"[4][8] Du Noyer particularly praises the pedal steel guitar playing of Pete Kleinow, as does music critic Johnny Rogan.
Lennon had met Jennings, who had played in the final iteration of Buddy Holly's backup band, The Crickets, at the Grammy Awards several months earlier.
"[7] Rodriguez considers it a rocker of the sort that the Beatles used to play in their early days, sounding like an American song sung by an Englishman.
"[5] Keith Spore of The Milwaukee Sentinel called the song a "smashing serpentine rocker" which serves as a reminder of Lennon's past brilliance.
[14] Rolling Stone Magazine critic Stephen Holden regards "Tight A$" as one of the two highlights of Mind Games, along with the title track.
[15] Journalists Roy Carr and Tony Tyler also regard it as one of the best songs on Mind Games, saying it demonstrates the return of Lennon's "cockiness and irreverence," which they consider to possibly be his best qualities.