The One (Elton John song)

"The One"
Single by Elton John
from the album The One
B-side
  • "Suit of Wolves"
  • "Fat Boys and Ugly Girls"
Released25 May 1992 (1992-05-25)
Length
  • 5:53 (album version)
  • 4:31 (single version)
LabelRocket
ComposerElton John
LyricistBernie Taupin
ProducerChris Thomas
Elton John singles chronology
"Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me"
(1991) 		"The One"
(1992) 		"Runaway Train"
(1992)
Music video
"The One" on YouTube

"The One" is a song written by British musician Elton John and lyricist Bernie Taupin, performed by John. It is the title track and first single released in May 1992 by The Rocket Record Company from John's twenty-third album of the same name (1992). On bonus footage for the DVD release of his concert Live in Barcelona, John states that he felt an intense connection to Taupin's lyrics for the song, in light of his personal circumstances around the time of making the album, in particular the line "for each man in his time is Cain until he walks along the beach".

Reception

"The One" reached No. 9 on the US Billboard Hot 100, No. 1 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, and No. 10 on the UK singles chart. In Canada, it reached No. 1 on the RPM 100 chart for two weeks and the RPM Adult Contemporary chart for five weeks. In Europe, it topped the Portuguese chart and reached the top 10 in seven other countries. It was nominated for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance at the 1993 Grammy Awards.[1]

Music video

The music video for "The One" was directed by Russell Mulcahy. It features John on a reflector and a mirror while singing it and several flags (similar to the "Healing Hands" video).

Live performances

John performed the song at the 1992 VMAs and the rest of his tours in the 1990s. He put this song permanently in his solo concert tours later on, as of 2000 was the last time the song was performed with the band.[2][3]

Accolades

Grammy Awards

Year Nominee / work Award Result
1993 "The One" Best Pop Vocal Performance – Male[1] Nominated

Track listings

  • CD maxi
  1. "The One" (edit) – 4:31
  2. "Suit of Wolves" – 5:38
  3. "Fat Boys and Ugly Girls" – 4:12
  • 7-inch single
  1. "The One" (edit)
  2. "Suit of Wolves"

Personnel

  • Elton John: Vocals, acoustic piano
  • Mark Taylor: Keyboards
  • Guy Babylon: Keyboards and programming
  • Adam Seymour, Davey Johnstone: Guitars
  • Pino Palladino: Bass
  • Olle Romo: Drums, percussion, drum programming


Production

Charts

Release history

Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United Kingdom 25 May 1992
  • 7-inch vinyl
  • CD1
  • cassette
 Rocket [42]
1 June 1992 CD2 [43]
Australia
  • CD
  • cassette
 [44]
Japan 15 June 1992 Mini-CD [45]

References

  1. ^ a b "Grammy Awards: Best Pop Vocal Performance – Male". rockonthenet.com. Retrieved 13 July 2015.
  2. ^ "The One by Elton John Song Statistics | setlist.fm". www.setlist.fm. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
  3. ^ "Elton John – The One (Live at Madison Square Garden, NYC 2000) HD *Remastered". 7 August 2020. Retrieved 3 April 2022 – via YouTube.
  4. ^ "Elton John – The One". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  5. ^ "Elton John – The One" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  6. ^ "Elton John – The One" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  7. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Image 1987". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  8. ^ "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Image 1964". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  9. ^ "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 9, no. 27. 4 July 1992. p. 24. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  10. ^ "Eesti Top 20". Sõnumileht (in Estonian). 26 August 1992. p. 6. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
  11. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 9, no. 28. 11 July 1992. p. 11. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
  12. ^ "European Hit Radio" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 9, no. 26. 27 June 1992. p. 27. Retrieved 17 November 2025.
  13. ^ "Elton John – The One" (in French). Le classement de singles. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  14. ^ "Offizielle Deutsche Charts" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. To see the peak chart position, click 'TITEL VON', followed by the artist's name. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  15. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – The One". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  16. ^ "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 9, no. 30. 25 July 1992. p. 14. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
  17. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 27, 1992" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  18. ^ "Elton John – The One" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  19. ^ "Elton John – The One". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  20. ^ "Elton John – The One". VG-lista. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  21. ^ "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10, no. 4. 23 January 1993. p. 24. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  22. ^ "Elton John – The One". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  23. ^ "Elton John – The One". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  24. ^ "Official Singles Chart on 20/6/1992 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  25. ^ "Top 50 Airplay Chart" (PDF). Music Week. 20 June 1992. p. 14. Retrieved 2 November 2025.
  26. ^ "Elton John Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
  27. ^ "Elton John Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
  28. ^ "Elton John Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
  29. ^ "Cash Box Chart Entries 1990-1996" (PDF). popmusichistory.co.uk. Retrieved 20 November 2025.
  30. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 1992" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  31. ^ "Brazilian Top 100 Year-End 1992". Crowley Broadcast Analysis. 3 April 2018. Retrieved 29 June 2025.
  32. ^ "The RPM Top 100 Hit Tracks of 1992" (PDF). RPM. Vol. 56, no. 25. 19 December 1992. p. 8. Retrieved 23 March 2019.
  33. ^ "The RPM Top 100 Adult Contemporary tracks of 1992". RPM. Retrieved 18 March 2019 – via Library and Archives Canada.
  34. ^ "1992 Year-End Sales Charts" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 9, no. 51/52. 19 December 1992. p. 17. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
  35. ^ "1992 Year-End Airplay Charts: European Hit Radio" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 9, no. 51/52. 19 December 1992. p. 18. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
  36. ^ "Top 100 Singles–Jahrescharts 1992" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  37. ^ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1992" (in German). Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  38. ^ "Year End Charts: Top Singles". Music Week. 16 January 1993. p. 8.
  39. ^ "1992 Airplay Chart" (PDF). Music Week. 9 January 1993. p. 8. Retrieved 28 October 2025.
  40. ^ "Billboard Top 100 – 1992". Archived from the original on 8 July 2009. Retrieved 30 July 2010.
  41. ^ "The Year in Music: Hot Adult Contemporary Singles & Tracks" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 104, no. 52. 26 December 1992. p. YE-38. Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 June 2021. Retrieved 28 March 2025.
  42. ^ "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 23 May 1992. p. 19. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  43. ^ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. 30 May 1992. p. 21. Mislabelled as a 12-inch single on source.
  44. ^ "New Release Summary – Product Available from : 01/06/92: Singles". The ARIA Report. No. 112. 31 May 1992. p. 19.
  45. ^ "エルトン・ジョン | ワン" [Elton John | One] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 23 September 2025.
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