 Flaherty incorporated "a feeling of motion" into its melody to demonstrate the fact that Anya sings "Journey to the Past" while traveling.The opening "vamp" Flaherty composed for the song's introduction was written to resemble the character's heartbeat as it races excitedly while "giv[ing] the feeling of the fear and self-doubt that always goes with when you're on the cusp of the next thing" prior to ultimately "finding the strength within you to continue.