The tune of "Leader of the Pack" is credited to pop impresario George "Shadow" Morton together with Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich.

In July 1964, Morton recorded the vocals for "Leader of the Pack" with the Shangri-Las at Mira Sound Studios located on 145 West 47th street on the second floor of a Manhattan hotel.

[8] Hugh Grundy, drummer for The Zombies, revved up a motorcycle backstage when the Shangri-Las performed at Murray the K's 1964 Christmas show at the Brooklyn Fox Theater.

[10] "Leader of the Pack" was released as a single by Red Bird Records, a Leiber and Stoller label, and the song hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on November 28, 1964.

[12] In the United Kingdom, the single was refused airplay by the BBC, probably due to its death theme,[13] although some have speculated that it was considered likely to encourage violence between mods and rockers.

[38] When working on their fourth studio album, Come Out and Play, in 1985, frontman Dee Snider suggested Twisted Sister should record "Leader of the Pack" as their next single.

Inspired by Mötley Crüe's recent success with their cover of "Smokin' in the Boys Room", Snider was convinced "Leader of the Pack" would "appeal to everybody, including the parents of our fans who knew the original from when they were growing up".

"[36] Upon its release as a single, Nancy Erlich of Billboard wrote, "The guitars are megaton metal, the melody is unchanged, and it's the girl who gets killed; one of the year's odder cultural artifacts.

They added, "Snider's vocal interpretation is heartful and humorous, and the power-chord backing is sure to catch the ear of many CHR and rock radio programmers.

noted that, as with the band's earlier recording of the song, "the humor is still prevalent as well as a genuine respect for a classic pop number", but this time there's "a fine production and a firmer, resonant arrangement".