He had become dissatisfied with his US record label, Dial Records, in Nashville, Tennessee and told them he was about to leave. However he was informed that other artists had already recorded his song, so he quickly recorded and released his own version on the Australian-based Good Thyme label through Festival. Kruger noted that "song reflected his frustration with his own stagnation, and the futile attempts of Australian artists trying to break into America or England". In the US Johnson's single was issued on Mainstream Records, it went to No. 73 on the "Billboard" singles chart in 1973. It was picked up by producer Jonathan King and released in the United Kingdom on his UK Records label in 1974 when it reached No. 23 on the UK Singles Chart the following year. The song reached number 8 in the Irish charts on its original release in 1974, returning to number 18 under the UK Records release in January 1975.