Mainly inspired by the work of the American band New Edition, the accompanying music video for "Love On Top" shows Beyoncé along with five male dancers, performing choreographed moves in a penthouse studio in New York City overlooking the Hudson River towards New Jersey.

[1] From June 16 to 27, 2011, the songs from 4 were available to listen to in full each day on Beyoncé's official website, paired with its accompanying photo spread from the album packaging and a quote.

[16][17][18] According to Slant Magazine's Eric Henderson, "Love On Top" is a "bright, breezy tribute to the freshness of mid-[19]80s, pre-new-jack-FM R&B reminiscent of Whitney Houston and Anita Baker.

[7] "Love On Top"'s retro elements are further illustrated by its use of finger snaps, a "distorted" bass groove, and a melding of horns as well as sweet backing harmonies, especially in the bridge and the chorus of the song.

[24] Priya Elan of NME noted that "Love On Top" echoes Janet Jackson's "Whoops Now" (1995), Lionel Richie's "Dancing on the Ceiling" (1986) and the theme from My Two Dads.

Club and David Amidon of PopMatters noted that "Love On Top" features "mature lyrics" alongside Beyoncé "sounding vocally giddy and aggressive while portraying the message.

[24] As stated by Scott Shetler of PopCrush, she constantly sings praises of her love interest in the first verse where she also seemingly sends him subtle digs as he did not give her his full attention in the past,[19] this being illustrated in lyrics such as, "after fighting through my fears [...] finally you've put me first.

"[10] Matthew Horton of BBC joked about the climax of the song, stating that the album 4 "was named after the four key changes in the final, teetering chorus of 'Love on Top' to ram the point home.

[30] Similarly, Matthew Perpetua of Rolling Stone named "Love On Top" "a blast" as Beyoncé creates a modern take on old-school Whitney Houston.

[13] While including the song as a "must hear" from the album, Andy Gill of The Independent named "Love On Top" as "a small footnote to Stevie Wonder's innovatory genius.

[32] Eric Henderson of Slant Magazine also gave "Love On Top" a positive review, favoring its "infectious upbeat spirit" and comparing it to the styling of Stevie Wonder, Anita Baker and Whitney Houston.

"[7] Similarly, Joey Guerra of the Houston Chronicle commented that "Love On Top" is a "bouncy jam" which finds Beyoncé in "feel-good diva mode".

"[34] Mikael Wood of Spin magazine noted that the song "imagines a perfect genetic splice" of Whitney Houston's eponymous debut album and Michael Jackson's Off the Wall.

The numerous key changes that flood the end of the song could seem masturbatory, but Beyoncé is not proving that she can sing as high as Mariah [Carey] or Whitney [Houston] because we already trust her to.

[36] Becky Bain of the website Idolator viewed "Love On Top" as a "joyful tune that doubles as a throwback to a simpler time" and added that Beyoncé's energy is "infectious".

[28] Conrad Tao of Sputnikmusic very much liked "Love On Top", writing: "[...] as she forces herself into a rarely used high range, she sets for a perfect catharsis for the burgeoning sexual passions of the album's first two thirds", and describing the outcome as "absolutely magnificent".

"[37] Similarly, Joanne Dorken of MTV UK who described "Love On Top" as "scream[ing] 'classic disco', catchy, [being] more uptempo and differing from the rest of the album", concluded that the song shows Beyoncé's versatility and that it is "very Jackson 5".

[41] Slant Magazine's staff members listed "Love On Top" as the 24th best song of the year, with Eric Henderson commenting that "somewhere between [4's] copious ballads and its few, hyperventilating dance tracks, Beyoncé strikes a perfect balance with this breezy midtempo tribute to the 1980s.

[51] For the week July 2, 2011, "Love On Top" debuted on the South Korea Gaon International Singles Chart at number 3, selling 89,942 digital downloads.

[70] Before being sent for adds on any format on US radios, "Love On Top" debuted at number 36 on the BDS Urban AC National airplay chart issue dated October 29, 2011, having amassed 106 spins, including 55 in 7 days.

[97] After the release of the sneak peek, Michael Bivins of New Edition told Theybf.com, "When I saw Beyonce on the MTV awards in the sequined jacket this year and with the dancers in R&B group positions, I knew then she was showing love to NE!

[100] Erika Ramirez of Billboard magazine and Melissa Maerz of Entertainment Weekly highlighted the fact that Beyoncé wears several different clothes including the dress that was worn during her performance at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards.

About halfway through, the visuals suddenly switch to night as the singer lights up the space in various formal looks, including a gold pantsuit, white suit, and finally a tuxedo complete with coattails, top hat, and cane.

"[108] Maura Johnston of The Village Voice described the video as a direct homage to New Edition's "If It Isn't Love" but added that when the song's key changes start, "Beyoncé and her posse of backup dancers get a bit brassier and fancier".

[117] Jon Caramanica of The New York Times gave Beyoncé critical acclaim, favoring performances of "underdog tracks" such as "Party" and "Love On Top".

[125] Chuck Darrow of The Philadelphia Inquirer was positive about the performance of the song during the concert, saying, "As for the music, Beyonce kept the needle in the red zone for much of the show, dealing primarily in such full-throttle, groove-intensive signature tracks as 'Love on Top'".

[128] Rebecca Thomas of MTV News was also positive about the performance, writing, "Without missing a step of the New Edition-inspired choreography, B powered through the song's modulations in an extended vocal showcase.

[132] Describing Beyoncé as "a veteran on the VMA stage", Kaufman wrote that "the audience was clearly feeling the love also" and praised how she "[got] a bit wild as she brought the tune home with some of her signature.

[145] Michelle Graffin of The Age called it the "song of the night", writing that Rouvas was "so good she can wrestle 'Love on Top' from Beyoncé's iron grip and transform it into a smokey nightclub number worthy of the young Liza Minnelli".

[150] Brian Mansfield of USA Today praised her performance writing that she was "comfortable and confident and happy" but added that the high melody of the song "puts a little strain on her voice toward the end".