[2] Capitalism and technology are themes of the song with the companies Cartier, Tissot, Timex, Coca-Cola and Fender all mentioned.

Another theme, common in the 1980s, is dystopian future with the idea of living on Saturn or Venus and of 'sex machines' and 'sci-fi sex' and the lyric 'I am the ultimate product' reinforcing this.

[5] In the September 1986 issue of Spin, "21 Century Boy" is also described as sounding "suspiciously like 'Love Missile F1-11', with a campy apocalyptic feel and a missed opportunity for Jetsons references.

"[6] With the single failing to follow its predecessor into the UK top 10, founding band member Tony James blamed the track's relative underperformance on consumer backlash as a result of saturation coverage of the band in the British press at the time.

The video was directed by Hugh Symmonds and was described in Music & Media as "basically a continuation of S.S. Sputnik's last single, with a backdrop from Japan and the US".