"Love at First Sight" received generally positive reviews frommusic critics; the majority of the critics commended the song's commercial appeal and composition. Minor criticism was towards the production similarities of Minogue's previous singles fromFever. Commercially, it peaked at number three on theARIA Singles Chart and number two on theUK Singles Chart. It was certified gold by theAustralian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) and theBritish Phonographic Industry (BPI). It also charted within the top ten in Canada, Denmark, Ireland, Spain, and New Zealand. In the United States, "Love at First Sight" peaked at number 23 on theBillboard Hot 100 (her most recent top-40 hit on that chart as of 2025) and number one on theDance Club Play chart.
Following the initial success ofFever and the album's subsequent singles "Can't Get You Out of My Head" and "In Your Eyes", Minogue's labelParlophone decided to release a third single worldwide.[1][2] Minogue enlisted several producers including Richard Stannard andJulian Gallagher fromBiffco, both whom work with Minogue previously; the duo wrote "Love at First Sight", alongside Minogue, Ash Howes andMartin Harrington.[3] It was selected as the third, and second in North America, single fromFever, and was released on 3 June 2002.[4] The single's artwork for "Love at First Sight" was photographed byNick Knight.[5][6] During 2002, Minogue launched herLove Kylielingerie collection and enlisted Knight to photograph her to promote it; out takes were later re-used for the artwork of "Love at First Sight".[7] Knight worked with Minogue once more on "Come into My World".[8] The first artwork features Minogue nude, in front of a blue backdrop and the second disc is a close-up of Minogue with a red tint.[5][6]
A 21-second sample of "Love at First Sight" containing a part of the chorus. The title and theme of the song allude to the Western literature tropelove at first sight.
Produced by Richard Stannard and Julian Gallagher, "Love at First Sight" is adance-pop andnu-disco song, that came at the end of a period when mainstream dance-pop music had assimilatedFrench house.[9] The song incorporates elements ofhouse music.[10][11] "Love at First Sight" talks about falling in love with someone "at first sight"; According to Jacqueline Hodges fromBBC Music, she said along with the title track, "use tempting lyrics and suggestive panting to underpin a none-too-subtle good time agenda."[12] There are two versions of "Love at First Sight"; the original 2001 album version that lasts for three minutes and 57 seconds, and the North American remix. The North American remix, remixed by Ruff and Jam, was released on the bonus disc of the 2002 special edition ofFever and 12-inch singles of "Love at First Sight".[13][14]
'Can't Get You Out of My Head' and 'Love at First Sight' are two of the best songs of the last five years, they both provide a perfect synthesis of Kylie's pop princess appeal and her admirable exploration ofexperimentalelectronic music. 'Love at First Sight' might even be better, a poppier and even stranger song. Kylie had the audacity to basically rewriteDaft Punk's immortal 'Digital Love' and somehow may have even made it even more perfect than it already was. These songs are super-dense sound collages full of tiny strange little details that reward headphone listening while encouraging, perhaps demanding, dancing.
— Hunter Felt fromPopMatters retrospectively commended "Love at First Sight"[15]
"Love at First Sight" received positive reviews from music critics. Chris True fromAllMusic was favorable towards the track saying "songs like 'Give It to Me' and 'Love at First Sight,' her maturity helps transcend this limiting tag, making this a very stylishEurodance record that will appeal to all ages."[10] Alex Needham fromNME said the song was "a knickers-aloftdisco stormer",[16] while Alexis Petridis fromThe Guardian commented "LikeRobbie Williams's songs, the tracks onFever are big on easily digestibleEDM references. 'Love at First Sight' features the same stuttering disco samples asStardust's 1998 number-one single 'Music Sounds Better with You'."[17] Michael Hubbard frommusicOMH was particularly positive, calling the song "rip-roaring", and said "It would be difficult to pinpoint one duff track on this record, but the more obvious candidates for singles are towards the front of the album – just like her first two records, in fact – especially the rip-roaring frolic that is 'Love at First Sight'."[18] Jason Thompson fromPopMatters said the song "opens itself up to the listener with a sexy as hell melody and is one of the sexiest,funkiest classic disco songs that never was... until now."[11] Jacqueline Hodges fromBBC Music compared the song to the work ofModjo.[12]
The Abbey Road Sessions version from 2012 received mixed reviews from most critics. Robert Corpsey fromDigital Spy said, "'On a Night Like This', 'Love at First Sight' and 'Can't Get You Out of My Head'" are songs that "all of which have been stripped of their shimmer and allowed the lyrics to come to the fore."[19] A reviewer fromVirgin Media was positive, saying "'Love at First Sight' becomes a sweetfolk rock noodle in the mould ofJack Johnson orJason Mraz".[20] However, Susana Novas from What Culture said that "Love at First Sight" was a "low point", saying "‘Love at First Sight’, one of Kylie's most iconic singles that gets theTaylor Swift treatment (not a compliment either)."[21] Philip Matusavage frommusicOMH commented "Having 25 years ofpop classics to draw on means there can be no arguing with the quality of the songs here, however, which is enough to ensure that the album could not be a complete failure. This is clearer nowhere than on thejangly 'Love at First Sight', the euphoric thrill of which shines through despite here rather unfortunately bringing to mindThe Lighthouse Family".[22]
In 2003, "Love at First Sight" was nominated for aGrammy Award for Best Dance Recording at the45th Annual Grammy Awards.[23] This became Minogue's first Grammy nomination and was consecutively nominated in the same category for "Come into My World", which she wonin 2004,[24] "Slow"in 2005[25] and "I Believe in You"in 2006.[26] Minogue attended theGrammy Awards opening atStaples Centre in Los Angeles on 8 February that year, her only appearance there.[27][28] Minogue lost to "Days Go By" byDirty Vegas.[23] In 2003, "Love at First Sight" and "In Your Eyes" was nominated at theIvor Novello Awards for "Most Performed Work", but lost to "Just a Little" byLiberty X.[29] In 2009,Pitchfork ranked the song at number 208 in their list of "The Top 500 Tracks of the 2000s".[30] In 2012, Jason Lipshutz fromBillboard listed "Love at First Sight" at six on their "Kylie Minogue Primer: The Top 10 Past Hits You Need to Know", stating "Love at First Sight adance song that's so self-assured that it completely powers down 70 seconds in, lets Minogue's voice float in the ether for two lines, then triumphantly returns, slaking the thirst of its hungry listener."[31]
"Love at First Sight" debuted and peaked at number two on theUK Singles Chart, being stalled from the top spot byElvis Presley andJXL's remix of "A Little Less Conversation".[32] The single was certified gold by theBritish Phonographic Industry (BPI) for sales and streams of 400,000 units.[33] In Australia, the single peaked at number three on theARIA Singles Chart.[34] It stayed in the charts for eight weeks and achieved a platinum certification by theAustralian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for shipments of 70,000 units.[35] In New Zealand, the single debuted at number 45 on theRIANZ Singles Chart and ultimately peaked at number nine.[36] It stayed in the charts for 18 weeks and was certified gold by theRecording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ) for sales of 7,500 units.[37] In the United States, "Love at First Sight" peaked at number 23 on theBillboard Hot 100, which became her third highest-charting single behind her 1988 single "The Loco-Motion" (number three) and her 2001 single "Can't Get You Out of My Head" (number seven).[38] The single also peaked at number one on theDance Club Play chart and number ten on theMainstream Top 40 chart.[38] In Canada, the single peaked at number five,[38] and has sold more than 134,000 units, becoming Minogue's second best-selling single in that country according toNielsen SoundScan.[39]
The accompanying music video for "Love at First Sight" was directed byJohan Renck and was shot on avirtual set inDublin in May 2002.[40] The video took two days to shoot and required several assistances and stylists to help Minogue and her backup dancers.[40] The making of the video was released on theDVD single of "Love at First Sight", featuring four separate video excerpts and shows footage of Minogue dancing on set of the video.[40] A photo gallery of the set was added on the DVD.[40]
The video for "Love at First Sight" opens with a view of a sky of geometric shapes moving. It pans down to a staircase that is being digitally added on and has Minogue walking down. As Minogue dances to the song, the camera turns in several directions to show the room layout; the chorus features backup dancers on a top stand.[41] The second verse and chorus features Minogue dancing with different patterns emerging on the walls. From the cut-outs of the walls, geometric buildings are present in the background, showcasing the futuristic city that is similar to the "Can't Get You Out of My Head" video.[41] By the last chorus, it shows a night sky and has all the dancers in the background while Minogue sings the song.[41] The video ends with the dancers huddling around Minogue as it pans to the night sky with different geometric shapes.[41]
Minogue performing "Love at First Sight" during herKylieX2008 tour.
The North American remix of "Love at First Sight" was performed on 17 July 2002 onMTV in the United States.[42] Minogue sported a white crop top with metallic track pants, with her backup dancers present and wearing costumes from the music video.[42] She then performed "Love at First Sight" onThe Tonight Show with Jay Leno.[43] Minogue performed the song on several live shows including theiHeartRadio andJools Holland.[44][45]
"Love at First Sight" was included in the opening segment of theKylieFever2002 tour, which was launched to promoteFever.[46] In 2003, she performed the song on the one-night only concertMoney Can't Buy, which was used to promote Minogue's ninth studio albumBody Language (2003), and was held at major entertainment venueHammersmith Apollo in London.[47] It was used as the encore segment for the tour.[48] In 2005, she performed the song on herShowgirl: The Greatest Hits Tour.[49] Minogue was unable to complete the tour as she was diagnosed with earlybreast cancer and had to cancel the Australian leg of the tour.[50] After undergoing treatment and recovery, she resumed the concert tour in the form ofShowgirl: The Homecoming Tour in 2007 and included "Love at First Sight" on the setlist.[51] In 2008, she performed the song on theKylieX2008 tour, which was launched to promote her tenth studio albumX (2007). It was performed as one of the encore songs for the final segment.[52] In 2009, she performed the song on theFor You, for Me tour, which was her first concert tour in North America.[53] She performed the song as a mash-up with "Can't Beat the Feeling" during theAphrodite: Les Folies Tour, which was launched to promote her eleventh studio albumAphrodite (2010).[54] Minogue performed "Love at First Sight" as part of her seven-song set at theclosing ceremony of the2014 Commonwealth Games.[55] The song was used as one of the encore songs for the final segment on herKiss Me Once Tour andKylie Summer 2015 Tour.
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
^abcIn Europe, "Love at First Sight" was made available in two maxi CD variants, with one including two remixes alongside the original version, and the other including twoB-sides and the song's music video.
^Love at First Sight (European CD single liner notes). Kylie Minogue. Parlophone. 2002. 7243 551083 2 6.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Love at First Sight (Australian DVD single liner notes). Kylie Minogue. Festival Mushroom Records. 2002. 021018.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Love at First Sight (UK DVD single liner notes). Kylie Minogue. Parlophone. 2002. DVDR 6577.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
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