 The song garnered mainly positive reviews from critics . Craig <unk> of Allmusic noted that Houston 's voice " sailed " through the song . Christopher John Farley of TIME commented Houston " particularly held her own " , with a " masterly balance of pop , <unk> , and soulful melancholy " . Steve <unk> of Newsday wrote : " It 's lower @-@ key and the singer , who also stars in the film , doesn 't feel compelled to perform constant vocal feats . " A writer for Boston Herald noted that the song was " understated " . Similarly , Larry <unk> of Billboard commented that the song should have been released as the follow @-@ up to " Exhale ( Shoop Shoop ) " . " Paired with Babyface , Houston is positively luminous on [ this ] <unk> ballad , performing with a perfect blend of theatrical melodrama and guttural soul , " he added . Deborah <unk> of South Florida Sun @-@ Sentinel was mixed in her review commenting that the song was a " <unk> <unk> follow @-@ up " to " Exhale ( Shoop Shoop ) " . But , Nick <unk> of The Spectator was even less enthusiastic , writing " [ ... ] the two guaranteed [ Whitney Houston ] hits – ' Exhale ( Shoop Shoop ) ' and ' Why Does It Hurt So Bad ' – don 't really offer anything new . " Similarly , Cary Darling of Rome News @-@ Tribune gave a negative review . She noted that " [ the ] ballad ' Why Does It Hurt So Bad ' is [ more ] standard Whitney @-@ fare " . 
