Richard LaBeau, "this fascinating merge of country and dance ranks high among the most unique songs of her career". <i>Billboard</i> ' s Larry Flick called "Don't Tell Me" a "thoughtful, often poetic gem" that features "one of Madonna's most soulful vocal deliveries". In August 2018, <i>Billboard</i> picked it as the singer's 20th greatest single; "a mix of poetically off-center lyrics. a CD-skip stutter effect and that jangly guitar riff, ["Don't Tell Me"] would’ve ended up a mess for many artists. But f