"Smokin'" was written by the band leader, guitarist and main songwriter Tom Scholz and lead vocalist Brad Delp.
[5] Scott Tady of Beaver County Times described "Smokin'," "Rock and Roll Band" and Boston's first four singles as having "helped set the foundation for classic-rock radio.
[9] SingersRoom critic Edward Tomlin also rated it as Boston's 4th best song, saying that "The guitar solo is a highlight, showcasing Scholz’s technical proficiency on the instrument.
"[10] The New Rolling Stone Album Guide called "Smokin'" a "cleaned-up boogey [sic] crowd pleaser..."[11] Scholz described the beginning of the song as being a vaguely ZZ Top-ish boogie.
[13] The song is featured in the 2004 game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas on the in-game radio station K-DST, the movie The Virgin Suicides and in the 2016 South Park episodes "Skank Hunt" and "The End of Serialization as We Know It".