Upon release, "Billboard" listed the song under "New and Noteworthy" in their "Singles" section. They said: "A dreamy, eerie, British beat ballad that carries rock overstatement to splendid heights and misses no Spectorian trick; towering walls of sound." "Cash Box" listed the single as one of their "feature picks" during August 1986. They commented: "This captivating debut has a good shot at CHR with its hooky female refrain and powerful lead vocal." In August 1986, the song was voted best new song of the week ("Screamers of the Week") by listeners of WLIR 92.7 FM.