Critical Reception
"Pink keeps the mainstream, highly accessible pop trappings in full effect with "Who Knew," further making her whole visual stance that much more hilarious (the contrast of a punky, bad girl doing slick pop may be "rebellious" to some, but frankly it just seems contrived). Despite the slickness, the song does reveal Ms. Pink to have a wonderfully full and mesmerizing voice and makes the fact that she's a star understandable."
—IGN's review of the song.The song received a positive reception from most music critics. John Murphy from MusicOMH wrote that the song "is perfect driving, anthemic pop." Stylus Magazine said ironically that "It’s “Since U Been Gone” spinning its wheels at half-speed, mutedly wondering where the tune went." Yahoo! Music's Justin Lewis somewhat echoed the same thought of Stylus Magazine, writing that "it sounds like the lo-fi twin sister of "Since U Been Gone" (same acoustic opening, same 4/4 drumbeat and same hushed-verse/loud-chorus blueprint) but it takes several listens before you realize both songs were cut from the same mold. Sal Cinquemani from Slant Magazine wrote a mixed review, saying that "Songs like 'Who Knew' and 'Long Way To Happy', though good, sound more hair metal than punk", while also noting that it "follows the steps of Clarkson's recent hits."
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