Written by August Rigo and the song's producer, Steve Mac, it was released in the United Kingdom by Syco Music in November 2011, as the album's second single.

The single debuted and peaked at number three in both the United Kingdom and Ireland, marking the group's second top ten appearance in both countries.

Directed by John Urbano, the accompanying music video depicts the group spending time on the banks of Lake Placid, New York.

[3] Member Zayn Malik, in an October interview with Digital Spy, characterised "Gotta Be You" as "a bit more emotive" than their debut single.

[4][8][11] 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.

[9][11] Billboard reviewer Jason Lipshutz commended the vocal elements at play in its refrain and the track's "smooth" lyricism.

[4] 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".

[12] 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".

"[3] The music video premiered on 8 November 2011 on YouTube, and predominantly depicts the group spending time on the banks of Lake Placid.