Willie and the Hand Jive

[1][2] The song has a Bo Diddley beat and was partly inspired by the music sung by a chain gang Otis heard while he was touring.

[3] It has since been covered by numerous artists, including The Crickets, The Strangeloves, Eric Clapton, Cliff Richard, Kim Carnes, George Thorogood, The Bunch, and in live performances by The Grateful Dead.

[1][2] In a sense, the story is similar to that of Chuck Berry's "Johnny B. Goode", which tells of someone who became famous for playing the guitar and was released two months before "Willie and the Hand Jive".

[12] Billboard described it as a "monster powerful cut" that retains elements from Clapton's previous single "I Shot the Sheriff.

[16] Author Marc Roberty claimed that on this song, "Eric's vocals had clearly matured, with fluctuations and intonations that were convincing rather than tentative as in the past.

[22] The single's B-side, George Terry's "Mainline Florida", was described as "breaking away from the established tone" of the album and features Clapton's using talk box during his outgoing solo.

[25] Music author Dave Thompson claimed that Clapton's "live versions almost get you learning the [hand jive] movements all over again.

[30][31][32][33] Other artists who covered the song include: Johnny Rivers, New Riders of the Purple Sage, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Sandy Nelson, The Tremeloes, Amos Garrett, Ducks Deluxe and Levon Helm.

[5] Footage from Otis' performance of "Willie and the Hand Jive" at the 1970 Monterey Jazz Festival was included in Clint Eastwood's 1971 film Play Misty for Me.