Wilson stated in an interview, "The intro to this song is the greatest piece of music I've ever written ... The song was a big record for us but I never really liked anything but the intro." In 1970, he said that he disliked the recorded vocal performance and added, "If I could, I'd re-record that one ... We rushed the beat on that one." In 2010, he told Dillon that it was the band's finest record and said, "You could call it our anthem."