"Ordinary People" was originally written and performed by Jim Cregan and Robert Hart as a demoed track, who handed the recording to Harley in 2010.

[2] The song, in an early incarnation, was first performed live by Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel during their Autumn/Winter 2014 tour at the York Barbican on 13 December.

In an online diary entry, dated 13 January, Harley noted: "Next show: Hull City Hall – complete with new song.

"[3] In June 2015, Harley spent several days in the Shrubbery Studio at Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, recording "Ordinary People".

Harley used his touring band Cockney Rebel to record the song, while the studio's owner Richard Clark engineered it.

"[5] It was announced that month that the song would be released as a single nearer the time of the upcoming The Best Years of Our Lives tour in November.

[6] In Harley's online diary entry for 22 June, he wrote: "We spent a few days in a recording studio recently, and "Ordinary People" came out sounding like a potential R2 play-lister... if only!

Speaking of the song's chances of getting airplay on BBC Radio 2, he added: "The new single from Cliff Richard is on the A-list, and they play David Gilmour, but it's tough.

Speaking to the East Anglian Daily Times in November 2015, Harley spoke of the song and its release: "I've got a single out that we're really pleased with and might well get some good airplay with, but I'm only pressing 150 copies to give to local radio.

[1] A promotional one-track CD release of the single was later issued with an "impact" date of 27 November, specifically for radio station use.

The CD features the same artwork as the digital version for a picture sleeve, housed in a plastic wallet, with a record company information sticker placed on the rear side.

[9] The song was performed on Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel's 16-date UK tour in November 2015, which celebrated the 40th anniversary of The Best Years of Our Lives album and "Make Me Smile".

[23] Upon release, Andrew Thomas of The Westmorland Gazette reviewed the single, describing the song as "deceptively simple" and "of the type that you need years of experience to pull off so well".

He commented on the "Beatles/George Harrison feel", Harley's "rich and assured vocals" and the "straightforward but heartfelt lyrics - a plea for ordinary people to band together and show their essential humanity to try to make the world a better place".

[25] Another similar review on the band's Liverpool Philharmonic show, for the Wirral Globe, saw reporter Peter Grant comment: "We were treated to "Ordinary People" – Steve's new single which is, he says, unashamedly Beatle-esque".