However, reviewer MacKenzie Wilson of Allmusic considered this single to be the strongest song on Sparkle in the Rain, complimenting its lyrics and 'glossy' verse which "thrives on celebrity and the falling grace that coincides that".

[4] The band's lead singer Jim Kerr has retrospectively called "Up on the Catwalk" an example of Simple Minds "at their spikiest and most dramatic".

[5] The song begins with an exclamation of "one, two, one, two, three, four" while the drummer, Mel Gaynor, bangs his drumsticks together, followed by "crashing drums"[6] and keyboards by Mick MacNeil.

As the song progresses it achieves the rock-oriented, "enormous sound"[7] of the two preceding singles, thanks to extensive "reverb and echo" attributed to each instrument in the production.

[8] The combination of seemingly random photo compositions, and glamorous models alternating with superhero figures on the second catwalk, while Kerr rapidly sings names of well-known persons and places,[9] create an overall "surreal" and "disturbing" video according to Dream Giver Redux.