His 1979 home demo of the song was released as the B-side of his 1982 hit "Someday, Someway" and is available on his compilations The 9 Volt Years and This Is Easy: The Best of Marshall Crenshaw.

Written by Crenshaw while in Beatlemania, the song was inspired by the Hollies and featured tongue-in-cheek lyrics about his wife.

"You're My Favorite Waste of Time" was one of the first songs Marshall Crenshaw wrote, preceding his 1982 hit, "Someday, Someway".

I got the title, and I was thinking a song that The Hollies might do, with a big anthemic chorus and harmonies and stuff.

'[3] Crenshaw recorded "You're My Favorite Waste of Time" in a homemade sound laboratory in his apartment in Pelham, New York.

The song was recorded by Scottish singer Owen Paul and released in the United Kingdom on May 19, 1986.

[6] Paul is usually considered as a "one-hit wonder" because of the song's popularity and the fact that it was his only UK chart single.

It was aborted on the television programme Pebble Mill at One when the band members just stood still instead of miming as they were unable to hear the backing track.

"[3] Crenshaw was critical of Paul's version in an interview, saying "I can't listen to even twenty seconds of that record at all.