song is written with a rhythm and harmony that is influenced by the Brazilian bossa nova style. The exact identity of the song's subject—and the nature of their relationship—was cause for a certain amount of innuendo at the time, as Michael had not confirmed his homosexuality and did not do so until 1998. Until his death on Christmas Day 2016, Michael would consistently dedicate the song to Feleppa before performing it live. Critical reception Barry Walters from The Advocate wrote that on the song, "Michael compares the emotion of a now-deceased lover to that of the Lord, who was, after all, a man. The tone is intensely elegiac, and it doesn't take a stretch of the imagination to consider this a love song to a boyfriend who has died of AIDS." Larry Flick from Billboard described it as a "gorgeous, quietly insinuating pop ballad." He noted that the words "are, by turns, melancholic and romantic and are delivered with delicate ease", adding that "musically, Michael layers light, shuffling percussion with mild acoustic guitar lines and sweetly understated strings." Steve Baltin from Cash Box declared it as a "lush ballad", adding that "he's never sounded more Adult Contemporary than he does here. "Jesus To A Child" is a hit as surely as some sport will s.rike this year." A reviewer from Daily Mirror complimented it as "George's 'best-ever' song". Sarah Davis from Dotmusic remarked that in the context of the album, "Jesus to a Child" "sets the scene for Michael's current direction - brooding, mature, reflective but not so downbeat as to disallow the good times." Entertainment Weekly gave it an C-, calling it an "dispirited, tortoise-paced ballad, which drags on for nearly seven minutes". The writer added that "there's only one retort--bring back Andrew Ridgeley!" Caroline Sullivan for The Guardian felt it's "the best thing on the album". She said, "The tune itself is a Michael ballad in excelsis. The likes of "Careless Whisper" (1984) and "A Different Corner" (1986) can now be seen as trial runs for this one, which incorporates every GM hallmark from anguished upward vocal inflections to tasteful acoustic guitar." Swedish Göteborgsposten concluded with that here, Michael "showed that he still mastered the craft." Jan DeKnock from Knight Ridder viewed it a "mesmerizing ballad" and a "stunning effort". Music Week rated it four out of five and named it Single of the Week, wroting, "A typically