The song was a commercial success worldwide, charting in the top 10 in several major music markets, including Australia, Belgium, Canada, New Zealand, Norway, Spain and the United Kingdom.

[4] DJ White Shadow revealed that before they returned to Europe for the 2010 dates of The Monster Ball Tour, Gaga had taken leave for few days to be with her ailing grandfather.

[5] Gaga spoke to Jon Pareles of The New York Times about the story behind the song: "['The Edge of Glory'] was about how when my grandma was standing over my grandfather while he was dying.

[9] On May 5, 2011, Interscope sent out an e-mail to radio stations across the United States, which explained that "The Edge of Glory" was to be released on Monday, May 9, 2011, as the first of two promotional singles for Born This Way.

[4][13] It shows a naked Gaga with her mouth open, wearing her facial prosthetics from the "Born This Way" cover, and her hair wildly cascading around her.

"[16] Jason Lipshultz from Billboard stated the song "leans upon sunny electronica" that sounds big on the chorus, where Gaga sings "I'm on the edge of glory and I'm hanging on a moment of truth".

[25] Vena also felt that what made the song stand out from others on the radio was the saxophone solo by Clemons right in the middle of the track, as Gaga belts out, "I'm on the edge with you.

While previewing the song Matthew Perpetua from Rolling Stone wrote a positive review: "This one sounds crazy in print [...], but somehow it all seems totally natural when you actually hear it."

[30] Jocelyn Vena from MTV News asserted that the song showed a softer side to Gaga, as opposed to her previous singles from Born This Way.

Paskin also believed that the song had potential to be a summer hit, but could face competition from singer Katy Perry's single, "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)".

He also called the song a "four-on-the-floor anthem with loads of references to '80s pop music" and concluded "Thankfully, 'Edge of Glory' proves Gaga hasn't let her global celebrity get the best of her art, and she's still capable to cranking out straightforward, dance-ready jams like 'Just Dance' or 'Poker Face'.

"[18] Both Andy Gill of The Independent and James Reed of The Boston Globe praised Clarence Clemons' saxophone solo in "The Edge of Glory".

[36] Similar sentiments were expressed by fellow NME writer Dan Martin, who found the track to be gleaming, calling it the "most ecstatic pop serenade" Gaga has ever come up with.

[37] Robert Copsey from Digital Spy commented that the song is a "straight-up fists-in-the-air feel-good anthem that is less cheesy than 'Born This Way' but equally (if not more) euphoric."

[38] Matthew Cole from Slant Magazine was polarized with the song, stating that while it lowered his expectations for the album, he expressed that the saxophone solo was "admittedly a high point, and one of the more original ideas that Gaga has had of late.

[79] The video consists mostly of intersplicing shots of Gaga dancing and singing on the street, on the fire escape, and on the steps in front of the apartment building with Clemons.

He added that the video seemed a "clear homage" to Gaga's inspirations like Madonna, concluding that "all the references in 'The Edge of Glory' are so overt, there's no way it could be shameless cribbing.

"[82] Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine gave the video a positive review, calling it a "visual triumph", with "breathtaking" art direction, and a "gray-blue-black color palette carefully calibrated by Gaga's vibrant lipstick and nail polish, a red painted stripe on the curb, and the gold of her jewelry and the studs on her leather, not to mention Clarence Clemons's brass."

[84] Jarett Wieselman from New York Post tried to understand what actually went wrong with the production, and came to the conclusion that the mutual disagreements between Gaga and Kahn led to the video being a "piece of rubbish".

[85] Dose's Leah Collins was more neutral in her review, questioning if Gaga was simply "swooning with nostalgia for other pop culture nuggets that have featured the same NYC backdrop of fire escapes and brown-stone steps" or just attempting to "be saving a metric buttload on the budget".

At the end of the performance, Gaga and a dancer embraced each other, took a breath and then jumped off the edge of the stage, landing out of sight on a bed of fake rocks, as steam shot up high in the air.

[90] On May 27, 2011, Gaga performed "The Edge of Glory" on Good Morning America as a part of their "Summer Concert Series", wearing a full black dress.

Ryan Love of Digital Spy had an advance preview of the recording of the show, and complimented the choreography by Gaga and her dancer, during the saxophone interlude.

[96] Gaga opened the 2011 MuchMusic Video Awards with a performance of the song, sporting a bejeweled catsuit and a bob teal colored wig.

[106][107][108] In October 2017, Gaga appeared at the Deep From the Heart: The One America Appeal benefit concert in Texas, joining other performers in raising money to hurricane victims.

[109] The song was part of the setlist of the singer's 2018–2020 Las Vegas residency show, Enigma, where she performed it wearing a transparent dress, with a cut-out bodysuit underneath.

[112][113] In November 2024, Gaga performed the song at Benjamin Franklin Parkway, the night before the 2024 United States presidential election, for Kamala Harris's final rally.

[114] Pop-rock singer Nick Jonas sang an acoustic version of the song in July during his concert at the Westfield Century City in Los Angeles.

[116] Kevin O'Donnell of Spin praised their cover writing: "Gaga's original showcases the pop star's gale force pipes, and Friendly Fires frontman Ed Macfarlane doesn't try to match that energy.

Instead, they offer a lovely, cinematic take on the song: Macfarlane croons with the heart-on-sleeve sensitivity of an emo-boy over cascading synth melodies and a breezy funk pulse.