It was the first single taken from the band's second album A Tonic for the Troops, whose title comes from a line in this song: "Charlie ain't no Nazi, she just likes to wear her leather boots, 'cos it's exciting for the veterans and it's a tonic for the troops".
The single continued the Rats' high-energy post-punk/new wave sound that had typified earlier releases, but its fame would later be eclipsed by that of the band's more ballad-like global hit "I Don't Like Mondays".
Indeed, according to reviewer Brian Bock the song was "written explicitly (and successfully) to be a hit".
[2] It spent eleven weeks on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at No.
[3][4] On both the promotional video and on performances on Top of the Pops, the band started a comic-effect tradition of making no genuine attempt to mime effectively on camera, a trait especially exaggerated on Simon Crowe's 'missed' drumming.