It was released by Fueled by Ramen in February 2010 as the third single from the band's third studio album, Brand New Eyes (2009).

"The Only Exception" was the most successful single from Brand New Eyes, having topped the United Kingdom Rock Chart and peaked at No.

A music video for the song, directed by Brandon Chesbro, was released on February 17, 2010, via the band's official website.

Mikael Wood, a writer for Spin felt that "The Only Exception" was a "surprisingly soulful acoustic number" and compared its musical structure to Parachutes-era Coldplay.

[8] Leonie Cooper of NME noted in his review for Brand New Eyes that Paramore were able to "showcase their maturity" with multiple ballad songs, specifying "The Only Exception".

[9] Cooper further stated, "[The song] feels like something Katy Perry would dismiss for being too lightweight, with its mechanical, campfire strumming and general uninspiring air.

"[9]Marc Hirsh of The Boston Globe listed "The Only Exception" as the highlight of Brand New Eyes, crediting the song as being an "essential".

[10] Hirsh said that "The Only Exception" is "probably the best place to start" with the album, describing Williams' vocals as "forging a connection" rather than "simply spitting out her feelings"; he also praised the other band members for locking in at a "sympathetic simmer".

[11] Jesse Catalodo of Slant felt that the lyrics to "The Only Exception" may be "irredeemably over-the-top" but its "vocal melodies are the stuff of perfect pop".

[22] Williams confirmed that as part of a Valentine's Day theme, the band selected cards that were sent to them by fans and featured them in the video.

[22] In an interview with MTV, Chesbro commented on filming the scene involving Williams lying on Valentine's Day–styled cards during the music video, saying: "The band has crazy fans.

"[5]The music video opens with Williams waking up on a couch next to an unnamed sleeping male and writes a note that says "I'm sorry".

She moves through a costume closet, into a restaurant set, where a rotating cast of men pose as her date; then, she walks into the next room, where there is a wedding.

Everyone at the wedding is wearing white, with the other band members in attendance, but Williams arrives dressed in black, and she flees the scene from where the bride enters.

[22] During the chorus of the song, the clip cuts to the scenes where Williams is lying down on a giant pile of Valentine-themed cards.

When Williams sings "And I'm on my way to believing", she returns to the couch, where the male is still asleep, and hides the note she wrote in her pocket as she lies back down next to him.

Kyle Anderson, a writer for MTV, commented that the music video is "by far the most visually interesting and complex clip the group has ever produced.

[43] Lea Michele, in character as Rachel Berry, sang the song at the end of the episode as an apology to her boyfriend Finn Hudson, played by Cory Monteith.

[47] The cover was released as a single and charted at number 22 in both Canada and Ireland, 26 in the US, and 60 in Australia, with sales of 89,000 copies in the US, according to Nielsen SoundScan.