Dressner revealed that the song’s lyrics had initially been written by Michael Stipe over a year ago, but that they had taken on new resonance in the context of the coronavirus pandemic:

“On a whim, I shared a folder of in-progress BRM sketches with Michael last year, and it was exciting when he really gravitated to a few of them,” he tells Rolling Stone. “Michael wrote the lyrics to ‘No Time for Love Like Now’ last fall, but when the reality of the COVID-19 pandemic and social-distancing and self-isolation descended, they felt like they were written about this time all along and perhaps the message resonates especially now.”

The song has also been used by Stipe as a part of his extensive work as an advocate for policies to address the climate crisis. Stipe provided an exclusive performance as a part of the Pathway to Paris Project’s celebration of Earth Day on April 26, 2020.