The song is best known for its remake that was released on 25 November 1991 as a pop-house single subtitled "Stand by the JAMs", with verses featuring the vocals of American country music singer Tammy Wynette.

The words and music of "Justified & Ancient" feature several times in the work of the KLF and the JAMs, including their first album and their last full-release single.

An abrupt cut takes the track into the gentle "Justified & Ancient" vocal line, which is syncopated similarly to African music and is at first a cappella.

In 1990, the recording re-appeared on The KLF's ambient album, Chill Out, in a part of the composition titled "Justified & Ancient Seems a Long Time Ago".

This version retains the lyrics and melody, adds an additional verse, and full song structure and instrumentation is present, in an arrangement akin to a lullaby.

The "Justified & Ancient" single marked a departure from the KLF's previous "Stadium House" trilogy of hits, which were driven by hooks and riffs and emulated a live performance by using sampled crowd noise.

In contrast, the riffs, samples and rap of "Justified & Ancient (Stand by the JAMs)" were secondary to its conventional song structure of verses and choruses.

[sic], and found that although the single "...lacks the sheer frantic rush of 'Last Train to Trancentral' ..., The KLF model a spiritual crown which elevates them several tower blocks above their amateur peers.

"[17] Johnny Dee from Smash Hits commented, "Very weirdy and very ravey, as we've come to expect from the odd bods in the snoods, but this "anthem" is given an extra tang by the vocals of country star, Tammy Wynette".

[18] In the US, Larry Flick from Billboard commented, "The decision to enlist country music queen Tammy Wynette for the lead vocal was a stroke of pure genius.

Were a decision reached that all pop music was deemed unfit for human consumption and had to be destroyed, save for one song to keep us fickle masses in choruses, this would have to be the one, folks.

[25] Several months prior to the single's release, the KLF appeared at the Liverpool Festival of Comedy, where they sold ice creams to the audience while, on stage, figures swathen in grey and yellow robes chanted "justified...ancient...".

[26] The ice cream van, introduced upon release of the JAMs single "It's Grim Up North",[27] superseded the JAMsMobile[28] (aka Ford Timelord)[29] as the KLF's vehicle of choice.

Source: JAMS LP006 sleeve notes[33] The recordings were, according to the "Justified & Ancient" sleevenotes, "exhumed, explored and exploited by The KLF", with Jimmy Cauty playing electric guitar, bass, drums and keyboard.

Additional contributors included: Source: KLF 99CD sleeve notes[34] "Justified & Ancient" was given an international release as a single on 25 November 1991.

The versions subtitled "(Make Mine a '99')" and "(Let Them Eat Ice Cream)" are deep house remixes of the single arrangement by Tony Thorpe, the former using Maxine Harvey's vocal and the latter mainly voxless.