Released April 4, 1994 Genre Alternative country | Format CD single | |
B-side "Solidify" "I'm Gonna Be a Wheel Someday" Recorded Toad Hall, Pasadena, California, 1993 Length 4:32 (Album version)
4:11 (Remix) | ||
"All I Wanna Do" is a song performed by Sheryl Crow and written by Wyn Cooper, Sheryl Crow, David Baerwald, Bill Bottrell and Kevin Gilbert. It was Crow's breakthrough hit from her 1993 debut album, Tuesday Night Music Club. The song was the winner of the 1995 Grammy Record of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and was nominated for Song of the Year. The song is her biggest US hit, peaking at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 for six weeks behind "I'll Make Love to You" by Boyz II Men. In addition to this it also peaked at number one on the Adult Contemporary charts in both the US and Canada, as well as the pop charts in Canada and at #4 on the UK Singles Chart.
Contents
Crow performed the song on her live album Sheryl Crow and Friends: Live from Central Park.
Structure
The lyrics for the song are based on the poem "Fun" by Wyn Cooper. Crow's producer (Bottrell) discovered Cooper's poetry book "The Country of Here Below" in a Pasadena, California used bookstore. Crow adapted "Fun" into the lyrics for her song – earning Cooper considerable royalties, and helping to promote his book, originally published in a run of only 500 copies in 1987, into multiple reprints.
The opening spoken line, "This ain't no disco", is a reference to the song "Life During Wartime" by Talking Heads. When played at live performances, the line is also commonly changed to refer to the local listening area (such as "This is VA" instead of "This is LA").
Reviews
Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune called the song "a rewrite of Stealers Wheel's 'Stuck in the Middle with You.'"
Music video
The video was directed by David Hogan, who also directed her debut video for "Leaving Las Vegas". It features Crow and her band performing the song on the street, with notable characters flying through the air. The video was filmed in front of the Roxy Theatre at the corner of Franklin Street and North 1st Street in Clarksville, Tennessee.
Two versions of the music video exist. For unknown reasons, the original video, which featured the character mentioned in the song "Billy", played by actor Gregory Sporleder, was changed and he was edited out of the video. However, at the 1:03 mark in the edited version, "Billy"'s shadow can be seen on the brick wall as he is walking up the street to where Crow is performing, from 1:12–1:14 (and again from 3:33–3:36), the arm of his jacket can be seen as he is watching her, from 1:30–1:34 he walks back and forth in front of her, from 1:40–1:45 he is standing nearby, from 2:02–2:03 "Billy"'s head can be seen behind the flying woman's head, and from 2:52–2:53 "Billy" and his shadow are visible below.
The edited version appears on her Greatest Hits DVD collection of her music videos.
Track listings
- "All I Wanna Do"
- "All I Wanna Do"
- "What I Can Do for You" – Live at the Borderline
- "All I Wanna Do"
- "I Shall Believe" – Live in Nashville
- "What I Can Do for You" – Live at the Borderline
- "All I Wanna Do" – Remix
- "Solidify"
- "I'm Gonna Be A Wheel Someday"
- "All I Wanna Do"
- "All I Wanna Do" – live acoustic for Virgin Radio UK
- "Run Baby Run" – Live acoustic for Virgin Radio UK
- "Leaving Las Vegas" – Live acoustic for Virgin Radio UK
Amy Studt version
English singer-songwriter Amy Studt released a cover version of the song as her fourth single. Amy was asked personally by Sheryl Crow to record a cover of the song.
Released on January 12, 2004, the single reached a peak of #21 in the charts. It was taken from the re-release of her debut album, False Smiles. Following the peaking of "All I Wanna Do", Studt was dropped from her record label Polydor for poor sales.
Track listing
- "All I Wanna Do"
- "Forget It All"
- "You're the Breeze"
- "All I Wanna Do" (video)
Other versions
"Weird Al" Yankovic included All I Wanna Do in his polka medley "The Alternative Polka" from his album Bad Hair Day.
U.S. singer Joanne Farrell released a dance version of the song in 1995. The song reached #40 on the Dance Charts and unknown on the Billboard Hot 100.
German Dance band Scooter covered the song on their 2004 album Mind the Gap.
Rapper Pitbull, along with The Wanted and the DJ Afrojack, released the song "Have Some Fun", which has some lyrics of the song.