Hunting High and Low sold more than eight million copies worldwide and spawned two number one hits. In the fall of 1986, "Take On Me" and "The Sun Always Shines on TV" were nominated for 11 MTV Video Awards combined, and A-ha won eight of these. Tim DiGravina of AllMusic Guide said "It's a cohesive album with smart pace changeups, and it rarely fails to delight or satisfy a listener's need for a synth pop fix... One can't escape the feeling that Hunting High and Low is a product of the 1980s, but with highs like 'Take On Me' and 'The Sun Always Shines
High, Low and In Between Van Zandt's previous album "Delta Momma Blues", which features very sparse arrangements, "High Low and in Between" incorporates a folk-rock edge. Many of the themes on "High, Low and In Between" deal with moral dilemmas, with songs that celebrate both the pleasure of sin and the joy of salvation. In the comical "No Deal" the drunken narrator falls in love with a girl who has "barely turned fifteen" and declares if Heaven has no whiskey and women, "I'm gonna take my chances down below and of that you can be sure," while "Highway Kind" is a dark minor key ballad