[3] In total it sold over five million copies internationally and ranked on Billboard′s top hits of 1974 at number 8.

Stevens has stated that he first got the idea for the song while reading a news magazine on an airplane.

The magazine included a brief item about streaking, and Stevens thought that it was a "great idea for a song" and started writing notes; later, he wrote some lines after returning home from his trip, but did not complete the song at that time.

[4] Stevens had released the song less than a week before the televised 46th Academy Awards, during which Robert Opel created an uproar after he streaked across the stage behind host David Niven.

The music video remains faithful to the original song's story line, and Stevens again portrays the news reporter and Ethel's husband.

At the end, after nearly everyone winds up disrobing and joining in with the Streak and (an animated version of) Ethel, the S&P woman, worse for wear, grudgingly admits that Stevens "barely" managed to stay within the confines of decency; after she storms away, Stevens looks into the camera and, imitating Ethel's husband, mutters, "Yeah, I did."