Richard Barbieri added the keyboard melody, Steve Jansen the drums and Mick Karn plays oboe on the track.

[7] It has been described as a "dynamic masterpiece alternating between the experimental, free-floating middle parts, and the casual pop chorus found throughout the song"[8] and "both complex and catchy".

[4] However, reviewing the song for Record Mirror, Ronnie Gurr described the single as having an "awful title and mellifluously nondescript Roxy rip-off A-side.

Elsewhere Eno's school of modern bland-out muzak that's so dull and nondescript, one can't ignore the fact the damn stuff takes hold".

[9] Smash Hits reviewer Steve Taylor wrote: "'Polaroids' is one of their elegant retreads of mid-period Roxy Music — even down to the detail of using the same producer — and it's attractively smooth and syrupy.