The track was written by Dominique Durand, Adam Schlesinger and Andy Chase, while production was handled by the latter two and Peter Nashel.
It took several years for Ivy to finalize the material included on the album, due to the birth of lead singer Dominque Durand and musician Andy Chase's daughter, Justine, in 1999.
[2] With the exploration, Ivy began crafting "stronger" songs, that were less atmospheric than those on their previous studio album, Apartment Life (1997), but contained more "infectious melodies".
[5] AllMusic claimed that the single's "taut rhythm and slinky guitars provide a sleekly sexy backdrop for Durand's wistful vocals".
[2] To promote Long Distance, Ivy performed "Disappointed" live on a 2001 episode of Late Night with Conan O'Brien.
[2] A reviewer from CMJ New Music Monthly enjoyed "the lazy float" of the track, further commenting that "Durand's near-catatonic delivery [is] not a bad idea".