It was originally intended to be Bush's first twelve-inch single, but its disappointing sales performance caused plans for the 12-inch to be cancelled.

A review in Record Mirror commented that despite the comic tone of the song, the end left a rather unnerving effect.

[5] Bush sang it in what has been described as "a curious accent that seemed to veer from an aristocrat to an East End villain" (see mockney).

He noted that Bush "sings a fractured tune partly in a cockney accent" and added the song has "a haunting atmosphere that lingers after the record has finished".

[7] Richard Hook of NME called it "a peculiar choice" for a single "from a baffling LP" and commented, "Rococo embellishments flit around this odd story like fireflies in a belfry, the tale told in the usual Berlitz range of voices.