The song received generally favourable reviews from music critics, with some praising the lyrics and deeming it as one of the best tracks on the album.

Commercially, "In My Arms" was generally successful, peaking inside the top ten in countries including Romania, Belgium, France, Switzerland, Germany and the United Kingdom.

However, the song experienced lower success in her native Australia, where it peaked at thirty-five, becoming her lowest charting single since "Cowboy Style" (1998).

Before the production of X, Minogue was diagnosed with breast cancer on 17 May 2005, leading to the postponement of the remainder of her Showgirl: The Greatest Hits Tour and her withdrawal from the Glastonbury Festival.

[2][3] While recovering in Melbourne, Minogue began writing lyrics towards the end of her cancer treatment in mid-2006, having not worked on any music for the previous year.

EMI Music Taiwan announced on 15 October 2007 that Minogue had recorded a duet of the song with Taiwanese singer Jolin Tsai,[4][5] which was included on the Asian edition of X released in November 2007.

Tom Ewing in a review for Pitchfork compared the song to French electronic music duo Justice and wrote that Minogue "bounces around the tune with gusto".

[13] Prefix Magazine reviewer Bruce Scott described it as "fuzzed-out" and "synth heavy", and wrote that it was "full of the kind of exuberant charm that made a track like 'Love at First Sight' a past hit".

[15] Mark Sutherland from Billboard gave a positive review, writing, "You'll search in vain for insight into her recent personal traumas, but there's still plenty of heart and soul [...] her best batch of tunes in a while.

"[16] Peter Robinson from The Observer said about the song that "the high points are best viewed as four great tracks for her next greatest hits collection rather than any reflection of this album's cohesion.

"[17] Jax Spike from About.com considered it as a sublime track "which flow evenly throughout and are definitely great songs to pass the time by at your favorite skating alley.

"[20] Dave Hughes from Slant Magazine, wrote, "the filmsy, nearly-punk Calvin Harris production 'In My Arms', which is essentially what a neon-orange feather boa would sound like if it were a song.

In Australia, "In My Arms" became Minogue's lowest-charting single in a decade (since 1998's "Cowboy Style"), peaking at number thirty-five and spending only two weeks in the top fifty.