Bryan Carroll of AllMusic gave the single four out of five stars, saying that "Of the more than 1,500 commitments of Richard Berry's 'Louie Louie' to wax ... Black Flag's volatile take on the song is incomparable. No strangers to controversy themselves, the band pummel the song with their trademark pre-Henry Rollins-era guitar sludge, while singer Dez Cadena spits out his nihilistic rewording of the most misunderstood lyrics in rock history." Both tracks from the single were included on the 1983 compilation album "The First Four Years", and "Louie Louie" was also included on 1987's "Wasted...Again". A live version of "Louie Louie", recorded by the band's 1985 lineup, was released on the live album "Who's Got the 10½?", with Rollins improvising his own lyrics.