Released December 1998 Recorded 1998 Length 4:07 | Format CD single Genre Punk rock, punkabilly Label Modular, EMI | |
"All Torn Down" was the third single taken from Australian rock group, The Living End's debut self-titled album. It was released in December 1998, spending 18 weeks in the Australian ARIA Singles Chart and peaking at No. 12.
The song title and lyrics refer to the rapid development of Melbourne in the late 1990s, with major projects such as CityLink and Melbourne Docklands in progress and being constructed with little regard to whether it was development on parks or historic sites. The cover art depicts a redscale Melway map of the Melbourne CBD and Southbank area..
I was still living at home in Wheeler’s Hill when that came out. I’d see a bunch of beautiful old buildings disappearing in the city… and when they’re done they’re gone. It was about me being into old-fashioned cars, music and fashion; why can’t things just stay the way they are?
The song has a fast tempo of 133 beats per minute.