The tune evolved from an untitled and mostly ad-libbed jam that the Doobies developed onstage years before it was finally recorded.

"[10] Ultimate Classic Rock critic Michael Gallucci rated "Long Train Runnin'" the Doobie Brothers' second-greatest song, especially praising the guitar riff.

[7] The staff of Billboard rated it as the Doobie Brothers' sixth-best song, noting how Johnston's and Patrick Simmons' "punchy guitars" contrast with "the jammy polyrhythms" in the bass and drums.

The group discovered the song when they were browsing through the record collection of Youth, producer of the Pop Life album.

Larry Flick from Billboard wrote, "Bananarama offers a pop/house version of the Doobie Brothers' classic rocker "Long Train Running".

Produced by Youth, this first single from the forthcoming Pop Life album features guitar work from the Gipsy Kings, which provides a tough, rustic edge to an otherwise light and campy track.

"[43] Chuck Eddy from Entertainment Weekly said that "those techno-flamenco gods" help engineer the song "into a scary locomotive blues.

"[45] The Bananarama music video for "Long Train Running", directed by Nick Egan, features the group members dressed in Spanish gowns while attending a soirée with various guests at a castle.