 Both USA Today writer Brian Mansfield , who appreciated the lyrical content , and PopMatters contributor Zachary Houle , who favoured the instrumentation , described " Gotta Be You " as one of Up All Night 's highlights . Billboard reviewer Jason Lipshutz commended the vocal elements at play in its refrain and the track 's " smooth " lyricism . Robert Copsey for Digital Spy opined that the single 's memorable refrain is its strongest attribute and rated it four out of five stars . Matthew Horton of Virgin Media classified the song as one of the record 's " superior tracks " , and credited the ballad with keeping the album 's " pecker up " . Cosmopolitan 's Sarah Kwong lauded the lyrics and instrumentation of " Gotta Be You " and noted its appeal to a more mature audience in comparison to their debut single " What Makes You Beautiful " . Writing for Allmusic , Matthew Chisling , however , described the ballad as " a bit tepid . " 
