It was serviced to US contemporary hit radio stations on September 17, 2006,[1] as the album's second single, and was released for purchase in November.

"Hurt" received mixed-to-positive reviews from music critics, who praised Aguilera's vocals but were ambivalent towards the production.

The song peaked at number 19 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

It was a top-ten hit in Europe and Oceania, entering the top ten of record charts in countries including Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, and Sweden.

[9] "Hurt" was not initially planned to be released as the follow-up to "Ain't No Other Man"; instead, "Candyman" was taken into consideration by Aguilera.

[10] Nevertheless, RCA Records decided to release "Hurt" as the album's second single afterwards because the label thought that it would be a commercial success similar to Aguilera's previous ballad "Beautiful" (2002).

[16] It starts with a piano opening backed by strings and, as noted by Bill Lamb of About.com, "as the words work their way to a climax accented by percussion then gently fade away again leaving the listener in stunned silence from the beauty of the moment."

[17] Joan Anderman from The Boston Globe commented that "Hurt" resembles her previous song "Beautiful" (2002),[18] while Lindsay Levan of News & Record considered it an "intensely personal tune.

[20] Jody Rosen of Entertainment Weekly said that the song's "self-help bromides Aguilera delivers with melodrama that would make Barbra Streisand shudder.

"[21] Writing for Newsday, Glenn Gamboa opined that Back to Basics would not be complete without "big" ballads like "Hurt", which was described as a "wrenching" song.

[17] Naomi West writing for The Daily Telegraph named "Hurt" a "supersized" ballad,[23] while Dan Gennoe from Yahoo!

[25] Judy Faber from CBS News shared that the second disc of the album did not bring back the 1920s and 1930s sound, particularly with the "overwrought weeper" "Hurt".

[28] Jason Scott, however, wrote in his review for PopDust: "It's a stunning, raw and evocative performance, and remains Aguilera's most honest.

[47] During the first day of filming, the big top tent where the video was shot was "blown away" because of strong wind, which resulted in a delay in shooting and a change of location.

I can't you know, she came to the set dressed in different outfits that related to the circus everyday, so she's such an imaginative, creative spirit that I just have such fun working with energy like that.

[49] The transition to color begins when Aguilera appears in an old-fashioned dressing room, receiving flowers and then an important telegram saying, "In respect to inform you of the death of your father on the day of 02/09/1947."

When the video switches to the real Aguilera, she is seen descending from the top of a circus tent on a rope, onto the back of an elephant, in pointe shoes and a structured jeweled outfit, with her father watching in the audience.

Overwhelmed, Aguilera collapses on the ground and sees a silhouette of a man standing in front of the circus tent.

[52] Aguilera also promoted the song during the holiday season later that year, performing on the TV special Christmas at Rockefeller Center, aired by NBC on November 29, 2006.

For the performance of the song, she dressed in a plume outfit designed by Roberto Cavalli and sang while a giant crescent moon descended from the ceiling.

[58] The performance recorded during Aguilera's show in Adelaide, Australia in 2007 was included on the Back to Basics: Live and Down Under DVD release.