At nearly 7 and a half minutes in length, "Blue Monday" is one of the longest tracks to ever chart in the UK. It is recognised as the biggest selling 12-inch single of all time, but as Factory Records were not members of the British Phonographic Industry association, it was not eligible for an official gold disc. However, the Official UK Chart Company have estimated its total UK sales at over one million. In the all-time UK best-selling singles chart they published in 2002, "Blue Monday" came 76th.

"Blue Monday" is often seen as one of the most important crossover tracks of the 1980s electronica scene. Synthpop had already been a major force in British popular music for several years, but "Blue Monday" was arguably the first British dance record to exhibit an obvious influence from the New York club scene, particularly the work of producers like Arthur Baker (who collaborated on New Order's follow-up single "Confusion").