The lyrics were written by the band's vocalist Barbara Gogan about Steve "Roadent" Connelly, a one-time roadie for The Clash and Sex Pistols, who had minor roles in several German films[5] and played the Joker in the 1978 miniseries Das Ding [de].

The song is featured in the 2006 action adventure video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories on the in-game radio station Emotion 98.3.

[7] The American rock band Foo Fighters covered "I'm in Love with a German Film Star" as the B-side to their 2005 single "Best of You".

The British electronic duo Kish Mauve recorded a version for the B-side of their 2006 single "Modern Love".

[9] On 12 April 2010, the band Dubstar released a cover version of the song for an Amnesty International charity project.