The song was included on the soundtrack for the 1988 Yahoo Serious film Young Einstein and the single was re-released with a different cover, although with the same catalogue number.

Its flip-side is a cover version of the Australian Crawl song, "Reckless", again with same catalogue number as the original single.

[2] In 1986 they undertook an American tour, initially supporting Crowded House and then head-lining, travelling across the United States by bus.

[3] The second single "Forty Miles to Saturday Night", which had been released in January 1988, had little chart success, only reaching No. 85.

During the late 1980s, Paul Kelly and the Coloured Girls often toured with folk rockers Weddings Parties Anything, and both groups combined for the B-side "Deportees", a Woody Guthrie cover,[6] which was recorded in the studio of Perth radio station 96fm by Steve Gordon and Bob Vogt.

[12] In 2004 Paul Kelly and the Boon Companions performed the track for the DVD Ways & Means, in the section subtitled Live in Boston.

The cover featured Kelly himself singing and playing harmonica, Dan Sultan on guitar, and Lowrider's John and Paul Bartlett on keys and drums, while A.B.

Kelly's wife Kaarin Fairfax was recording scenes for her role in the movie Young Einstein (1988).

Her fellow actress Lulu Pinkus was married to the film's director, Yahoo Serious, who was looking for material for its soundtrack.

The group were "playing along to our demo pumping through the speakers... We even mimicked ... the way the original track sped up and slowed down".

[19] According to Mandy Stefanakis of the Association of Music Educators (Victoria) its main inspirations are The Clash's "London Calling" and Elvis Presley's version of "Mystery Train".

[18] Stefankis feels it contains the three main elements of ska which she describes as "a hybrid of rockabilly, reggae and punk".

[18] The next part I lost my shirt relates to "a level of personal irresponsibility" and links with the rest of the line I pawned my rings where "[r]ings are symbols of love, family, togetherness and eternity ... he has sold all this.

[18] Stefanakis states that Kelly's "writing draws on known sayings, metaphors and platitudes and gives them a bit of a twist!

[20] William Ruhlmann, reviewed Live at the Continental and the Esplanade's version, "[it is] one of his best songs from the Messengers days, retains the feel of a Dire Straits shuffle".