Reviewer Jon Young of Mother Jones cited "Fucking Boyfriend" as an example of how The Bird and the Bee "have something more subversive in mind, slipping corrosive thoughts inside their sugary confections".[4] Margaret Coble of Curve called it "a snappy, bouncy dance floor ditty that takes on that angsty crush feeling all lovers' hearts can identify with."[5]
"Fucking Boyfriend" reached number one on the Hot Dance Club Play,[6] and marks the first time ever that a single on said chart with an explicit word in its title. Because of that word, radio stations only played the edited version of the song in their club mix shows and received limited airplay at dance radio, and during its run at Dance Club Songs, the title was censored to read “F**king Boyfriend” out of concern from its readers.
