"Duncan"'s music and lyrics were written by Pat Alexander,[3][4] who started writing its main verse in 1976.

[5] Alexander had been selling life insurance and spent some time talking and drinking with a prospective customer, factory owner Duncan Urquhart, at the Town and Country Hotel in St Peters, New South Wales.

Alexander pressed two hundred 7" vinyl records of "The Bob Hawke Song", with "Duncan" on the B-side, and sent them out to radio stations and performers.

[3] McKean recalled "we had the Saltbush bass player... and it is Paul Pyle's voice that calls out 'One more!'

[8] Dusty's version is scored for piano and guitar in the key of E♭ major, with a voice range of B♭3–B♭4.

[9] The single was released on EMI's Columbia label in November 1980 and was played by John Laws on radio station 2UE eleven times the first morning.

[5] In order to assist in promoting the song Dusty provided special recordings which included the radio announcers' names.