It was first released as a single (backed by a tribute to Gordon Lightfoot titled "Lightfoot"), in their native Canada, where its chart success (#7),[5] along with the influence of CKLW-AM Windsor's radio station music director Rosalie Trombley, helped land them a U.S. distribution deal with RCA Records.

While it was actually the 18th single released by the band overall, it was the first from the line-up of Cummings, Bachman, Jim Kale, and Garry Peterson as produced by Jack Richardson.

[9] At first, the band didn't even want to release the song considering the gentle ballad too great a departure from their hard rock roots.

In 1971 another reggae adaptation followed: "These Eyes (Crying every night)" by Stranger Cole (produced by Byron Smith) followed by Tommy McCook and the Supersonics instrumental version titled "Mighty Alley".

The band Ween would often perform a humorous cover of the song live called "Deez Nutz".

In 2008, Gregg Gillis, better known to the public as Girl Talk, sampled the song for the track entitled "Set It Off" from his fourth album, Feed the Animals.