As the single was the first piece of music released commercially by the band, its release was cited as a milestone in the band's history in its Rock and Roll Hall of Fame entry.

[1] The song did not appear on any of the band's original studio albums, though it was later included on their 1992 compilation album Sand in the Vaseline: Popular Favorites, on their 2003 box set Once in a Lifetime, and as a bonus track on a reissue of Talking Heads: 77.

The original recorded version was produced by Tony Bongiovi and mastered by Ted Jensen.

The horns in the song were arranged by Brad Baker and Lance Quinn.

Harrison stated that he and Byrne "used to get a wonderful interplay of guitars that was a bit like early Television".