Upon the release of "Achtung Baby", "Mysterious Ways" received positive reviews from critics. "Rolling Stone" called it a standout track among the new dance-influenced songs, praising its "ebullient hook and a guitar solo in which the Edge segues from one of his signature bursts of light into an insidious funk riff". Steve Morse of "The Boston Globe" called it an "exceptional love song ... with a rapturous chorus" and noted that even though Bono's vocals on the album differ significantly from his previous style, "Mysterious Ways" features him returning to his "yearning self". "The New York Times" praised the song as the album's best track, commenting that it is "full of rhythmic cross-currents and fuzz-toned murk" and citing it as an example that the band had "taken Bo Diddley and James Brown lessons for its new syncopated dance songs". "The Austin Chronicle" singled out the song's "conga-laced funk" as one of three moments on the record where U2 have never sounded better.