Songfacts®:

• According to Hugh Cornwell, who was The Stranglers' lead singer from 1974 to 1990, this moody track from the band's debut studio album grew out of its distinct bass line (played by JJ Burnel). Lyricially, it was inspired by the characters who hung around the London clubs where the band used to perform, especially the Nashville. He explained in the 2011 book The Stranglers: Song By Song:
  
  "There was a woman in red who was always there getting drunk and passing out, which used to make us laugh. There are also references to a friend of ours called Garry Coward-Williams, who was always smiling, and a friend of his we called Duncan Doughnuts, who was 20 going on 40. I could never believe how old he looked. His whole manner and appearance was of a middle-aged man.
  
  The Earls Court Road was near and there were a lot of pushers coming into the Nashville. You could get anything there because it was such a big cavernous pub with lots of corners."
• John Ellis, the band's then-guitarist, wrote the fourth verse ("I'm moving in the Coleherne…"). Cornwell recalled: "He was living round the Earls Court Road and used to frequent a gay pub there called the Coleherne. John told me about the special language the regulars had constructed. If you wore a spotted handkerchief coming out of your right hand back pocket it meant one thing and if it was sticking out of your left hand pocket, it meant something else, that you were either a giver or taker."
• Cornwell on the song's references to Jesus Christ: "The title of the song reminded me of a joke I'd heard, which I thought was funny. What a great way to spend Easter, hanging around on a cross. It's very flippant.
  
  I find that references to God and Christ are very emotive. For a long period of time I loved hanging around churches. There's something fascinating about the power of religious belief. I'm not necessarily a very religious person, but I'm fascinated by the regalia and everything connected with it. I love using references to religion in the creative process because it's so emotive and controversial. You get people who strongly believe and equally strident non-believers. And as Jet [Black, The Stranglers' drummer] used to say, nothing has caused more bloodshed in the world than religion." >>>

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• The band's next album, No More Heroes, was released just five months after Rattus Norvegicus. Because of this, they didn't go through with issuing "Hanging Around" as their third single as they didn't want to detract attention from their new album.
• British singer-songwriter Hazel O'Connor recorded this in 1981. Her version peaked at #45 in the UK.