The song was partly inspired by Morissette's experiences during her trips across the world between the recording sessions for Under Rug Swept, and in particular her stay at a Navajo reservation.

"When I think of the album," she said, "I think about the questions and the conflicts and then the responses and the rebuttals and there's sort of this crazy little walk through this dynamic, this relationship.

She said she wanted the song to comfort the people who were grieving; according to her, it "sheds light on the willingness to understand" and "the passionate desire to stand up and show a self-care and self-respect".

[3] The Record described "Utopia" as one of the songs on the album that displayed "a soulful introspection and spiritual awareness" appropriate for a "post-9/11 universe".

[4] Rolling Stone described the song as "a wistful, waltzing vision of a perfectly understanding world ... in which Morissette becomes an airy Celtic choir"; it said it "sounds like an eternal group-therapy session".