The song was written by Savan Kotecha, Ilya Salmanzadeh, Tove Lo, Max Martin and Ali Payami; the latter two also produced it.

Lyrically, similar to the film's theme, the song talks about the uncontrollable feeling of falling in love and being seduced by someone whose touch leaves her begging for more, even when it hurts.

Outside the United Kingdom, "Love Me like You Do" became Goulding's most successful single as well as becoming her first chart-topper in various countries, going number one in over 30 official charts worldwide, including Australia, Austria, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, the Republic of Ireland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland and peaking within the top ten of the charts in various countries, including Belgium, Colombia and the United States.

While seeking material for the Fifty Shades of Grey soundtrack, Republic Records contacted various artists, managers and music publishers to create a compilation that would appropriately represent the film's tone.

"Love Me like You Do" was the result of Republic executive Tom Mackay contacting Max Martin's manager about writing a song for the film.

According to Kotecha, "Love Me like You Do" was already being developed by both him and Martin prior to Fifty Shades of Grey, and he had considered giving the song to American singer Demi Lovato.

"[3] A slightly reworked version of the song was included on the soundtrack to the 2018 film Fifty Shades Freed, the third and final installment in the series.

"[11] Lyrically, "Love Me like You Do" contrasts "innocent romantic longing" and "brooding, addictive, pain-laced sensuality", which according to Plugged In (publication)'s Adam R. Holz, "mirrors the story arc of Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey" in both the book and the film.

Samantha Grossman of Time called the song "sultry" and dubbed it a "solid addition to the Fifty Shades soundtrack.

"[12] Christina Garibaldi of MTV News also called it "sultry" and "soft", adding that "we can totally picture it being played during any steamy scene.

"[8] Jim Farber of the New York Daily News praised her "little-girl-lost voice", noting that "Goulding sounds sweet even when she's courting danger.

The music, likewise, goes for a high gloss take on romance, recalling the heavily echoed beats and dense synthesizers of a Phil Collins ballad from the '80s.

"[14] Robbie Daw of Idolator described "Love Me like You Do" as "a sweeping power ballad that finds Goulding delivering soft, understated vocals over producer Max Martin's swelling bed of synths.

"[9] Lucas Villa of AXS commended Goulding for "masterfully tread[ing] between delicacy and power in her performance", calling the song "intimately magnificent".

"[18] Mikael Wood, writing for Los Angeles Times, said that Goulding "put across a tender sensuality [...] even as super-producer Max Martin jacks the stadium-rave beat.

"[19] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic, in his soundtrack analysis, wrote that "it moves into the area of background romantic music, a vibe that's sometimes pierced by those overly familiar oldies that surely play a bigger role onscreen than they do on album.

[21] "Love Me like You Do" was first nominated for a 2015 Teen Choice Award in the category "Song from a Movie or TV Show", but eventually lost to Furious 7's "See You Again", performed by Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth.

[34] Elsewhere in Europe, "Love Me like You Do" topped the charts in Austria, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.

[44] In the United States, "Love Me like You Do" debuted at number 45 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart dated 24 January 2015, with first-week sales of 79,000 copies.

[58] It stars Goulding and her on-screen partner, Charlie Harding, ballroom dancing in a mansion, as well as scenes from Fifty Shades of Grey.

[61] In France, the music video was broadcast on some channels with a warning Not advised to kids under 10 years old (in French : déconseillé aux moins de 10 ans) with some scenes from the movie blurred.