Norman Rowe of the Richmond Times Dispatch wrote of the song that "With the first 60 seconds of 'Born to Be Blue,' old-time jazz fans just might wonder if the Judds have abandoned Nashville and taken up residence in old New Orleans."[2] Jim Abbott of the Orlando Sun Sentinel wrote that Wynonna Judd has an "ornery, straining-at-the-leash growl lends a certain authenticity to "Born to Be Blue," rescuing it from a musical arrangement that's a little too wholesome."[3]
Chart performance
"Born to Be Blue" debuted on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks for the week of August 11, 1990.
