Songfacts®:

• Palmer said this song is about "style without substance, the trivial veneer."
  
  He bounced around genres musically, making it hard to find the right place for him in the record racks. This didn't always sit well with his label and others in the industry, and it inspired the song.
  
  "I wrote this at a time when I was coming under flak for not conforming, whatever that may mean," he wrote in his Addictions: Volume 1 compilation, adding, "This is the hardest rock thing I've ever done. It still gives me chills."
• Parmer wrote the song with Gary Numan, an electronic music pioneer who had a big hit with "Cars." Numan also played keyboards on the track.
• The song is part of Palmer's album Maybe It's Live, which has six live cuts and four new studio recordings, including this one. Another studio cut on the album is his unusual version of "Some Guys Have All The Luck," which was a hit in the UK.
• A few years after this song was released, Palmer's musical hodgepodge synced with popular taste, landing him a #1 hit with "Addicted To Love." Those who dug into his back catalog discovered lots of unusual music, including this track.