The song also charted in New Zealand, the Netherlands, Ireland and Australia, and it spawned the successful follow-up single "Accidents Will Happen", which reached the top 30 in the UK.

"Oliver's Army" has since been recognised by writers as one of the highlights of Armed Forces and has received critical acclaim for its melody, production, and lyrics.

[3][4] Costello's family was of Northern Irish descent; his father, Ross McManus, recalled, "'Oliver's Army' is an important track for me... My grandfather was an Ulster Catholic, and as a child, I lived in an area where bigotry was rife".

The usage of the phrase came under scrutiny, particularly after Costello used racial slurs during a drunken argument with Stephen Stills and Bonnie Bramlett in 1979.

[nb 1] The same year, Costello's father published a letter in Rolling Stone defending his son against accusations of racism, stating "Nothing could be further from the truth.

My own background has meant that I am passionately opposed to any form of prejudice based on religion or race...His mother comes from the tough multiracial area of Liverpool, and I think she would still beat the tar out of him if his orthodoxy were in doubt".

[15] Dubbed "a 45 that radio could hardly refuse" by AllMusic's Mark Deming, "Oliver's Army" is a new wave song with a radio-friendly arrangement that has been described as "glossy".

[16] The song was noted for keyboardist Steve Nieve's "buoyant" piano part, which was inspired by ABBA's 1976 hit single "Dancing Queen".

"Oliver's Army" was released as the debut single from Armed Forces on 2 February 1979, backed with Costello's rendition of the 1937 show-tune "My Funny Valentine".

[32] Filmed in Hawaii while Costello and the Attractions were on tour, the video was shot at 4:00 a.m. in a strip club after the band could not find another location.

[34] As a result of the huge success of the single, Costello felt insecure about the relationship he had with his audience, particularly those who only recognised "Oliver's Army".

In 1979, Geoffrey Himes of The Washington Post praised the "compressed drama" of "Oliver's Army", along with all the other tracks on Armed Forces, and highlighted the song's lyrics, despite calling it "almost a direct steal from Spector's hit with the Ronettes, 'Baby, I Love You'".

[31] Maslin called the track the "pièce de résistance" of Armed Forces and praised the contrast between the song's music and lyrics.

[39][40] Author Graeme Thomson called the track the "pinnacle of Elvis' ability to be all things to all people" and praised the way Costello "melded serious lyrics to insanely catchy pop".

[45] In a piece for The Guardian, Costello mocked his dress from a performance of the song on the Kenny Everett Video Show,[18] recalling "During my 'Pop Star Period: 1978-79' I was a fashion disaster of checkerboard eyestrain.

I wore powder-blue and pink suits, turquoise lamé jackets and pointy red leather Chelsea boots, but I usually appeared pretty glassy-eyed and shiny under the hot studio lights.

[56] Comedian Frank Skinner performed the song when he impersonated Costello on a celebrity edition of Stars in Their Eyes in 1999, the mention of "nigger" replaced with "figure".

[58] "Oliver's Army" has been performed by the original version's producer Nick Lowe, who sang the song at an event at the Great American Music Hall in 2010.