slushy ballad – with echoes of "Careless Whisper" – it will, no doubt, do the business, whatever the critics think." People Magazine described it as "a long-winded bossa nova synth-pop concoction". Michael E. Ross from Salon Magazine complimented the song as one of the best on the Older album, adding it as "almost painfully thoughtful. In lush, silken musical settings, Michael speaks the world-weary language of scorned love." David Sinclair from The Times opined that "the bittersweet lyric has a certain romantic appeal, but the message of hope comes swathed in layers of introspection and self-pity". Ed Morales for Vibe felt that "the Sade-style synth chords that rule "Jesus to a Child" bolster Michael's typically breathy but precise musings. "There's a sadness in my eyes", he croons, and you can feel it." Retrospective response The Daily Vault's Melanie Love described the song as an "ode to his lost lover", adding that it is "haunting in its bareness and sentiment, while the restrained drums and winding synths are a perfect match for Michael's deep, pained voice as he promises, "So the words that you could not say, I'll sing them for you"." Tom Ewing of Freaky Trigger stated that "this is his monument, a work Michael needs his public to hear. Even though few at the time knew the story behind it, the sincerity, and the will to somehow pass on something extraordinary and vanished, is palpable. It's a heartfelt celebration of the effect love can have on a life, and it's a songwriter consciously setting himself his hardest possible task, and achieving it." Victoria Segal from NME viewed it as "irresistibly maudlin." Dave Fawbert from ShortList said that it is "one of the most beautiful songs ever written". Eric Henderson from Slant Magazine wrote, "Jesus to a Child" is among the most haunting of Michael's ballads, and one whose meaning could only fully emerge after his coming out. A slow-motion flamenco cry, written following the death of his lover, Anselmo Feleppa, "Jesus to a Child" still remains supernaturally clear-eyed about what it means to love and to lose. "I've been loved so I know just what love is/And the lover that I kissed is always by my side/The lover I still miss was Jesus to a child". Music video The accompanying music video for "Jesus to a Child" was directed by British director Howard Greenhalgh. The atmospheric and delicately surreal