Former art student Bryan Ferry took the title ‘Virginia Plain" from one of his own paintings, featuring an image of cigarette packaging - "Virginia Plain" is a variety of cigarette tobacco. Ferry later said in an interview: “It was just like a surreal drawing of a giant cigarette packet, with a pin-up girl on it. I liked that phrase Virginia Plain… so it later became the title of the first single I put out with Roxy Music”.

The song was recorded by the band in July 1972 at London's Command Studios. As a single the song became a Top 10 hit in the UK, peaking at number four.