It was originally featured on the soundtrack to the 1993 John McTiernan film Last Action Hero starring Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The song was originally written for their breakthrough album Dirt, but was shelved at the time and used later for the Last Action Hero soundtrack.

[2] Contrary to popular belief, Jerry Cantrell did not use a traditional sitar during the recording session, although he did attempt to play one, but was unsure how.

[2] In the liner notes of 1999's Music Bank box set collection, guitarist Jerry Cantrell said of the song: This and "A Little Bitter" were mixed by Andy Wallace because Toby [Wright] had a previous commitment, and they always bothered me because they were too "tinny" compared to our other stuff.

[3]"What the Hell Have I" was released to radio stations on June 7, 1993 in support of Alice in Chains' appearance on the 1993 Lollapalooza tour.