I Don't Know How to Love Him has been universally acclaimed as the high point of the "Jesus Christ Superstar" soundtrack since the album's September 1970 release; in 2003 "The Rough Guide to Cult Pop" would assess Elliman's performance: "It's rare to hear a singer combine such power and purity of tone in one song, and none of the famous singers who have covered this ballad since have come close." The choice for the first single release went, however, to the track "Superstar" by Murray Head. When a cover of "I Don't Know How to Love Him" by Helen Reddy began moving up the charts in the
I Don't Know How to Love Him distinct Spanish-language renderings of "I Don't Know How to Love Him" were introduced onstage: firstly Julissa introduced "Yo no sé cómo amarlo" (lyricist Marcos Lizama) in the Teatro Ferrocarrilero Gudelio Morales (Cuauhtémoc) of "JCS", while Angela Carrasco introduced "Es más que amor" (lyricist Jaime Azpilicueta) in the Nuevo Teatro Alcalá (Madrid) production which opened 6 November 1975, with both Julissa and Carrasco heard with their respective renderings on their respective cast album releases: Julissa in 1974, Carrasco in 1977. Cast albums from subsequent Madrid productions featured Estíbaliz singing "Es más que amor" (1984) and Lorena Calero singing a new Spanish-language