Music journalist Richard Younger describes "You Don't Care" is a "bluesy mid-tempo song.

[3] Hatch and Millward describe the vocal performance as incorporating country music mannerisms to a greater extent than Alexander had ever done previously.

[3] Unterberger describes Alexander's vocal performance as being "at his most sullen, suffusing the words in hurt without ever boiling over into anger.

"[2] Unterberger also notes that George Tomsco's "fierce" guitar incorporated the emotional edge into the music.

[2] He particularly praises Tomsco's guitar part for its "sharp, chopped rhythm chords and the lean, piercing solo note runs," which make the part sound similar to the work of Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards.