The song reached number one on the UK singles chart on 22 January 1984, ultimately becoming one of the most controversial and most commercially successful records of the decade.
The single eventually sold a reported 2 million copies in the UK alone, making it the seventh best-selling single in the UK Singles Chart's history.
The song won Best British Single at the 1985 Brit Awards.
The song featured on the soundtrack to T2 Trainspotting,, in the game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories in the fictional in-game radio station Wave 103.
The track featured on the soundtrack to Black Mirror Bandersnatch.