[2][3] Issued in September 1976, it has been cited as "one of the iconic singles of the era",[4] and pre-dated vinyl debuts by contemporary punk acts such as the Sex Pistols, Buzzcocks, The Damned and The Clash.

[6][7] Written by guitarist Ed Kuepper and vocalist Chris Bailey,[8] the single was originally released on the band's own Fatal Records label,[2][3] with an initial pressing of 500 copies.

As well as featuring on their debut album, both "(I'm) Stranded" and the single's B-side, "No Time", appeared on a split EP with Stanley Frank in 1977.

The Saints rehearsed in the front room of the rented house on Petrie terrace, Brisbane, which happened to be opposite the local police headquarters.

[3] By 1975, contemporaneous with the Ramones, The Saints were employing the fast tempos, raucous vocals and "buzzsaw" guitar that characterised early punk rock.

[13] It was recorded, along with B-side "No Time", in one evening session at Bruce Window Studios in Brisbane in June 1976, with Mark Moffatt engineering.

[12] Bailey later claimed that the song was unintentionally sped up in production, but Kuepper has disputed this:[15] "He gets confused because I seldom tuned to concert pitch.

The band issued the single independently on their own imprint Fatal Records in September 1976,[2] selling it for $2 through their marketing and PR company Eternal Productions,[12] with Kuepper listing his parents' home in Oxley as the mailing address.

He continued, There's a tendency to blabber mindlessly about this single, it's so bloody incredible [...] for some reason Australian record companies think the band lack commercial potential.

[9]The song was played by influential DJ John Peel in a special punk-themed edition of his BBC Radio 1 programme, broadcast on 10 December 1976.

[2][3] The Saints resisted being re-modelled into the English punk look and were generally ignored by the Australian press at the time,[2] which reported that "a sinister new teenage pop cult, based on sex, sadism and violence, is sweeping Britain.

[2] As well as featuring on their debut album, both "(I'm) Stranded" and the single's B-side, "No Time", appeared on a split EP with Stanley Frank in 1977.