The cover for the single shows an image of Joel and the judge (character actor Richard Shull) in the "jukebox" courtroom from the video.

Joel said that he did the song because he "owe[s] a great debt to that time in his life" and "to the wild guys he used to hang out with and the old rock and roll" that really inspired him.

[3] Cash Box said that the song is "Joel at his melodic and lyric best, representing pure American pop music.

[2] Richard Pryor makes a cameo appearance at the beginning of the video, standing at the bottom of the courthouse steps, reading a newspaper with the headline "Billy Joel: Guilty or Innocent?".

[2] At the end, Joe Piscopo makes a cameo, reading a newspaper with the headline "Billy Joel: An Innocent Man!