"[3] Cash Box said "Hard, steady rocker with top flight Eric Carmen vocals and driving music makes this one a dance natural.

[5] Lead vocalist Eric Carmen described it as "a kind of Little Richard, old-time 1950s rock and roll rave up.

"[6] Classic Rock History critic Brian Kachejian said of it that "When Eric Carmen wanted to let loose, he had the pipes to stand with any great rock lead vocalists" and noted that the song "starts out heavy but finds its way leaning towards more of the pop side of the band when the verse meets the chorus.

"[9] Ultimate Classic Rock critic Dave Swanson rated four songs from Side 3 among the Raspberries' 10 best: "Ecstasy", "Tonight", "On the Beach" and "Last Dance".

"Tonight" was later recorded by glam metal band Mötley Crüe for their 1981 album Too Fast for Love, but the track was left off the initial release (it appeared on the 1999 reissue and later versions).