Critical response "I'll Never Love Again" received widespread critical acclaim.
Jon Pareles of
The New York Times compared the song to
Harry Nilsson's "
Without You" (1971) and
Eric Carmen's "
All by Myself" (1975), and complimented Gaga's "old-school finesse, timing, emotionality and lung power". In his film review for
The Boston Globe, Ty Burr wrote that Gaga's "climactic memorial" performance of the song "will leave you a soggy mess".
The Washington Post Emily Yahr described it as "searing", while Bethonie Butler, from the same publication, named it the soundtrack's best song and praised Gaga's "passionate but controlled vocal runs". Comparing it to "Shallow",
NME Nick Reilly wrote that "things get similarly deep" with "I'll Never Love Again", "even if it comes dangerously close to dropping the accomplished emotional edge that came before."
The Daily Telegraph Neil McCormick considered "I'll Never Love Again" and "
Always Remember Us This Way" Gaga's best solo tracks on the album, writing that although they are "clichéd, sentimental and old-fashioned", they are also "powered by enough conviction and vocal drama" to show that Gaga has "the star power to go supernova in any musical era". , particularly her rendition of "
I Will Always Love You" (1992). Several critics compared the song to performances by
Whitney Houston.
The Guardian Ben Beaumont-Thomas called it a "hyper-emotional piano ballad", writing that Gaga "channels Whitney" in the verses but sounds "more affectingly girlish and vulnerable with the high-pitched chorus". Chris DeVille of
Stereogum described it as a "fairly blatant attempt" to recapture the impact of Houston's version of "
I Will Always Love You".
The Plain Dealer Joey Morona felt the "soundtrack wraps up on a high note" with "I'll Never Love Again", which he likened to "show-stopping movie finale" ballads such as "I Will Always Love You" and
Celine Dion's "
My Heart Will Go On" (1997). Natalie Walker of
Vulture compared the song to a cross between
Mariah Carey's "
Without You" (1994) and Houston's "I Will Always Love You", and although she found the lyrics "too on the nose", she appreciated its "climactic finale anthem" quality. Adam White of
The Independent wrote that Gaga evokes Whitney's "whoops and hums with uncanny aplomb" in "I'll Never Love Again", which as a result becomes "secretly the most cinematic number from
A Star Is Born". For
Entertainment Tonight, Alex Ungerman felt that "Always Remember Us This Way" would have been a more effective ending for the film, and called "I'll Never Love Again" "decent", but more like "a Whitney Houston
b-side" than the movie's emotional peak. Some reviewers particularly praised the film version of the track, which switches to Bradley Cooper's rendition near the end.
Stereogum DeVille felt the song becomes "more powerful" when it cuts from Gaga's orchestral performance to Cooper "meekly plucking it out at a piano".
Pitchfork Larry Fitzmaurice called it a "heart-wrenching closer" and wrote that although it is "plenty effective on its own", the dialogue-included version mirrors the film's ending by abruptly cutting away from Gaga's "time-stopping performance" to "a pivotal and heartbreaking scene" that "only enhances the song's emotional quotient".
Accolades At the
62nd Annual Grammy Awards in 2020, "I'll Never Love Again" won the
Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media, one year after the victory of lead single "Shallow" in the same category. This made
A Star Is Born the first movie which gained two wins in this category. "I'll Never Love Again" was also handed out an award in the "Song That Left Us Shook" category at the
2019 iHeartRadio Music Awards. ==Chart performance==