"[6] Billboard praised the "arresting" hook and the use of the horns, saying that the song "is closer in spirit and tone to 'What A Fool Believes' than the jazz flavor of the album's title track.

"[7] Record World said that it "features call & response vocals over a double time beat" giving it "instant, unlimited appeal.

"[8] Ultimate Classic Rock critic Michael Gallucci rated "Dependin' on You" to be the Doobie Brothers' all-time 9th greatest song.

[3] The staff of Billboard also rated the song as the Doobie Brothers' 9th greatest, rating it higher than the previous two singles from the album and saying that it is "a more genuine synthesis of Doobies old and new [than the prior two singles]" and that "Simmons’ gruff(er) vocal roughens up the track’s yacht rock polish, and McDonald’s insistent piano hook blends with [Jeff] Baxter's biting solos, straight out of Steely Dan’s Can’t Buy a Thrill playbook, to give the song a bit more muscle.

[9] On the other hand, Rolling Stone critic Stephen Holden, who classified it as a Cubano number, considered the song to be "no better than second-rate lounge fare.