This re-issue returned the song to the Hot 100, where it peaked at number 19 and remains Springsteen's final top-40 hit in the United States to date.

[1] "Secret Garden" was also featured in the film Night at the Roxbury and the TV show It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

Steve Baltin from Cash Box praised the song, noting that it is a ballad that follows in the footsteps of the softer material from his Human Touch and Lucky Town albums."

lt'd be hard to find a more deserving song than this one, as Springsteen once again puts the words and melody together to show why, despite the knocks he took in ’92, he remains alone at the top.

"[3] In 1997, British magazine Music Week gave "Secret Garden" three out of five, describing it as a "melancholic track".