Jude Law and a Semester Abroad

An early version of the song was first included in their self-released 2000 demo CD, before appearing as the second track on their debut album, Your Favorite Weapon.^[7] In early November 2002, the band began rerecording the song. The band stated that the track's music and lyrics would remain the same and that they were simply aiming to produce a higher quality recording, before sending it to be played on the radio.^[8][9] The reworked version of the track was made available as a digital download through the band's website on November 11, 2002.^[3][10]

The album version of the track was also released on CD and on 7" vinyl, exclusively in the United Kingdom through Eat Sleep Records on June 2, 2002.^[4] The original 2000 version of the song, from their first four-track demo, was included on their 2003 single "The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows", from their follow-up album Deja Entendu.

The original album recording from 2001 was remastered and mixed by Emily Lazar and Joe LaPorta, as part of the 2011 reissue of Your Favorite Weapon.^[7]

The music video for "Jude Law and a Semester Abroad" was directed by Christian Winters and production company Fun Game Clique.^[11] The music video uses a mixture of both live and documentary footage, and was filmed across the band's tour in early 2002. The video premiered on MTV2 on July 30, 2002, and features the album version of the track, as opposed to the later rerecording.^[12]