[1] The protagonist of the song is a man who goes to his ex-lover's apartment and spies on her through the bathroom door, illustrated in lyrics such as "I see you fogging up the mirror / Vapor round your body glistens from the shower.

Billboard's Chuck Taylor wrote that the song was "a jangly, pop-rooted rocker that reflects the signature style of the band: lyric-loaded, a big chorus, hearty, organic instrumentation, and more than a smattering of sexual innuendo.

"[6] While comparing Out of the Vein to Third Eye Blind's previous work, the Record-Journal's Alan Sculley wrote, "Frisky songs like 'Blinded (When I See You)' and 'Crystal Baller' sit comfortably alongside past hits like 'Semi-Charmed Life' and 'Never Let You Go.

[2] It spent 15 weeks on the Billboard Adult Pop Songs chart and peaked at number 17 on July 5, 2003.

[9] The song's music video was directed by Stephan Jenkins and features the band members fooling around and performing onstage.