Larry Flick from
Billboard magazine wrote, "Like a fast-mangled
Oasis song, The London Suede succeeded in making sounds of pop/rock that are definitely unique. The painfully true lyrics and vibrant sounds have already proved to be a hit in the U.K." Kevin Courtney from
The Irish Times commented, "The Suede resurrection continues apace with this second single from the band's brilliant
Coming Up album [...]
Richard Oakes's crispy guitar intro sets the sordid scene, and Brett takes up the trashy torch with bum slapping gusto. As immediate and invigorating as, well, a good sniff of premium unleaded." Music writer
James Masterton said in his weekly UK chart commentary, that the band’s follow up to "
Trash" "hits similar heights with a rather fine catchy melody that is by no means instant but gradually works its way into your consciousness with repeated listens." A reviewer from
Music Week gave it four out of five, adding that "the familiar strains of
Brett Anderson ride over this strong single". Alex Needham of
Smash Hits was mixed, giving the song a rating of two out of five. He called it: "A jovial, if hardly life-changing, bit of fluff from the nation's favourite pop spooks [...] It gains extra points for the line 'shaking their bits to the hits', but ultimately falls rather flat. The terrible truth is that Suede used to be brilliant until their old guitarist/tunesmith Bernard Butler left, and now they're just pleasantly average." In 2014,
Paste listed the song at number 34 in its list of "The 50 Best Britpop Songs". Michael Danaher wrote: "The song is both simple and sophisticated, and it's a true
Britpop gem that deserves much attention." In a
Clash retrospective feature on
Coming Up, Ricky Jones called the single "a
jangly pop masterpiece with one of the most melancholic sing-a-long choruses Britpop would ever produce." ==Music video==