Dave Thompson compared the two versions in AllMusic: "whereas Gore recites the song with becoming innocence, the Shangri-Las sound, characteristically, somewhat raunchier – 'kiss him, hold him, hug him, love him'... and then a silence so suggestive that any further detail seems unnecessary.

"[11] Mary Ann Ganser sang the lead vocal on "I'm Blue",[12] which is a cover of the Ikettes' 1961 hit song.

AllMusic highlighted "the tight bluesy garage-rock feel of the performance, the understated organ that floats beneath the melody and the ghostly sax that plays call-and-response with the middle eight".

[13] "Heaven Only Knows" was the only Shangri-Las song that lead singer Mary Weiss recorded again, 42 years later, for her only solo album, Dangerous Game.

[16][17] It also gave name to a 2003 book by John Kelly and a 2013 compilation album of songs written or produced by Shadow Morton.