The song received acclaim from critics. Eve Barlow of Pitchfork wrote that "'Love' is an ode to allowing yourself to feel" and that it "reassures the listener that the feeling can still lift, that love can still conquer." Barlow also gave the song the "Best New Track" designation. Daniel Kreps of Rolling Stone called the song "anthemic" and Frank Guan of Vulture called "Love" "marvellously good". Pitchfork listed "Love" as the 28th-best song of 2017 in their annual ranking.
Commercial performance
"Love" debuted at No. 44 on the BillboardHot 100, making it her highest charting song on the chart since Ultraviolence's lead single, "West Coast". It also debuted at No. 2 on Hot Rock Songs, exceeding the No. 3 peak of "Young and Beautiful" in 2013. "Love" also launched as her first No. 1 on Rock Digital Song Sales and at No. 5 on Rock Streaming Songs. The song also peaked at No. 9 on the Digital Songs chart.
Music video
The music video was in production in June 2016, as reported by BreatheHeavy.com. Del Rey's hairstylist, Anna Cofone, also shared photos of her makeup kit on set on Instagram, which she later deleted. On February 20, 2017, Del Rey announced the music video on an Instagram livestream. Shortly after the livestream it was made available on YouTube. The music video garnered over 19 million views within a week. The music video begins in black and white, showing Del Rey singing on stage in front of a small audience, intercut with young adult couples getting ready for a day at the beach. As Del Rey sings the chorus, the video fades into color, and scenes of the couples floating through the solar system in their cars and alone. Towards the end of the video, Del Rey is also seen performing with her band on the surface of the moon, with the camera turning to the sky, where a symbolic black hole can be seen. It was directed by Rich Lee. Daniel Kreps of Rolling Stone called the video "dreamy", while writing that the clip "alternates between black-and-white and washed-out color, Del Rey sings "Love" juxtaposed with footage of people "young and in love." Kelsey J. Waite of A.V Club wrote that "'Love' sends you tumbling through space", calling it a "stunning sci-fi video". Luke Morgan Britton of NME wrote that "The video sees Del Rey dramatically performing in Space", while Ben Kaye of Consequence of Sound called the clip "romantic".
The song can be heard in the pilot episode of the television show Siesta Key. Los Angeles music producers DJDS and Empress Of also released a collaborative synth-pop cover of the song on December 1, 2017, via Loma Vista Recordings
