", is adapted from a line originally used by David Alan Grier's character Calhoun Tubbs from Fox's In Living Color.

He remarked that placed "within a driving, guitar-anchored pop/rock setting, the group attacks well-crafted lyrics on racism with unrelenting passion and its trademark harmonies.

"[6] Dave Sholin from the Gavin Report commented, "Attacking prejudice head on, The Funky Divas offer advice to those who judge others by looks rather than action.

"[7] Connie Johnson from the Los Angeles Times felt the song was a "pleasant surprise", "which confronts the prejudice even a funky diva faces, be it from store clerks—'I can't look without being watched!

"[8] Pan-European magazine Music & Media noted that "the "Jackies" of all trades are breaking all the barriers in radio land", describing the song as "funk rock" and a "George Clinton cover as colourful as his dyed hair".

[9] Gerald Martinez from the New Sunday Times called the song "storming", and said it "combines hard rock riffng with funk while En Vogue wail away with awesome power.

"[14] In a 2017 retrospective review, Quentin Harrison from Albumism described "Free Your Mind" as "a searing rock number that challenged racism, sexism and other social phobias head on was all at once, smart, sexy and provocative.

[citation needed] On January 21, 1993, En Vogue performed the song on a sixth-season episode of the NBC sitcom A Different World, where they guest-starred as Vernon Gaines' (Lou Myers) nieces.

It is one of several songs to feature all four members of the group, Dawn Robinson, Terry Ellis, Cindy Herron and Maxine Jones, on lead vocals.

German rock band Sub7even covered the song with En Vogue (Cindy Herron, Terry Ellis, Amanda Cole) in 2002 on their album, Free Your Mind.

Greek pop star Elena Paparizou performed a cover of the song at the first MadWalk by Vodafone on February 2, 2011, along with her smash hit single "Baby It's Over", in an outfit by Apostolos Mitropoulos.

The song was used in episode 10 of the sixth season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars during a lip-sync battle between Serena ChaCha and Jiggly Caliente.

[46] British girl-group Little Mix sang the chorus of "Free Your Mind" as the bridge during a rock rendition of their song "Woman Like Me" during their 2022 Confetti Tour.