"Off He Goes" was released as a single in 1996 with a previously unreleased
B-side titled "Dead Man", which can also be found on the compilation album,
Lost Dogs (2003). The song peaked at number 34 on the
Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and number 31 on the
Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. Outside the United States, the single was released commercially in
Australia. In
Canada, the song reached the top 40 on the Canadian
Singles Chart, and later it charted on the Canadian Alternative Top 30 chart where it reached number 15 and stayed there for two weeks. "Off He Goes" would peak at number 46 on the Australian Singles Chart. In
AllMusic's review of
No Code, "Off He Goes" was cited as one song on the album that is "equal [to] the group's earlier masterpieces."
David Fricke of
Rolling Stone said, "At first, "Off He Goes" sounds like another page torn from the
Neil Young hymnal. Its elegant, acoustic simplicity is deceiving, though. With a humor and confidence that he rarely gets credit for, Vedder describes a man not unlike himself—at least, his public image—but from the point of view of an old, puzzled friend." ==Live performances==