Critical response Fraser McAlpine from
BBC Music acclaimed it in his review, awarding it five out of five. Though he gave the tracks individual reviews, he concluded about "The One"; "I've waxed lyrical about how seductively friendly Kylie is, vocally, before and there's nothing so utterly extraordinary about this song, musically, that it really needs a total breakdown to be reviewed and perhaps that means its generic, rather than genius but if Kylie can sell this where
Róisín Murphy and (to some extent)
Cyndi Lauper are failing, then it's far from a bad thing."
Lost at Sea magazine also felt that she paid "homage to New Order." Jax Spike from
About.com said that the song isn't bad, but he did say the song failed to add anything "new to the table in the progression of the album." Tom Ewing from Pitchfork Media had declared "This kind of unfussy, hook-first music is what Minogue has always been best at, and back in her comfort zone she thrives." Peter Robinson from
The Observer gave it an acclaimed remark by calling it "a sad disco epic" and said the song is ranked for being one of her best songs ever in her career.
The Boston Globe called it an "icy dance-pop anthem." Chris True from
Allmusic called the song a "cold, calculated dance-pop that is more indicative of her recent work".
BBC Music said "though even that is topped by "The One", which follows in her fine tradition of making songs capable of both breaking your heart and shaking your rump." Evan Sawdey from PopMatters suggested the song would have been good back in her
Stock Aitken Waterman days, but said "which, it should be noted, is not a good thing." Dave Hughes from
Slant Magazine said along with "Stars"; "[although the songs] don't break a lot of new ground for Minogue, at least she sounds comfortable on them."
Chart performance Although the song was released in her native Australia, it failed to make an impact on the
Australian Singles Chart. However, the song did peak at number 10 on the ARIA Dance Charts. In the United Kingdom, the song debuted at number 36 but fell out after just three weeks in the chart. This was due to the cancellation of the physical release of the song, as it was primarily served as a digital download. After its failure in the UK, it was released in Europe. Although the song was released in New Zealand, it failed to make an impact on the
New Zealand Singles Chart. However, it did chart on the New Zealand Airplay Chart, where it debuted at number two. The song then rose to number one, becoming Minogue's first number one on the radio chart, and her second overall in New Zealand. In Belgium, the song debuted at number 30 on the
Ultratip chart in
Flanders. The song eventually rose to its peak of number seven. In
Wallonia, the song debuted at number 26 on the Ultratip chart and peaked at number 15. In the Czech Republic, the song debuted and peaked at number 38 for two consecutive weeks. In Hungary, the song peaked at number 26. In Slovakia, the song debuted at number 94. During its 10th week, it rose into the top 20 until peaking at number six, staying on the chart for 25 weeks. ==Track listing==