After the release of her debut album LP1 in 2014, FKA Twigs (real name Tahliah Debrett Barnett) began dating and eventually became engaged to English actor Robert Pattinson.

[12][13][14][15][16] However, at the 1:40 or 2:34 mark "the piano stops and this visceral, electric, metallic-y reverb throws the entire track into free fall before the drum swoops in to lock the tempo back down," as noted by Danielle Cohen of GQ.

Club's Randall Colburn considered the song to be "all about texture, with round, rippling beats underscoring sharp, shadowy loops and Twigs' crystalline vocals.

"[18] The song's lyrics focus on a breakup, where Twigs sings of her unrequited love, desperately trying to salvage her relationship despite public disapproval and the lack of reciprocation from her lover.

Pitchfork awarded it Best New Track upon its release and named it the best song of 2019,[27] with writer Michelle Kim praising its minimalist and stripped-back production for bringing Twigs' "delicate" and "impossibly moving" voice to the forefront.

"[17] The 405 named "Cellophane" the day's best track, with Rob Hakimian expressing both surprise and approval at the lack of "erratic beats and bass that has characterised her work thus far" in favour of a "skeletal piano ballad," allowing Twigs to "show off her stunning vocal abilities.

"[5] Consequence of Sound's Brad Dountz opined that "so much emotional weight haunts every chord of FKA twigs' return single," adding that the singer "shines brightly when she transforms her past into a sharp and self-aware marvel.

"[31] Philip Cosores of Uproxx praised Twigs' songwriting and singing ability on display on the track, writing that "the dramatic piano-driven piece is as vulnerable as it gets, with her voice quivering with emotional outpouring as the song expands into technicolor.

[15] In a statement accompanying the release of the "Cellophane", Twigs revealed that she expressly learned to pole dance over a year before the music video was shot in order to realise her vision for it.

[42] In October 2022, a clip from Will Orrick uploaded to YouTube shared audio from a user named 'Boyfrienddick' impersonating Miss Piggy from the Muppets singing the first lines of the song in the order to serenade Kermit.