Written by lead vocalist Chrissie Hynde and produced by Chris Thomas, it was released on 18 November 1983 as the second single from their third studio album, Learning to Crawl (1984).

Influenced by Otis Redding's "Thousand Miles Away",[4] the song was written a year after the band's guitarist, James Honeyman-Scott, had died of a drug overdose in 1982.

[citation needed] British rock band Coldplay released a piano cover of the song as a charity single.

[13] The track's digital download was available for £1.50 between 16 December 2003 and 1 January 2004, with all royalties being donated to Stop Handgun Violence and Future Forests.

American indie rock band C-Clamp covered the song on the 1998 compilation The My Pal God Holiday Record ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.