AllMusic editor Tom Demalon described "You Gotta Be" as "uplifting", noting that it "best exemplified Des'ree's smooth blend of Pop-R&B music and power-of-positive thinking lyrical style.

He explained further, "Des'ree has a deep alto range and a compelling style that renders anything she sings a sophisticated musical gift.

"[10] Michele Romero from Entertainment Weekly declared the song as "deliciously hypnotic", adding that it "sounds like a mini-motivational seminar".

"[11] Mike Wass from Idolator wrote, "A relentlessly upbeat self-help anthem with a mantra-like chorus, the track was a much-needed ray of light at the height of grunge, and can still be heard in lifts and doctor’s waiting rooms today.

"[12] In his weekly UK chart commentary, James Masterton said, "The more I listen to this the more I am convinced it is a simple rewrite of her first hit "Feel So High".

"[13] Pan-European magazine Music & Media commented, "In her only two-year absence a whole new generation of soul dames have taken over her position of most promising newcomer.

"[14] Alan Jones from Music Week wrote, "Folksily soulful in its original version, a remix adds a slow, muscular bass and other elements that leave it sounding like a suave second cousin to the Isley Brothers' "Between the Sheets".

[16] Dele Fadele from NME viewed it as a "vaguely pleasant rehash" of "Feel So High", "complete with words of advice and a well-streamlined and tasteful dance backing.

[2] Also in 1995, the song and music video were parodied by Ellen Cleghorne (playing O. J. Simpson's first wife Marguerite Whitley but visually resembling Des'ree) during a Season 20 episode of Saturday Night Live.

After being dropped from Sony in 2004, Des'ree did not allow the use of the song in films, television shows (including Glee[68] and Happy Endings[69]) or commercials.

In 2021, the song was featured in CW's The Flash, covered by Mel B in an episode of Antena 3's Spanish adaptation of The Masked Singer,[71] and featured in a mashup with Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation in the 2021 adaptation of Cinderella, sung by Camila Cabello, Idina Menzel and the ensemble cast.