The song was written and produced by Jim Eliot alongside Mima Stilwell; Stuart Price provided additional production.

The lyrics of the song serve as an invitation to the dance floor and an assertion that Minogue's past relationships do not "compare" to the one she shares with her present lover.

In Europe, it reached the top ten in numerous countries, including Austria, Belgium, France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

The music video for "All the Lovers" was filmed in Downtown Los Angeles by Joseph Kahn and features Minogue singing the song from atop a pyramid of underwear-clad couples.

"[11] Fraser McAlpine from BBC Chart Blog felt the "elegiac" and sad-toned chorus "makes the verses transform from a straightforward plea for dancefloor action into what sounds like a demand that everyone join Kylie for one last dance before things become spoiled forever.

[25] Fraser McAlpine from BBC Chart Blog rated the single five out of five stars and applauded its chorus, calling it a "dancing/crying/loving feeling [...] applied to everyone in a universal gesture of affection and regret.

[24] Nick Levine from Digital Spy also rewarded "All the Lovers" a perfect five-star score and called it a "shimmering midtempo electro-disco tune with a lovely arms-in-the-air chorus.

[20] Entertainment Weekly critic Adam Markovitz opined that "All the Lovers" was not a "full-on dance track production-wise", but predicted the song would attain "near-ubiquity in gyms, gay clubs, and clothing stores.

"[26] Robbie Daw from Idolator felt its production stayed true to Minogue's roots, labelling the song "100% pure Kylie", and found it comparable to "I Believe in You.

"[15] Daily Mirror critic Gavin Martin gave "All the Lovers" a four out of five rating and complimented the song's production and mixing, saying they "ensure Kylie's pint-size pop queen status is consolidated.

[27] Chris Ryan from MTV Buzzworthy termed the song "classic Kylie", praising its subtle production and the chorus for being "ecstatic, breathtaking.

"[12] The Popjustice review of the song was also positive; they pointed out that it would please fans of the singer and become the "sound of dancefloor stampedes from now until the end of time" due to its mature style.

[29] Rob Harvilla from The Village Voice wrote that the song features Minogue at her peak form and labelled it a "pleasingly vapid synth-cheese jam.

Tim Sendra from AllMusic gave the song a "Track Pick", calling it "massively catchy" and praising the synthesizer riffs in its instrumentation.

"[34] Helen Clarke from musicOMH likened it to the works of British electronic music duo Goldfrapp and called it a "Kylie classic", but found its placement as the opening track of the album unusual.

[36] Sal Cinquemani from Slant Magazine, who gave Aphrodite a mixed review, picked the song as one of the better tracks from the album, comparing its hook to a "summer breeze.

"[37] Sophia Money-Coutts from The National called the song a "euphoric, electro tune ripe for remixing and which will no doubt have the hordes waving their hands about in Ibiza" but criticised it for being too similar to "I Believe in You".

[63] Aiming to pay "homage" to her large gay audience, Minogue wanted the video to express "what I'm about and what I love" and thus it was made to depict scenes of same-sex kissing.

[64][65] Arts and culture magazine BlackBook reported that the video, which portrays a large group of underwear-clad men and women, is a re-imagination of the installations of Spencer Tunick, an American photographer known for organising large-scale nude shoots.

[70] The video begins with close-up shots of several items, including a soft-drink glass, a bottle of milk, marshmallows, and pages from a briefcase, falling onto the ground.

The scene switches back to Minogue, from where the camera pans upward to reveal a large white inflatable elephant floating in between two skyscrapers.

Minogue sways her hand above the participants of the mob, emphasising rings and jewellery designed by UK-based jeweller Shaun Leane.

"[20] Leah Greenblatt from Entertainment Weekly complimented its sexuality and said that the video could "best described as either a makeout flash mob, a Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade gone wild, or some serious 'the touch, the feel of cotton' guerrilla marketing.

"[71] Due to its sexual content and nature, the music video was censored and banned in numerous Asian countries, including Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia.

[77] At her Madrid Pride Parade concert on 6 July, Minogue performed "All the Lovers", along with "Get Outta My Way" and "Better than Today", dressed in a toga-inspired white gown and golden bodice.

[78] She performed "All the Lovers" in a red dress on British comedy chat show Alan Carr: Chatty Man on 18 July.

"[87] Dawn Collinson from Liverpool Echo praised the encore segment and its visuals, saying "All The Lovers took Aphrodite[: Les Folies Tour] to an incredible climax.

[89] That same year, on the Kiss Me Once Tour, "All The Lovers" was the second-to-last performance of the show and featured confetti cannons raining down upon the audience.

[93] Writing for news.com.au, Nick Bond felt the performance was a nod to the singer's "gay fans [who] have never abandoned her through 30 years of ups and downs".

[97] The group performed this version of the song for the second time at the annual Australian music festival Splendour in the Grass in Melbourne, which is Minogue's birthplace.