The track features a "vocal" by Don Wilson, doing an impersonation of Peter Lorre reciting parts of the original lyrics, to humorous effect.

[4] Perhaps the oddest title belongs to "How Now Wild Cow", a play on the phrase of elocution suggested by one of Mel Taylor's sons.

The Wiseguys' recording was subsequently used in a television commercial for Mitsubishi automobiles,[5] and in a promo for Ally McBeal; this exposure ushered in a new chapter into the Ventures' career.

Having been alerted to the use of their recording, The Ventures confirmed with EMI that they owned rights to their composition, and subsequently received two-thirds of the writing royalties for "Start the Commotion".

The Ventures at this point realized that royalties from their back catalog, as well as performing new music specifically designed for use in multimedia productions, could produce a significant source of additional income.