song a positive review, saying it is "basically a cult classic". He added that although the track "seemed underappreciated" in 2001, it "has lived on as one of the most iconic duets of the early 2000s". Kevin Apaza from Direct Lyrics labeled the song "an iconic hit", and Mark Blankenship from NewNowNext described it as "spectacular". In 2018, Stephen Daw from Billboard placed it among Aguilera's 10 best collaborations in her career, saying "no two musical artists scream 'early aughts' quite like" Martin and Aguilera, describing them as "two icons". Also from Billboard, Rebecca Schiller named the duet one of Aguilera's "most memorable collaborations". Writing for O, The Oprah Magazine, Amanda Mitchell ranked the track as Martin's third-best song on her 2019 list. In the same year, Gary James of Entertainment Focus ranked the song as Aguilera's second-biggest duet. Idolators Mike Wass acknowledged it as her sixth-best collaboration in 2021. Accolades "Nobody Wants to Be Lonely" was ranked at number 65 on VH1's "100 Greatest Love Songs". Tango ranked it at numbers 35 and 89 on the lists of "100 Best 2000s Love Songs To Play On Repeat" and "100 Songs About Loneliness For When You're Feeling Alone", respectively. In The Advocate, the song was placed in the ninth position on their "10 Best Queer Duets" list in 2015. In 2017, E! Online named it the fourth-best duet with a Latin star. The following year, in Yardbarker, the duet placed at number six on the list of best musical collaborations featuring Latin artists. In 2021, BuzzFeed listed Martin and Aguilera as the eighth famous musicians who had the "best musical chemistry of all time". "Nobody Wants to Be Lonely" was nominated for Choice Music – Love Song at the 2001 Teen Choice Awards. The song was also nominated for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals at the 44th Annual Grammy Awards but lost to "Lady Marmalade" by Aguilera, Lil' Kim, Mýa, and Pink. "Nobody Wants to Be Lonely" won the silver award for Top Duet at the 2002 RTHK International Pop Awards. It earned a nomination for Best Collaboration at the 2001 Music Television Awards. Commercial performance "Nobody Wants to Be Lonely" became an international hit. On the week of January 27, 2001, it debuted on the US Billboard Hot 100 at number 66. The following week, the song rose to number 34, becoming that week's highest climber as well as