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 onstage in the Shiki revivals of 1987, 1991 and 1994. Norwegian "Eg veit ikkje" (lyricist Bjørn Endreson) was introduced onstage by Aina Oldeide in the premiere det Norske Teatret production of "JCS" which opened 29 March 1990. The Norsek Teatre revival of "JCS" which opened 3 September 2009 featured a new rendering of "I Don't Know How to Love Him" by lyricist Ola E. Bø: entitled "Eg vil gi han min kjærleik", the song was introduced onstage by Charlotte Frogner. Polish "Jak mam go pokochać" (lyricist Wojciech Młynarski) was introduced by Małgorzata Ostrowska in the Teatr Muzyczny (Gdynia) production which