The title track, "All the Young Dudes", was released as a single prior to the album and charted worldwide, becoming the "ultimate '70s glitterkid anthem".

[8] "Sweet Jane", a cover of the Velvet Underground song from their 1970 album Loaded, was issued as a single in Canada, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and the United States, though not in their home market of the UK.

"Soft Ground" was written by organist Verden Allen and, other than the 2013 reunion album, the only occasion when he recorded lead vocal with Mott the Hoople.

In an extended August 1980 interview with Trouser Press magazine,[11] Ian Hunter stated that Mott had completed All the Young Dudes prior to the band's leaving Island Records, and that Island's head Chris Blackwell was unaware the band had a new album ready for release when dissolving their relationship.

However, when interviewed about the situation for Chris Hall's and Mike Kerry's 2011 documentary Ballad of Mott the Hoople, Hunter laughed, saying "I can’t really discuss it ... there's a blank there as far as I’m concerned – all of a sudden we’re on Columbia Records, and 'Dudes' was the first single.