Allmusic considered the song "By the Way" to combine "fiery Hollywood funk, gentle harmonies, a little bit of singing about girls, a little bit of hanging out in the streets in the summertime." "Rolling Stone" commented on "how close this band has come to conjuring pure California sunshine" in "The Zephyr Song". "Midnight" was highly regarded by several sources. It was chosen as one of "By the Way"'s "Allmusic Track Picks". Kimberly Mack of Pop Matters considered it to have "hippie-friendly lyrics" and to "evoke images of tie-dyed T-shirts and AM radio." Mack also regarded "Venice Queen" as "a masterpiece... Frusciante's backing vocals are hauntingly beautiful." In 2005, "By the Way" was ranked number 375 in "Rock Hard" magazine's book of "The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time".