"Singles of the Year", writing, "A shimmering post-House triumph. Seduction had never sounded so sorrowful." In 2003, Vibe listed Masters at Work's remix of the song as one of the "Top 25 remixes ever created." Critical reception In contemporary reviews, Larry Flick from Billboard wrote that the band "reinterprets Neil Young tune into a glowing swing/hip-hop jam." David Giles from Music Week stated that the song is "sung in beautifully husky tones, and set to a snails-pace dance rhythm, that is already proving immensely popular at club level." Roger Morton from NME felt that Saint Etienne's version "should nark a few old hippies because the original melody is thoroughly streamrollered by a crushing Soul II Soul type beat. Neo-lover's rock in feel, it scores points both for the idea and the execution." A reviewer from Smash Hits called it a "brilliant dance version". In retrospective reviews, Justin Chadwick from Albumism described the cover version as "stirring", stating that it "manages to stay faithful to the original's melancholy weight while transforming Young's minimalist composition into a fresh and thrilling dancefloor-friendly affair." He added, "Propelled by multi-layered dub basslines, house rhythms, piano loops, and pounding drum breaks, the group's interpolation sounds little like Young's 1970 single, save for the equally plaintive power of Lambert's ruminations." Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic said it is "not only cleverly ironic, but also works". Music video Two music videos were released for the single. The original version is mostly in black and white and depicts Lucy Gillie from early 90s pop trio Golden miming the vocals (Lambert refused to appear in the video). The second features Cracknell miming to Lambert's vocals and depicts the band entering a cinema in a small French town (that inspired the group's name) where they see themselves in a movie. The act includes this song in their live shows with Cracknell performing the song. Charts Other cover versions Jackie DeShannon - Jackie (1972) Anne Kirkpatrick - Let the Songs Keep Flowing Strong & Naturally (1976) Elkie Brooks - Shooting Star also single (#43 UK) (1978): "[This] noncaring dance-beat version of Neil Young's heartrending 'Only Love Can Break Your Heart' cheapens the singer more than the song" - Toby Goldstein in High Fidelity Stephen Stills - Right by You (1984: features additional lyrics by Stills) Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young performed the song during their Live Aid set in 1985. The Mint