Negative criticism was received from The Guardian's Jude Rogers, who described "Tell Me Where It Hurts" as "anodyne", while The Scotsman felt that the song "is not out of place [on Absolute Garbage], but neither does it better anything already said".
The unfavorable assessment was provided by Jude Rogers of The Guardian, who characterized "Tell Me Where It Hurts" as uneventful, whereas The Scotsman thought that the song didn't excel beyond what Absolute Garbage had already achieved.