Telegraph had originally been scheduled to be the debut single from OMD's fourth album Dazzle Ships. Unable to agree on a satisfying mix of Telegraph, the band instead opted for Genetic Engineering.

This also marked the transfer of OMD, since DinDisc's demise, to parent label Virgin. To give the band a veneer of independence, they released all of the Dazzle Ships material on a made-up subsidiary label which was, of course, Telegraph.