The One (Elton John song)

Summary

"The One" is the title track and first single released from English musician Elton John's 1992 album of the same name. On bonus footage for the DVD release of his concert Live in Barcelona, John states that he felt an intense connection to Bernie 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".

"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)[1]
Length
  • 4:31 (single version)
  • 5:53 (album version)
Label
Composer(s)Elton John
Lyricist(s)Bernie Taupin
Producer(s)Chris 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

Release and reception edit

"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.

Music video edit

The music video 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 edit

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 the year 2000 was the last time the song was performed with the band.[2][3]

Accolades edit

Grammy Awards

Year Nominee / work Award Result
1993 "The One" Best Pop Vocal Performance – Male[4] Nominated

Track listings edit

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 edit

Charts edit

References edit

  1. ^ "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 23 May 1992. p. 19. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  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". Retrieved 3 April 2022 – via YouTube.
  4. ^ "Grammy Awards: Best Pop Vocal Performance – Male". rockonthenet.com. Retrieved 13 July 2015.
  5. ^ "Elton John – The One". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  6. ^ "Elton John – The One" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  7. ^ "Elton John – The One" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  8. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 1987." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  9. ^ "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 1964." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  10. ^ "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 9, no. 27. 4 July 1992. p. 24. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  11. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 9, no. 28. 11 July 1992. p. 11. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
  12. ^ "Elton John – The One" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  13. ^ "Elton John – The One" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  14. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – The One". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  15. ^ "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 9, no. 30. 25 July 1992. p. 14. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
  16. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 27, 1992" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  17. ^ "Elton John – The One" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  18. ^ "Elton John – The One". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  19. ^ "Elton John – The One". VG-lista. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  20. ^ "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10, no. 4. 23 January 1993. p. 24. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  21. ^ "Elton John – The One". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  22. ^ "Elton John – The One". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  23. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  24. ^ "Elton John Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
  25. ^ "Elton John Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
  26. ^ "Elton John Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
  27. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 1992" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  28. ^ "The RPM Top 100 Hit Tracks of 1992" (PDF). RPM. Vol. 56, no. 25. 19 December 1992. p. 8. Retrieved 23 March 2019.
  29. ^ "The RPM Top 100 Adult Contemporary tracks of 1992". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  30. ^ "1992 Year-End Sales Charts" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 9, no. 51/52. 19 December 1992. p. 17. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
  31. ^ "Top 100 Singles–Jahrescharts 1992" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  32. ^ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1992" (in German). Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  33. ^ "Year End Charts: Top Singles". Music Week. 16 January 1993. p. 8.
  34. ^ "Billboard Top 100 – 1992". Archived from the original on 8 July 2009. Retrieved 30 July 2010.
  35. ^ "1992 The Year in Music" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 104, no. 52. 26 December 1992. p. YE-38. Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 June 2021. Retrieved 15 August 2021.