The song was written by Maurizio Bassi and Naimy Hackett, and released in 1985 as the lead single from Baltimora's debut album Living in the Background.

[10] "Tarzan Boy" was an international hit, debuting in the top five Italian charts and performing well in several other European countries, including Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, and notably, France, where "Tarzan Boy" was most successful, topping the charts there for five consecutive weeks.

In 1993, "Tarzan Boy" was featured on the soundtrack of the American film Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III, both in its original form and as a new remix by Daniel Abraham.

[12] Upon its release in the US, Billboard wrote, "Disco novelty from Italy was a summertime smash in Europe, thanks to a maddeningly catchy swinging-through-the-vines hook.

As of the 2023 Major League Baseball season, "Tarzan Boy" was the walk-on song, or entrance music, played each time Mark Canha came to bat for the New York Mets.