"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".

Release and 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.

Music video

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

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.

Accolades

Grammy Awards

Track listings

CD maxi 7-inch single

Personnel

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts