The song was composed by guitarist and vocalist Susanna Hoffs with Eric Lowen and Dan Navarro,[2] and produced by Davitt Sigerson.

As well as a thicker sound than the original recording, the single version has a more forceful introduction and a different lead vocal by Hoffs.

The British 12" and CD singles also included a remix of "Walking Down Your Street" by David Kahne as a bonus track.

Writing in Rolling Stone in 1988, Jimmy Guterman wrote: "On numbers like "I'll Set You Free" and "Make a Play for Her Now", their harmonies are the clearest and most evocative they've ever been – their voices float, coalesce and soar".

[8] "I'll Set You Free" was covered by the song's songwriters, Eric Lowen & Dan Navarro, on their 1993 album Broken Moon.