Dave Thompson of AllMusic calls the track "a hard-funking dance storm whose lyrics -- a hostile riposte on the personal cost of success -- utterly belie the upbeat tempo and feel of the song." Following Bowie's death in 2016, "Rolling Stone" listed it as one of Bowie's 30 essential songs. In 2018, the writers of "NME", in their list of Bowie's 41 greatest songs, ranked "Fame" at number 21.