Rolling Stone describes it "one of rock's most beautiful celebrations of adolescence", and rated it #396 on their list of the 500 greatest songs of all time.

[5] The song encompasses folk and pop characteristics with its use of simple lyrics and the acoustic guitar.

[6] SingersRoom critic Simon Robinson rated it Big Star's best song, praising the "catchy melody and jangly guitars that perfectly capture the carefree and optimistic spirit of youth" and the "simple yet poignant" lyrics that evoke the "experience of teenage romance and heartbreak.

It was released as a single by Big Star with “Watch the Sunrise” as the B-Side, on Ardent Records,[8] but was mislabeled as “Don’t Lie to Me”.

They include: When asked if there was a Big Star cover he was especially fond of, lead singer Alex Chilton mentioned Garbage's version of this song.