It was a moderate chart hit in the UK and Switzerland, peaking at numbers 27 and 14, respectively.
A music video was produced, featuring Polish actor Vladek Sheybal as the titular character.
The 12" version features a cover of the Velvet Underground's "Femme Fatale" as its B-side.
An instrumental remix of this song called "Abuse" appeared in the opening credits of the John Hughes 1987 film Some Kind of Wonderful, in which Mary Stuart Masterson's character, Watts, drums along to the dominant percussion.
It is actually the German question "Warum schmerzt es, wenn mein Herz den Schlag verpasst?"