The song was inspired in part by the songwriter's desire to counteract the poor reputation of a city for which he had some affection.
Hunter states on his web site, "the inspiration for 'Cleveland Rocks' goes back to the old days when people used to make fun of Cleveland.
"[4] A live version of "Cleveland Rocks" appears on Hunter's 1980 album Welcome to the Club and on the soundtrack to the 1987 film Light of Day, a movie with Joan Jett and Michael J.
The original version also serves as an unofficial tribute to the history of rock and roll, as at the beginning of the song, it has an archival sample of Cleveland disc jockey Alan Freed introducing his show on WJW, The Moondog Show, before suddenly segueing into the intro to "Cleveland Rocks".
Smash Hits said, "The man who launched a thousand poseurs (along with Bowie about the most influential figure of the mid-seventies) returns with a furious, huge production of a number which isn't a million miles away from his "All the Way from Memphis" classic.
"[5] The song was covered in 1997 by The Presidents of the United States of America as the opening theme of the television program The Drew Carey Show, a situation comedy set in Cleveland.
It accompanied a lavish opening sequence in which the cast lip-synced the song while performing elaborate choreography.