Costello wrote the song as a response to the controversy that had surrounded him in his professional and personal life, particularly relating to his incident in Columbus, Ohio.
"[4] Costello has said he began writing the song during a seaside holiday he took in the summer of 1978 with his then-estranged wife, Mary, in an unsuccessful attempt to reconcile their marriage.
However, Costello has spoken positively of the demo (which has since appeared as a bonus track on later editions of the album), noting, "I think it has something that is missing from the final version".
Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic named the track one of the album's "full-fledged masterpieces",[8] while the same site noted Costello's "passionate [vocal] performance that ratchets up the tension until the climax, where he's practically screaming into the microphone during the final chorus".
[10] Ultimate Classic Rock ranked the song fifth on their list of the best Elvis Costello songs, writing, "'Riot Act' closes it out on a slow but incredibly emotional note, especially when his voice breaks on the line 'Don't put your heart out on your sleeve / When your remarks are off the cuff' before going into the final chorus".
The track was sometimes performed as part of a solo set unaccompanied by his band, as in Costello's 1984 tour for Goodbye Cruel World.