Formed in 1981 in Minneapolis, Minnesota using the name Loud Fast Rules, the band's original lineup consisted of vocalist Dave Pirner, guitarist Dan Murphy, bassist Karl Mueller, and drummer Pat Morley.

Produced by Lenny Kaye and Ed Stasium, Hang Time was well-received on college radio but the follow-up album, And the Horse They Rode in On (1990), was a critical and commercial disappointment, resulting in the band being dropped by A&M.

The song's success helped Grave Dancers Union achieve double-platinum certification by Music Canada and by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in the United States.

A two-disc compilation of the event released the following year features the band's performances of "Back Door Man" with Iggy Pop and "Sweet Jane" with Lou Reed.

Soul Asylum's next studio album, Candy from a Stranger (1998), charted in the US and Canada but it sold fewer copies and received less favorable reviews than its predecessors.