In a retrospective assessment, AllMusic's Ned Raggett lauded the song as "astounding... a flat-out pop classic – clever, heartfelt, thrilling, and confident, not to mention catchy and arranged brilliantly". Critic Dave Thompson called it a "perfect synth-dance-pop extravaganza". The track has featured in lists such as "NME"s "100 Best Songs of the 1980s", "Classic Pop"s "Top 100 Singles of the 80s", MusicRadars "40 Greatest Synth Tracks Ever" and Smooth Radio's "25 Greatest 1980s Synthpop Songs"; "NME" critic Rebecca Schiller described McCluskey's vocal as "brilliantly quizzical" and the song as a "pop classic". It was selected by Danny Boyle for use during the opening ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. The song became a Celtic F.C. anthem in the mid-to-late 2010s, with fans changing the lyrics to revolve around player Stuart Armstrong.