Critical Reception
"Broken-Hearted Girl" received a mixed response from critics. Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond of Village Voice described the song as "romantic-comedy soundtrack fare", and Colin McGuire of PopMatters commented that the balladry is more similar to the work of Canadian pop singer Celine Dion than American soul singer Aretha Franklin. A writer for the Eastern Daily Press noted that it is a ballad in the vein of Knowles' 2008 single "If I Were a Boy", before adding that Dion would be proud of its "insipid sentimental" balladry. David Riva of The Michigan Daily saw "Broken-Hearted Girl" as "a powerful and emotionally stirring ballad with universal resonance" and one that shows Knowles' growth as a songwriter. Jay Lustig of New Jersey On-Line felt that the only standout on the I Am... disc was "Broken-Hearted Girl", which he noted to have a "stately, classic-soul vibe" in contrast to the other ballads on the disc.
Critics had polarized opinions on the production of "Broken-Hearted Girl". Spence D. of IGN Music wrote that "strings create a mournfully thoughtful tone" on the ballad. Mayer Nissim of Digital Spy commended "the pleasant mix of cascading piano and tender strings", but criticized the drum sounds for their hollowness. He nevertheless added that the drums do not prevent the song from being "a classy, well-constructed pop ballad". Nissim concluded that although "the emotion-filled vocals offer yet more proof that is one of the finest pop singers of her generation", "Broken-Hearted Girl" is not as catchy as her best work. Darryl Sterdan of Jam! called it a "grand-piano ballad" that may stand out from pop songs on a regular studio album, but seems monotonous on I Am... Sasha Fierce as it is on a disc that contains ballads only. Negative reviews came from The A.V. Club's Michaelangelo Matos, who felt that "Broken-Hearted Girl" is "unfinished", and Paste magazine's Jessica Suarez, who said Knowles' "commanding voice sounds unusually thin" on the ballad. She was unconvinced by the lyrics, noting that the line, "I don't want to play the broken-hearted girl", "rings false". Likewise, Ben Westhoff of Las Vegas Weekly wrote that it was difficult to guess what inspired the development of the breakup ballad as Knowles married Jay-Z a few months before the album's release.
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