"[5] In a retrospective review of the On the Beach album, Rob Caldwell of AllMusic described the song as the "standout track", adding that the original version was "the most evocative, a little slower and more meditative than [the] others."

[3] Mike DeGagne, in an AllMusic review of New Light Through Old Windows commented that the song, along with "Let's Dance", "represent a lean toward a more commercial sound.

In 1999, German dance music group York sampled the guitar riff for their track "O.T.B.

4 on the UK Singles Chart for two weeks and sold over 200,000 copies to earn a silver certification from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).

He also stated on British radio that he had intended to go to Ibiza with York for live promotions but was unable due to a recent heart attack.