According to Robbie Daw from Idolator, " Madonna's fans went nuts over the performance of the ballad, and the singer was so touched that she began reaching into the crowd " . " Slant Magazine " s Sal Cinquemani was complimentary of the performance, calling it a " stirring, if pitchy, rendition of [ the ] shoulda-been-a-sleeper-hit . . . which brought seemingly genuine tears to [ Madonna's ] eyes, a development that seemed to surprise even her ".
