Trainor, Gotti, Taylor Parks, Travis Sayles, Eric Frederic, Tommy Brown and Steven Franks wrote the song, and the latter three produced it.[1] Trainor, Mario Mims, Taylor Parks, Travis Sayles, Eric Frederic, Tommy Brown and Steven Franks wrote "Better", and the latter three produced it.Writing for Andpop, Rebecca Matina opined that "Better" is a step in a different direction from Trainor's previous works and wrote "we’re loving the throwback-Rihanna vibes that we’re getting".[14] Alexa Camp of Slant Magazine praised the track, writing that Trainor was down-to-earth and "it feels like we’re catching a glimpse of the real Meghan".[15] Isabella Biedenharn of Entertainment Weekly called the song "woozy" and "ethereal", but added that it sounds like "a castoff from Selena Gomez’s Revival.Fuse's Bianca Gracie praised Trainor for "get[ting] a little more raw and tell[ing] an important story that doesn't come off as too try-hard" and described the video as a "dramatic" short film.[28] Digital Spy's Joe Anderton gave the video a more mixed review, writing that the concept "is great, especially considering it's a song we assumed to be about a boyfriend on first listen - but it doesn't really go far enough to make a proper impact".
The song's music video features a cameo appearance by
Beau Bridges
(
pictured in 2008
).