It was most successful in Europe, entering the top 10 in Greece (5) and Italy (4), as well as on the Music & Media European Dance Radio Chart,[5] where it peaked at number nine in November 1992.

Upon the release, Larry Flick from Billboard stated that it shows Sade and band "in fine form, sounding, as always, cool and sexy."

"[7] Amy Linden from Entertainment Weekly found that Sade, "the high priestess of understated cool, heats up on the fabulous "No Ordinary Love", which surges with emotion.

"[9] Another Gavin Report editor, John Martinucci, said, "At last, the sensual vocals of Sade return with a hypnotic beat underlined by an occasional, crunching guitar.

"[10] Caroline Sullivan from The Guardian felt that the singer's "sleepy croon doesn't waver" as she's "purring a breathless poem" about her mister.

[12] Pan-European magazine Music & Media remarked that "the grande dame of sophisticated soul has updated her beats a little bit and added a more wiggly guitar sound.

"[16] In a 2017 retrospective review, Justin Chadwick from Albumism described the song as "insistent and intimate", adding that it's "evoking the desperation of trying to secure an elusive love".

[17] In 2012, Sophie Heawood of The Guardian commented, "The band reached their peak of opulent sound design on the aptly titled album Love Deluxe; its seven-minute epic of a lead single is as bleak as it is sensual, casting heartbreak as the greatest luxury of all.

The softly puncturing bass, the deep-sea synths, the chugging, almost accusatory guitar that kicks in during the pre-chorus – even among other perfect songs, this one stands out.

She swims up to shore in the finished dress with human legs, reaching land and throwing rice on herself like a newlywed bride.