[9][10] On its release, the Belgian magazine Popshop was critical of the song for moving Cockney Rebel "in the rock direction".

"[11] In a review of The Psychomodo, Record Mirror stated: "The great merit of Harley's insanity is that it's laid bare here for every lost blimp to indulge.

"[12] Donald A. Guarisco of AllMusic retrospectively reviewed the song, stating, "One of the highlights of Cockney Rebel was the wild lyrics of Steve Harley, who often fused serious ideas with dazzling wordplay along the lines of Marc Bolan.

He described the "dense, wordy" lyrics as being "like a trip through the mind of a mentally frazzled rock star" and noted the "quick-paced verses of twisty melodic frills" and the "attention-getting chorus".

[13] In a retrospective review of The Psychomodo, Dave Thompson of AllMusic stated, "Reversing the nature of The Human Menagerie, the crucial songs here are not those extended epics.