The song was a hit in Europe and New Zealand, reaching the number-one position in six countries and peaking within the top five on several other music charts, going on to sell over five million copies worldwide.

[3] Written by members Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty, the book instructed—as a joke—how to earn a number-one hit without much work.

[4] However, members of the band claim that they managed to get one of ABBA's publishers to provide them with a contract during a drunken phone call in broken English.

's from "Rock Me Amadeus" by fellow Austrian musician Falco, sections of Indeep's 1983 song "Last Night a DJ Saved My Life", and the 'Ah yeah' from Run-DMC's "Here We Go (Live at the Funhouse)".

[6] Yodeling is also common throughout the song, and the female vocals are provided by Austrian singer Maria Mathis [de].