The record was part of a conscious approach by Brix Smith and Simon Rogers, both of whom had recently joined the band, in increasing the Fall's popularity and accessibility.

I don't envy anyone who lives in Reading, Swindon, or Northampton; they're horrible new towns and the people are spiritually dead down there.

[3] Scenes in the official video for the single were shot in an old bingo hall in Blackpool, with the regulars being used as extras.

"Hit the North" is described by Ned Raggett at AllMusic as "one of the most musically conventional numbers the group had ever recorded, but it still contained enough driving bite and sass to rank as a worthy listen....[with its] endlessly chanted chorus ... becoming a catch phrase of its own.... Smith's various chantings and semi-ravings, if buried in the mix at many points, still make everything sound uniquely and distinctly Fall.

"[5] Jason Heller of Rolling Stone said of the track: "Infectious, spliced with electronics and tailored to the dance floor, the song took breaks from its singalong chorus to let Smith mumble warningly about 'the reflected mirror of delirium.

'"[6] Mark E. Smith considered the record to have been a commercial failure, saying: "We lost half our fan base with that, 'cause everybody thought it was disco.

The song title was used by former Fall member Marc Riley and Mark Radcliffe for their 1990 BBC Radio 5 series, primarily a showcase for new bands from the north of England.