"dick around" was released as an ep in the us, and as a double a-side single with "waterproof" in the uk. both versions featured an edited version of "dick around" and the us version included live tracks recorded earlier that year in los angeles. the uk release of the song fell foul of a ban by the bbc, who took issue with the title citing it as obscene. sparks issued a statement; "in a reaction [to the ban] the band says: "the bbc has officially killed off our new single dick around, ostensibly through rather childish objections to the title, an innocent reference to the idle life. that a piece of music can be condemned purely by its title without the 'decision makers' even having the decency to open the cd case is a travesty and an insult to both us as the creators of the music and to the listeners of the bbc." eventually, in a statement bbc london said that the track is back in rotation. the single charted at the lowly position of #139 in the uk.