Critical Reception
"Tell Me Where It Hurts" received a positive to mixed reception from music critics. Positive responses came from Music Week who described the song as "epic", as did BBC Music's Jaime Gill while Slant described it as "lush and lilting.. an undeniable sign that, despite their extended hiatuses and internal turmoil, Garbage is very much alive with ideas and ambition". Digital Spy's Alex Fletcher wrote "the track soars with Arcade Fire-style violins before a creepy electronic breakdown interjects towards the end. take a traditional message of unrequited love and mix it with their inimitable bittersweet lyrics".
The Sunday Mails Avril Cadden describes Manson's vocal as "cute and sexy" while its sister publication Daily Record "sounding more like Chrissie Hynde from The Pretenders than the stupid girl we're used to" and also noting that the song had "all the hallmarks of Shirley Manson, the solo artist."Rock Sound compared the track to Scottish band Texas. Classic rocks Johnny Dee praised the band's work at breaking their formula by "adding strings to the dynamic... sits well alongside their peerless early material".
Negative criticism was received from The Guardians Jude Rogers, who described "Tell Me Where It Hurts" as "anodyne", while The Scotsman felt that the song "is not out of place, but neither does it better anything already said". Pitchfork Media's Adam Moerder felt that the song "provides little hope for a Garbage rebound", while PopMatters' Evan Sawdey nonchalantly wrote "majestic and sweeping, manages to accomplish the rare compilation feat of not being completely worthless".
In advance of 2008's 50th Grammy Awards, Geffen Records submitted "Tell Me Where It Hurts" for consideration in four categories: Song of the Year, Record of the Year, Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group. However it failed to pick up a single nomination.
Read more about this topic: Tell Me Where It Hurts (Garbage Song)
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