The One (Shakira song)

"The One" is a song recorded by Colombian singer-songwriter Shakira for her first English-language and fifth overall studio album Laundry Service (2001). The ballad^[1] was released as the album's sixth and final single on 16 December 2002 by Epic Records and became a modest hit in Europe and Australia.

"The One"
Single by Shakira
from the album Laundry Service
Released	16 December 2002
Studio	Hit Factory Criteria (Miami) Crescent Moon (Miami) Compass Point (Nassau, Bahamas)
Length	3:42 (album version) 3:47 (video and radio mix)
Label	Epic
Composer(s)	Shakira Glen Ballard
Lyricist(s)	Shakira
Producer(s)	Shakira Lester Mendez
Shakira singles chronology
"Que Me Quedes Tú" (2002) "The One" (2002) "Poem to a Horse" (2004)
Music video
"The One" on YouTube

Background and composition

"The One" was written by Shakira and composed by Shakira and Glen Ballard. This song is about Shakira's lonely love, and her expression and thanks for the love that has been given to her. Though the song itself was an extremely popular song, and many people were "touched" by it, it did not fare well chart-wise. Shakira has never performed this live at any shows except for her 2002–2003 Tour of the Mongoose, when the single was released around the time. The primary version used for radio airplay was the Glen's Radio Mix, which has a new intro and a complete different musical arrangement than the original Album Version.

Chart performance

"The One" was released in most parts of Europe as well as other countries such as Australia. The song did moderately well in European countries, including Italy and Switzerland, where it reached the top 20.^[2][3] It was a top-five hit in Portugal, where it peaked at number five.^[4] In Australia, the song peaked at number 16.^[5]

Music video

The music video for "The One" has a basic plot. Shakira is walking through a city, wearing a red jacket, where she sees all the people with their lovers loving and hugging each other, while she is alone. She therefore walks through the rain, hoping to find someone who will love her forever. While she walks through the rain, she sees an old couple, a mother with her child, a police attacking a man with an old woman watching, needing someone to help him and he mimes "you're the one I need", while on the contrary she is alone. The music video ends with her, drenched by the rain, singing while facing up to the sky.

Formats and track listings

Maxi-single

1. "The One" (Glen's Radio Mix) – 3:47
2. "The One" (Album Version) – 3:43
3. "Whenever, Wherever" (Hammad Bell Remix) – 3:48
4. "Te Aviso, Te Anuncio (Tango)" (Gigi D'Agostino Tango Remix) – 6:10

Enhanced single

1. "The One" (Glen's Mix)
2. "Objection (Tango)" (Afro Punk Version)
3. "Objection (Tango)" (The Freelance Hellraiser's Mash-Up of the Mongoose)
4. "The One" (video)

Charts

Weekly charts Weekly chart performance for "The One" Chart (2003) Peak position Australia (ARIA)[5] 16 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[6] 21 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[7] 21 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[8] 21 European Hot 100 Singles (Music & Media)[9] 78 Germany (GfK)[10] 39 Italy (FIMI)[2] 20 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[11] 26 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[12] 31 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[13] 39 Poland (Polish Airplay Chart)[14] 10 Portugal (AFP)[4] 5 Romania (Romanian Top 100)[15] 14 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[3] 17

Year-end charts Year-end chart performance for "The One" Chart (2003) Position Romania (Romanian Top 100)[16] 88

Release history

Release dates and formats for "The One"

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)	Ref.
United States	16 December 2002	Contemporary hit radio	Epic	[17]
Australia	13 January 2003	Maxi CD	Sony Music Australia	[18]
Belgium	30 March 2003	CD maxi CD	Epic	[19]
Denmark	7 April 2003	CD		[20]

References

1. "Album of the Year: Shakira's Laundry Service". Music & Media. Vol. 21, no. 2–3. 11 January 2003. p. 13.
2. "Shakira – The One". Top Digital Download.
3. "Shakira – The One". Swiss Singles Chart.
4. "Top National Sellers". Music & Media. Vol. 21, no. 23. 31 May 2003. p. 18.
5. "Shakira – The One". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
6. "Shakira – The One" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
7. "Shakira – The One" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
8. "Shakira – The One" (in French). Ultratop 50.
9. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles". Music & Media. Vol. 21, no. 20. 10 May 2003. p. 8.
10. "Shakira – The One" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
11. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 13, 2003" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
12. "Shakira – The One" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
13. "Shakira – The One". Top 40 Singles.
14. "PiF PaF PRODUCTION - airplay chart top 30". 25 October 2007. Archived from the original on 25 October 2007. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
15. "Arhiva romanian top 100 Editia 21, saptamina 2.06-8.06, 2003" (in Romanian). Romanian Top 100. Archived from the original on 18 February 2005. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
16. "Romanian Top 100 – Top of the Year 2003" (in Romanian). Romanian Top 100. Archived from the original on 22 January 2005. Retrieved 22 January 2005.
17. "Going for Adds". Radio & Records. No. 1483. 13 December 2002. p. 26.
18. "The ARIA Report: New Releases Singles – Week Commencing 13th January 2003" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. 13 January 2003. p. 23. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 February 2008. Retrieved 29 December 2021.
19. "New Releases Singles Week 14, 30 March 2003". Ultratop. Archived from the original on 4 May 2003.
20. "Nye Udgivelser" [New Releases] (in Danish). Sony Music Denmark. Archived from the original on 6 April 2003. Retrieved 11 November 2023.