The song has been covered by many cross-genre artists such as The Grateful Dead, The Beach Boys, Wanda Jackson, Vicki Young, Johnny Winter, Dr. Feelgood, The Blues Brothers, Commander Cody and his Lost Planet Airmen, Johnny Cash, The Coasters and Flat Duo Jets.
During this time a few popular foreign acts played in the club as well, including Tom Waits, John Lee Hooker and Dr. Feelgood.
Returning to Southend, Jupp pursued a low-key existence until the pub-rock revolution (spearheaded by local bands such as Dr. Feelgood, for whom he wrote the hit single "Down at the Doctors") created a fresh interest in rock and roll.
It collects the albums Dr. Feelgood and Mötley Crüe, the EP Quaternary (currently out of print), and the compilations Decade of Decadence (currently out of print) and Supersonic and Demonic Relics.
The Pirates, when they established themselves in 1962-64 and again from 1976 onwards as a separate, power trio entity from Johnny Kidd & the Pirates, were pioneers of the technique of playing guitar solos with a thick chordal rhythm-guitar-like style, which was later popularised by Wilko Johnson of Dr. Feelgood in the 1970s.
The song is co-written by Wilko Johnson, formerly of influential pub-rock band Dr. Feelgood, who had joined the band as a replacement for Ian Dury's former co-writer Chas Jankel, who had left to pursue a solo career, and features string arrangements by Ivor Raymonde (who also composed the string arrangements for Fucking Ada, the song's B-side on its 12" release).
His album Save the Wail (1979) produced by Paul Riley, featured Buzz Barwell (ex Dr. Feelgood) and Bob Clouter (Ex Mickey Jupp's The Orioles) on drums, Rick Taylor and Pete Zear on guitars and Johnny Squirrel on bass, collectively known as Lew Lewis Reformer, they were, stylistically, "between pub rock and blues-rock".