It was released on 27 September 2016 by Westbury Road and Roc Nation as the fourth single from her eighth studio album, Anti (2016).

"Love on the Brain" reached number one on the Polish Singles Chart, as well as the top-twenty in France and New Zealand, and top-forty in Austria, Canada, and Germany.

"Love on the Brain" was covered by various artists including Kelly Clarkson, Ava Max, Little Mix and S'22kile from Idols SA season 17.

[16] Its instrumentation consists of a "guitar arpeggio," "swirling organ", a "simple chord progression",[11] syncopated strings,[16] and "a wave of an orchestra".

[18] Forrest Wickman of Slate magazine commented that the song "seems designed as a showcase for Rihanna’s vocal versatility: She starts out singing high and sweet, then drops into her chest to show off the lower part of her range and finally gets into powerful belting.

[20] Some critics believed the song was an "ode to a violent lover", possibly referring to Chris Brown after the pair's highly published domestic violence case and rekindled romance years later.

Lyrical examples include "It beats me black and blue but it fucks me so good / That I can't get enough / Must be love on the brain.

"[15][21] Adam R. Holz of the conservative organization Focus on the Family's website PluggedIn.com noted the song "mingles nihilism, lust and at least the metaphorical presence of physical abuse".

[22] Jessica Eggert of Mic agreed, noting that "Rihanna wears her heart right on her sleeve and takes no prisoners in expressing the pain of a metaphorically and physically damaging-yet-undying love.

Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic picked it as a highlight from the album, noting that Rihanna's "voice is hoarse and ravaged, yet she's also controlled and precise, knowing how to hone these imperfections so her performance echoes classic soul while feeling fresh".

[24] Julianne Escobedo Shepherd of Billboard deemed it "a doo-wop powerhouse sung in a Prince-adjacent falsetto — and is proof Rihanna’s been working with some primo vocal coaches".

[15] Safy-Hallan Farah of Spin wrote favorably of her singing, while James Grabay of the same magazine named it an "effortlessly time-traveling track".

[17] Chris Gerard of PopMatters noted the song was "one of the more interesting tracks on the album", addressing her "Macy Gray-like drawl during the verses".

[28] Nolan Feeney of Time declared that "Love on the Brain" and "Higher" "offer the most stirring vocal performances of her career".

[18] Neil McCormick of The Daily Telegraph wrote that "Love on the Brain" is a "standard, mid-tempo retro soul anthem" that "in the context of Anti,...sounds like a work of pop genius".

[30] Sarah Rodman of The Boston Globe picked it as "essential", stating: "As she implores 'Don't you stop loving me,' her performance has a grit, sweat, and weariness to it that's unusual and humanizing.

"[31] Da'Shan Smith of Billboard stated "Love on the Brain" became the most subtly influential Pop single of 2017, as the music industry experienced "a prominent surge of retro-harkening balladry, across different musical genres", following the success of this song on Pop radio; which he described as "a rare find today, because traditional R&B’s presence on the format is an oddity.

[34] Unusually for an established superstar, the song achieved sleeper success, attaining its peak position several months after its release.

[55] After attending the show at Wembley Stadium, Lewis Corner of Digital Spy called the performance "a triumph, as Rihanna's tone on the Motown sway is pure joy".

[58] Sarah Grant of Rolling Stone called it a "gut-wrenching solo performance," comparing her stage persona to that of Whitney Houston, due to the "storm of tour-de-force vocals".

[60] Christopher Rosa of Glamour called the performance "breath-taking",[61] while Billboard noted: "Her vocals, which are sometimes under-appreciated by critics and even fans, were gorgeous and impressive, reminding everyone that beyond the chart-toppers and DGAF behavior, there's an astonishing voice that propelled her to where she is now".