Writer Richard Riegel evaluated the immediate impact of "The Soft Parade" on the Doors' reputation in the magazine "Creem" in 1981: "If "Waiting for the Sun" set a lot of older hippies to questioning their former perceptions of the Doors as Avatars of the avant-garde, then "The Soft Parade" finished off their interest in the group." In a review for "AllMusic", Richie Unterberger was slightly more positive, writing that "about half the record is quite good, especially the huge hit 'Touch Me' (their most successful integration of orchestration)". However, Unterberger felt it is the "weakest studio album recorded with Jim Morrison", as well as "their weakest set of material, low lights including filler like 'Do It' and 'Runnin' Blue'". Writer James Riordan opined that, compared to prior albums, Morrison's contributions to "The Soft Parade" were lackluster, putting his credibility as a serious poet and songwriter on the line. Author Danny Sugerman in "No One Here Gets Out Alive" wrote "overall the lyric impact was less than it had been on previous albums... horns by some of the top local studio jazz musicians further blurred the once-lucid Doors sound".