Ray Davies said of the song's appeal, "I was trying not to be a hit machine - and we've certainly achieved that with a few albums.

Things like "Misfits" and "A Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy" a bit later were attempts to do both; music we got a kick out of, and also improve the fan-base.

Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic called the track "a classic outsider rallying cry" and labelled it as one of the two "touchstones" of the album.

[2] Rolling Stone's Ken Emerson said that "Misfits" is "a fitting introduction to the Kinks' most intimate album".

Although "A Rock 'N' Roll Fantasy" was released as a single in the United States, the other three tracks made their non-album debut in America on the EP.