Buckner & Garcia was a musical duo consisting of Jerry Buckner and Gary Garcia from Akron, Ohio. Their first recording was made in the 1960s, when they performed a novelty song called "Gotta Hear the Beat", which they recorded as Animal Jack. Later, in 1980, they wrote a novelty Christmas song titled "Merry Christmas in the NFL", imagining Howard Cosell as Santa Claus. Performed under the pseudonym Willis the Guard & Vigorish, the song reached No. 82 on the Billboard charts despite limited airplay after Cosell found the song offensive. In 1981, the duo wrote a sentimental country theme to back the poem "Footprints in the Sand", performed by Edgel Groves. The duo also wrote the lyrics for extra verses of an extended version of the WKRP in Cincinnati theme song in 1982.

However, the duo is best known for the song "Pac-Man Fever", which became a large novelty hit in 1982, peaking at No. 9 in the United States. It earned a million-selling Gold-certified 45. Later the same year, after the song became a hit, the duo signed a record deal with Columbia/CBS Records. According to interviews, the duo never wanted to become a novelty act known for songs based on video games, but when it signed with the label, the company insisted on a full album of video-game songs, although the duo had intended to write a more varied collection of pop music. They complied despite their misgivings and released Pac-Man Fever, a full album consisting entirely of songs about arcade games.