"The Way You Make Me Feel" became Bad's third consecutive single to peak at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and charted mainly within the top ten and twenty internationally.

A music video for the song was released at the time, showing Jackson pursuing and dancing with model Tatiana Thumbtzen.

[3] According to Bad 25, the song and subsequent video was intended to show another aspect to public's perception of Michael Jackson in addition to his reputation as a lover ("I Just Can't Stop Loving You") and being streetwise ("Bad") they wanted to show him as a flirt or able to pick up girls.

[9] Jon Pareles, a writer for The New York Times, commented that Jackson's songs, "The Way You Make Me Feel" and "I Just Can't Stop Loving You", "say nothing more personalized than their titles".

[11] Rolling Stone' David Sigerson commented that "The Way You Make Me Feel" was "nearly as good" as being the third best song on Bad.

[12] Greg Quill, writing for the Toronto Star, commented that "the notion of individual as opposed to institutionalized self-improvement", a recurring theme for the singer, was present "to a lesser extent in the love songs 'The Way You Make Me Feel' and 'Liberian Girl', which deal more with surrender than conquest or self-gratification.

"[13] The Washington Post's Rickard Harrington commented that on songs like "The Way You Make Me Feel", Jackson "sings the way he dances".

[14] Cash Box called it a "brilliantly crafted upbeat pop number" with "memorable lyrics" and "a playful musical backdrop.

"[15] "The Way You Make Me Feel" tied at number 22 on The Village Voice's Pazz & Jop critics' poll of 1987.

[32] The music video for "The Way You Make Me Feel" was directed by Joe Pytka and was filmed in June 1987 at Skid Row, Los Angeles.

When Jackson walks home, an elderly man (played by Joe Seneca), who is sitting on the steps of his house, tells him to just be himself.

The video ends with the man eventually winning the woman over, and hugging her, while a fire hydrant sprays out water.

[35] The introduction of the full version of the video also samples the Roy Ayers 1985 song "Hot" (written by Binky Brice, Philip Hunter Field and James Mtume)[36] from his You Might Be Surprised album.

"The Way You Make Me Feel" was performed by Jackson on all three of his world concert series tours as a solo artist as well as during award shows.

The song was first performed in concert by Jackson during the encore of the second leg of his Bad World Tour from 1987 to 1989.

[37] Tatiana Thumbtzen, who appeared in the short film for "The Way You Make Me Feel", joined Jackson in some concerts of his Bad World Tour, and performed the song with him, strutting across the stage while he pursued her.

"The Way You Make Me Feel" was also performed during the first leg of Jackson's Dangerous World Tour from June 1992 to November 1993.

The tour was supposed to be longer, but was canceled due to Jackson's health concerns and stress from the child sexual abuse accusations made against him.

[45] In 2003, Australian music duo Shakaya covered "The Way You Make Me Feel" and released their version as a non-album single on April 14, 2003.

[50] In February 2010, Whitney Houston performed "The Way You Make Me Feel", along with Jackson's "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'", during her I Look to You Tour.