"You Must Love Me" received generally positive reviews from critics. J. Randy Taraborrelli, author of ', wrote: "Who can deny that her voice has remarkable and unmistakable presence when heard during 'You Must Love Me'?". Lucy O'Brien, author of ', appreciated the song's addition to the soundtrack and found "pathos" in Madonna's vocals. Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic felt that "Even with the faults, "Evita" has its merits, including the written-for-film ballad 'You Must Love Me'". Peter Keough, from the "Boston Phoenix", wrote that "['You Must Love Me'] is an aching farewell that dispels the illusion of a romance-of-convenience to reveal the inescapable love and tragedy beneath". Teresa Huang from "The Tech", said it was "a beautiful addition to an already powerful score".