The single had two songs on the b-side: a re-recording of Bragg's "Wishing the Days Away" featuring Tivey, and a cover of the Flying Burrito Brothers' "Sin City" featuring Hank Wangford, both produced by John Porter and Kenny Jones.

[5] Written after the disillusionment of the 1987 general election, Bragg describes "Great Leap Forwards" as "my way of owning up to the ambiguities of being a political pop star while stating clearly that I still believed in Sam Cooke's promise that a change was gonna come".

The first two verses mention the "Camelot" of the John F. Kennedy administration, post-revolution Cuba, the Soviet Union and Robert Oppenheimer.

[9] The remainder of the song describes the day-to-day business of political activism: fundraising, distributing pamphlets, risking unemployment, culminating in the tongue-in-cheek rallying cry of "the revolution is just a t-shirt away!"

Discs pressed a "DJ edit" promo with the first verse removed without Bragg's prior knowledge and to his subsequent displeasure.