It was the second reggae tune to top the UK charts, two years after Desmond Dekker's number 1 breakthrough hit "Israelites".

[5] The record reached number 1 on the UK Singles Chart[6] for the first two weeks in May 1971, selling 300,000 copies, after only 33 radio plays.

[13] Written and produced by Winston Riley,[4] former vocalist of The Techniques,[6] the single featured the vocals of Dave Barker, who had been recording in Jamaica for around five years, principally for Clement "Coxsone" Dodd and Lee Perry.

A significant portion of the tune bears a strong resemblance to Ramsey Lewis' 1967 song "Party Time" (on Chess).

[14] From the very beginning of the cold intro, the lyrics are punctuated throughout by the unusual claim "I am the magnificent W-O-O-O" (and variants thereof), but the title never appears.