Spanish-style production. Sylvia Patterson of NME characterized the song as a "flamenco flimsy trying very, very hard to have sex with you after 27 bottles of Woody's Grapefruit Alcopop with its builder's backside bare in the air while projectile vomiting into the Ibiza sunset". Andy Gill of The Independent criticized the song's "lifeless" production; while George Varga of The San Diego Union-Tribune went even further, calling the Spanish stylings "so inane it's laughable". In a review of Spiceworld, the staff of the Contra Costa Times described the album's ballads "Too Much" and "Viva Forever" as "both treacly and deadly dull". Scott Schinder of Newsday gave the album a similar review, considering the ballads mediocre, and dismissing both songs as "contempo-R&B schmaltz". Conversely, Gina Arnold of Salon.com felt that the ballads on Spiceworld are bland "but still appealing". Rolling Stone magazine's David Wild cited the song as an example of the album's production of a "rehash of hip-hop and pop clichés", with him adding it is "as convincing as the Spices' Spanish accents". Music Week described the song as a "haunting, flamenco-style ballad", and called it the "ideal summer hit". Writing for the Orange County Register, Cary Darling named the song one of Spiceworlds standout tracks for its "appealing, 'Fernando'-era ABBA internationalism". The staff of the Daily Record considered it the best track in the album, while Smash Hits critic Alex Needham lauded it as "the best thing they've ever done". Some critics noted similarities between "Viva Forever" and Madonna's early work, in particular her 1987 song "La Isla Bonita". Nick Krewen of The Hamilton Spectator said that the song does "manage to steal a lick or two from Madonna". Sarah Davis of Dotmusic characterized it as an "'I Will Always Love You' ballad with a touch of Madonna" and a combination of Spanish instrumentation. Chicago Sun-Times critic Jim DeRogatis called it the Spice Girls' version of "La Isla Bonita", while Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune viewed it more as a tribute to the song. The Hartford Courant's music writer Roger Catlin, noted the similarities between the two songs and commented that Madonna was "the obvious role model". The Los Angeles Times writer Natalie Nichols criticized the song, calling it "ridiculous", and added that the song borrows "blithely from the better formulas of [...] Madonna". Ann Powers of The New York Times described the song as "an earnest ballad" and