By the early 1980s, Nelson's appeal had transcended country music; his affable persona, as well as his increasing presence in films, had made him a crossover star.

Whereas 1978's Waylon and Willie contained several previously released backing tracks upon which Nelson had overdubbed his vocals, WWII bears all the hallmarks of Moman's slick production.

Despite being more of a "complete thought" than its predecessor, the vitality evident on Waylon and Willie is not as apparent on this LP; in his review of the album that can be found on AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine observes: Although billed as a collaborative effort, WWII is more of a vehicle for Jennings; Willie sings on only five of the eleven tracks - all duets - while Waylon takes the lead on the remaining six songs.

The album spawned one hit, a cover of Otis Redding's "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay," which peaked at #13 on the country singles charts.

Jennings had a hand in writing two songs: the inspirational "Roman Candles," which he composed with Michael Smotherman, and the narration "The Old Mother's Locket Trick," written with fellow outlaw Guy Clark.

Jennings and Nelson also cover the Tom T. Hall classic story song "The Year Clayton Delaney Died."