"[2] The Kinks' guitarist, Dave Davies, said of the song's guitar solo, "Ideally, if I'm emotionally stimulated, I feel like I can play anything.

It just came out, because it was still that period where you could go into a studio and make a decent recording in a couple of days; you didn't have to spend three weeks just trying to get a sound on a drum computer.

AllMusic critic Denise Sullivan said, "A gentle acoustic guitar riff and organ lead into the touching story of 'Life Goes On' from the Kinks' 1977 album, Sleepwalker.

As Ray Davies tells the story about a friend's suicide in an admonishing voice full of yearning, whining, and disbelief, brother Dave plays along empathetically with his layered rhythm guitar lead.

Plus, it closes out the album – as was the habit with the Kinks – with a song that sums up the action preceding it, musically and lyrically.