A band effort largely composed in the studio, the song was a radio hit and reached number 11 in the United Kingdom.

According to drummer Martin Chambers, the song was largely formed in the studio based on a rough sketch presented by Hynde.

[2] At the time of the creation of Pretenders II, Hynde found confidence in the song's radio success, saying "I knew that people still liked us and we were getting airplay with 'Message of Love', 'Talk of the Town', [and] 'I Go to Sleep'".

[2] Described by Stewart Mason of Allmusic as a "fairly standard rocker", "Message of Love" features a "a stop-start beat ... with skittering snare fills that give the song a paradoxically driving rhythm.

Stewart Mason of Allmusic praised the performances of bassist Pete Farndon and drummer Martin Chambers on the song and described the track as "unfairly overlooked by all but the Pretenders' biggest fans.