The song was the theme to the 1969 film adaptation of Dame Muriel Spark's The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, which starred noted British actress Maggie Smith.

Smith won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of the titular (and lead) character in the film, Jean Brodie.

Although released as a single in the summer of 1969, McKuen's version of the song failed to reach the American music charts.

Earlier in 1969, Oliver had reached #3 on the Billboard pop and easy listening charts with his version of "Good Morning Starshine," a song from the musical Hair.

While working on an album with producer Bob Crewe (which would also be called Good Morning Starshine), "Jean" was selected as a song for the record and subsequently chosen as the follow-up single.