In a contemporary review, New Musical Express wrote: "This is a happy and tuneful disc with a great shake beat, and so much better than 'Leader of the Pack'.

"[8] The song was ranked number 200 among the greatest singles ever made in Dave Marsh's book The Heart of Rock & Soul (1989).

[9] Marsh describes the song as "one of the greatest pieces of teen dialogue ever recorded, not to mention posessed of a great beat."

He highlights the bit "when the music virtually ceases except for basic drumbeats and a riffing trumpet," and the ensuing girls' dialogue ("I hear he's bad."

Rhythmically energetic percussive forces soon come to the fore, with a horn section and piano providing syncopated R&B-styled riffs over a harmonic foundation that alternates jauntily between the home key and its relative minor.