Upon its release, "The One I Gave My Heart To" was met with generally positive reviews from critics, with many praising Aaliyah's vocal delivery and tone on the record.
"[8] Oliver VanDervoort from AXS said that "The One I Gave My Heart To" "was actually quite a bit more "poppy" than some of her other romantic entries but she made it work for sure.
[10] In his review of "The One I Gave My Heart To", Larry Flick from Billboard felt that the song was a strong top-40 contender and that it would "rise to the top" on a variety of radio formats.
He also praised both Aaliyah's vocal styling and the overall production of the song, saying: "She brings an engaging, youthful romance to a sweet Diane Warren composition which is fleshed out with a careful balance of straight ahead pop and R&B sensibilities in producer Guy Roche's instrumental arrangement".
[1] While reviewing One In a Million, Peter Miro from Cash Box praised the song for its crossover appeal saying,"The One I Gave My Heart To, is a bonus cut that adds to the R&B, pop, urban & churban playability of this deceptively oozing talent.
[11] According to Edwin Ortiz from Complex, Aaliyah proved that she could "switch from her usual mid-tempo style and deliver an incredible vocal performance".
He also felt that she "brought the song to life through her smooth soprano vocals, highlighting a broken heart and sense of betrayal, with the accompanying video perfectly depicting her emotional state".
[4] Jordan Simon from Idotaltor said, on "The One I Gave My Heart To,” the album’s final single, the teenager confirmed what others close to her already knew: she was capable of delivering a vocal performance that would make the era’s dominating divas Whitney Houston and Celine Dion proud.
[21] "The One I Gave My Heart To" was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments of 500,000 units, on October 21, 1997.
[24][28] The accompanying music video for "The One I Gave My Heart To" was directed by Darren Grant,[29] and uses the single version of the song, keeping the second half of the first verse, which was normally cut for radio airplay.
[36][37] Thirteen days later, she performed "The One I Gave My Heart To" at Nickelodeon's fourth annual The Big Help event in Santa Monica, California.
[41][42] On December 10, Aaliyah performed "The One I Gave My Heart To" at the UNICEF Gift of Song benefit gala, which aired live on TNT.
[43][44][45] In 1998, Aaliyah co-headlined the B-96 B-Bash, hosted by Chicago radio station B96; during the event, she performed "The One I Gave My Heart To".