In the late 1990s, Annie ran a club night called Pop Till You Drop in her hometown of Bergen, Norway.

[1][5] The release sold out in two days, and the track became an underground hit in nightclubs in Norway and Britain, resulting in offers for record deals.

[4] British producer Richard X heard "The Greatest Hit" as part of a techno set and described the song as "otherworldly and beautiful".

[7] Annie originally aimed to make Anniemal a pop album that would not become quickly dated, one "that you could listen to in five years and it wouldn't sound terrible."

She considered excluding "The Greatest Hit" from the album to achieve this, but ultimately included it because she felt it did not sound as if it were five years old.

"[9] AllMusic's Andy Kellman likened the song's "nonchalant ecstasy" to that of Patrice Rushen's 1982 funk single "Forget Me Nots".