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All of This

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"All of This"
SongbyBlink-182featuringRobert Smith
from the albumBlink-182
RecordedJanuary–October 2003
The Rubin's House, Signature Sound, Rolling Thunder
(San Diego,California)
Conway Recording Studios
(Hollywood, California)
Genre
Length4:40
LabelGeffen
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Jerry Finn

"All of This"is a song by American rock bandBlink-182from the band's fifthstudio album,Blink-182(2003). The song is a collaboration with musicianRobert Smith,frontman of the English rock bandThe Cure.Lyrically, the song is inspired by a story from producerJerry Finn's adolescence, in which he was humiliated by a girl he had fallen in love with.

The song was frequently cited as a highlight on the album and received positive reviews. "All of This" was briefly considered to be the album's fifth single, but the idea was shelved when the band broke up in 2005.

Background

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The song is a collaboration with The Cure frontman Robert Smith, pictured here in 2004.

"All of This," as well as the song it segues from, "Easy Target," were based on a story from producerJerry Finn's middle school years. Finn was in love with a female classmate, Holly, who invited him over, only to have her and her friend drench him with a hose; humiliated, he rode home on his bicycle.[1][2]

The song was musically inspired by The Cure song "The Love Cats"(as was"I Miss You"),[3]and the band decided to reach out to The Cure frontman Robert Smith by phone.[4]The trio did not anticipate he would go for it, considering the band's reputation.[5]Smith, for his part, was bemused as to how he would fit into Blink-182's sound: "I'd heard a couple of singles," he later told Blender, "but I couldn't really see how I could sing on anything or write any words. But the demos for the album that eventually came out were fantastic. I think they suffer in a way that we [The Cure] suffered in that people weren't allowing them to become something else. If another band put that new CD out as their first album, people would go crazy."[4]As for their legitimacy, Smith gave the band advice: "Nobody knows what kind of songs you are going to write in the future and nobody knows the full potential of any band. I really like the music you sent me."[5]

Hoppus was ecstatic at Smith's response; he referred to the call as "an amazing experience, like a dream come true."[4]Hoppus had been significantly influenced by The Cure in his adolescence. After borrowing a cassette version of the band’s albumKiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Mefrom friend Wendy Franklin, he became fixated on "Just Like Heaven”,[6][7]in high school, he began to dress like frontmanRobert Smith,donning eyeliner and "occasionally bright red lipstick" to his high school classes.[7][8]During the session that produced "All of This," Hoppus went out of his way to purchase a Fender six-string bass, the same model employed on The Cure song "Push".[9]

Smith, who recorded his parts inEngland,took a significant amount of time recording the song, to the point that the band was unsure of whether or not his contribution would make the record. "We were literally hours from having to turn [the masters] in to the factory when it showed up," said DeLonge.[3]"It gave us all goose bumps to hear Robert's voice on our record, to hear his voice on another song, and to come to the realization that we actually wrote the music to it, because it sounds like a Cure song. We were jumping for joy when it was all said and done."[3]

Music

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The song is composed in thekeyofA majorand is set intime signatureofcommon timewith a moderatetempoof 112beats per minute.The vocal range spans from A3to C#5.[10]

"All of This" is agothic-tinged pop song that uses strings and guitar effects to create a moody atmosphere.[11]

Reception

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Entertainment Weekly'sLeah Greenblatt called the song a "haunting paean to lost love,"[12]and Nick Catucci ofThe Village Voicereferred to it as a "shuffling, string-gilded slow burner," while opining that Smith "has more presence than both of Blink's singers combined."[13]A.D. Amorosi ofThe Philadelphia Inquirercited "All of This" as an example of the band delve intonew wave.[14]Trevor Kelley ofAlternative Pressconsidered it evocative of the Cure'sSeventeen Seconds.[15]

The band had discussions as to whether issue "All of This" as the fifth single fromBlink-182,but plans were dropped following the band's declaration of an 'indefinite hiatus' in February 2005. In response to the idea of "All of This" becoming a possible single, DeLonge joked "We would love it because it's a bad-ass song, andThe Cure'sRobert Smithsings on it, and that makes us cooler than everybody else. "[16]

Personnel

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Personnel adapted fromBlink-182liner notes[1]

References

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  • Shooman, Joe (June 24, 2010).Blink-182: The Bands, The Breakdown & The Return.Independent Music Press.ISBN978-1-906191-10-8.

Notes

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  1. ^abBlink-182(liner notes).Blink-182.US:Geffen.2003. 000133612.{{cite AV media notes}}:CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  2. ^Jon Blistein (November 15, 2013)."Not Fade Away: Blink-182'sUntitledGrows Up ".Radio.Archived fromthe originalon 2013-11-20.RetrievedNovember 15,2013.
  3. ^abcRichard Harrington (June 11, 2004)."Seriously, Blink-182 Is Growing Up".The Washington Post.RetrievedFebruary 25,2014.
  4. ^abcShooman, 2010. p. 124
  5. ^ab"Blink-182 Lets New Album Speak For Itself".Billboard.2003.RetrievedSeptember 24,2010.
  6. ^Tom Bryant (2006). "The Songs That Changed Your Life".Kerrang!.
  7. ^abScott Heisel (July 2009). "Mark Hoppus on the Cure".Alternative Press.p. 108.
  8. ^Everett, Jenny (Fall 2001). "Blink-182 Cordially Invites You To Take Them Seriously".MH-18.Rodale, Inc.p. 81.
  9. ^Shooman, 2010. p. 123
  10. ^"Blink-182" All of This "- Guitar Tab".Music Notes.EMI Music Publishing.RetrievedFebruary 25,2014.
  11. ^Vik Bansal."Review:Blink-182".musicOMH.Archived fromthe originalon October 14, 2010.RetrievedOctober 3,2010.
  12. ^Leah Greenblatt (August 27, 2010)."15 'Wait, THEY Sang Together?!' Duets".Entertainment Weekly.Archived fromthe originalon March 1, 2014.RetrievedSeptember 24,2010.
  13. ^Nick Catucci (December 2, 2003)."Review:Blink-182".The Village Voice.Archived fromthe originalon November 28, 2009.RetrievedSeptember 22,2010.
  14. ^A.D. Amorosi (November 23, 2003)."Review:Blink-182".The Philadelphia Inquirer.RetrievedSeptember 22,2010.
  15. ^Trevor Kelley (December 2003). "The Graduates".Alternative Press.No. 185. pp. 114–116.
  16. ^Joe D'Angelo (November 12, 2004)."Blink-182 Celebrate Longevity With '80s-Sounding 'Always'".MTV News. Archived fromthe originalon November 17, 2004.RetrievedSeptember 24,2010.
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