[4] Lyrically, the song is autobiographical and describes May's experiences of living in Kentish Town, an area in north London and general domestic struggle with her husband, Darrel Higham, whilst residing there.

"[2]"Kentish Town Waltz" was announced for release in early November 2010 and the same month, May appeared as a guest on music panel show Never Mind the Buzzcocks[5] and during the show, Lou Reed's duet version of the song was discussed.

The first half of the music video is shot in black and white and includes The Imelda May Band performing in-studio.

The latter half of the video is shot in colour and includes The Imelda May Band performing live.

Both halves of the music video use split-frame techniques to show the performances and Kentish Town clips.