It was conceived, written, and designed by the Smash Hits staff, and the liner notes are presented in the magazine's offbeat style.

[citation needed] The front cover of the vinyl and audio cassette releases feature the words 32 Swingorilliant Hits of the 80's.

For the compact disc release the number was changed to 31, as Michael Jackson's "One Day in Your Life" is missing from the CD version.

Neil Tennant, who features on side 1 of the album as part of Pet Shop Boys, worked as assistant editor of Smash Hits magazine in the early 1980s.

[citation needed] Smash Hits went on to release their own various artists compilation albums.