Ohio Express was a studio concoction and none of the "official" members appear on the record.

Time magazine included it in its 2011 list of songs with silly lyrics.

The single's flip-side, titled "Zig-Zag", is an instrumental version of the 1910 Fruitgum Company's "(Poor Old) Mr. Jensen" played in reverse.

In television, the song has been used on The Simpsons in the episodes "Itchy & Scratchy: The Movie" and "The Heartbroke Kid"; in the Monty Python's Flying Circus episode "How Not to Be Seen" (credited to the fictional band "Jackie Charlton and the Tonettes"); in the Futurama episode "Saturday Morning Fun Pit"; and a short musical segment of Timon and Pumbaa, where it is sung by the titular characters with modified lyrics.

The Beatles borrowed the introduction of the Ohio Express single for their 1968 White Album opener "Back in the U.S.S.R." New wave band The Cars would borrow the opening guitar chords for their 1978 hit "Just What I Needed".