All Is Love
Encyclopedia
"All Is Love" is a song written by Karen O
and Nick Zinner
for the 2009 film Where the Wild Things Are
. The song was recorded by Karen O and the Kids, a group consisting of O, Zinner, and several other prominent indie rock
musicians, and released as the lead single
from the film's soundtrack on August 25, 2009. The name "All is Love" is a play on the name of the Swedish band Love is All, whose song "Make Out Fall Out" inspired Karen O. The whimsical song contains shouting, whistling, and clapping and incorporates an untrained children's choir.
"All Is Love" was widely praised by critics and received nominations for the Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Song and the Grammy Award for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media
, but did not win. Critics considered the song's failure to receive a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Original Song
a "snub".
, director of Where the Wild Things Are, knew he wanted Yeah Yeah Yeahs
singer Karen O to compose the film's soundtrack as soon as he began working on its screenplay. Though O had never worked on a soundtrack before, Jonze stated, "I just love her music and knew she could write emotionally in the way we needed the music [...] I wanted a lot of people working on the movie that weren’t necessarily trained in like [...] a bit more I just knew had the right sensibility and worked intuitively because I wanted not be like a real cerebral thing I wanted to be this very childlike, intuitive way of filmmaking."
O signed on in November 2007, two years before the film and soundtrack were released, and assembled a large group of Indie Rock
musicians to accompany her on tracks: Dean Fertita
, Imaad Wasif
, Tom Biller, Jack Lawrence, Bradford Cox, Greg Kurstin
, and Yeah Yeah Yeahs bandmates Brian Chase
and Nick Zinner
. Together, O and Zinner wrote "All Is Love", the soundtrack's lead single. O says she began writing with the hope of paying homage to her favorite movie music through "organic melodies, really simple performances, [and] a lot of emotion" that "both kids and adults would appreciate."
Jonze hoped the film's music would have a similar mood as The Langley Schools Music Project
, a collection of recordings by a rural Canadian school choir, and gave O a copy of the album Innocence and Despair to inspire her. O described the songs as "all sort of jangly and imperfect, but the heart behind it kills you." As a result, O incorporated a sixteen-person untrained children's choir into several tracks, most prominently on "All Is Love".
at a tempo of 108 beats per minute. The song begins with a slow piano introduction
before picking up speed. The lyrics commence with Karen O yelling, "One, two, ready, go!" The children and adults then sing the song's first and only verse. According to Andrzej Lukowski of Drowned in Sound
, "with the children to back her up and bulk her out, O can permit herself her frailest, most open tones". In the song's high pitched, sing-along
chorus, the artists spell out "L-O-V-E" and chant "all is love, is love, is love, is love". In between repetitions of the chorus are shouts of "Hey!" and "Woo!" by the children and a whistled bridge
. The music is supported by clapping
and a variety of instruments including guitar
, bass
, and drums. The song concludes with the kids shouting "is love!" over and over.
found the song "a summery pleasure". Andrew Gensler of T: The New York Times Style Magazine
described "All Is Love" as an "ebullient leadoff" and an "infectious singalong anthem". Mikael Wood of the Los Angeles Times
wrote that "Karen O proves she's capable of still more, floating her ethereal vocals over charmingly ramshackle folk-pop arrangements" and that her "unique singing defines [...] "All Is Love". Warren Truit of About.com
calls "All Is Love" a "highlight" of the soundtrack, "absolutely joyful", and "a magical anthem". Hermione Hoby of The Guardian
claims the song is "as sweetly joyous as Arcade Fire as reimagined by Sesame Street
and has a chorus that will thaw icy hearts. Justin Jacobs of Paste
magazine describes "All Is Love" as a "seriously sunshiney tune" and remarks, "If you had any sort of imagination as a child, the time to start getting excited is now." Ronald Hart of The Hollywood Reporter
claims that on "All Is Love", Karen O and the Kids "perfectly capture childlike innocence" and that the track's "whimsical melody that's lighter and brighter" than the songs produced by the musician's regular bands. Hart concludes, "If you close your eyes, you can easily envision the Wild Things prancing along to this joyful singalong".
" as a nominee for the Grammy Award for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media
, a songwriter's award. Although "The Climb", written by Jessi Alexander
and Jon Mabe, had been featured in the film Hannah Montana: The Movie
, it had not been written intentionally for the film as the category's eligibility rules required. The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences
(NARAS), the presenters of the Grammy Awards, released a statement stating that despite the "great lengths" NARAS takes to review nominations, "there are rare occasions where changes are required". NARAS stated that Walt Disney Records had voluntarily reported the error and withdrawn the nomination, and that "The Academy ha[d] complied with the label’s request. Per our process in this circumstance, The Academy has pulled up the next eligible song in this category, which is "All Is Love". The song lost the award to "Jai Ho
" from Slumdog Millionaire
.
"All is Love" also received a nomination for the Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Song at the 15th Critics' Choice Awards
, but lost to "The Weary Kind" from Crazy Heart
. The song was included on the short list for the Academy Award for Best Original Song
at the 82nd Academy Awards
. Its failure to receive a nomination for the award was widely considered a "snub".
Karen O
Karen Lee Orzolek , better known by her stage name Karen O, is the vocalist for New York rock band Yeah Yeah Yeahs.-Early life:...
and Nick Zinner
Nick Zinner
Nicholas Joseph Zinner is the guitarist for the New York rock band Yeah Yeah Yeahs. He is known for his "unmistakable" wild hair, skinny physique, and pale appearance...
for the 2009 film Where the Wild Things Are
Where the Wild Things Are (film)
Where the Wild Things Are is a 2009 American fantasy drama film directed by Spike Jonze and adapted from Maurice Sendak's 1963 children's book Where the Wild Things Are. It combines live action, performers in costumes, animatronics, and computer-generated imagery...
. The song was recorded by Karen O and the Kids, a group consisting of O, Zinner, and several other prominent indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
musicians, and released as the lead single
Lead single
A lead single is usually the first single released by a musician or a band before the release of its home album.During the era of the grammophone record, all music arrived in the marketplace as what is now termed a single, one potential hit song backed by an additional song of generally less...
from the film's soundtrack on August 25, 2009. The name "All is Love" is a play on the name of the Swedish band Love is All, whose song "Make Out Fall Out" inspired Karen O. The whimsical song contains shouting, whistling, and clapping and incorporates an untrained children's choir.
"All Is Love" was widely praised by critics and received nominations for the Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Song and the Grammy Award for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media
Grammy Award for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media
The Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media has been awarded since 1988 and is awarded to songs written for films, television, video games or other visual media...
, but did not win. Critics considered the song's failure to receive a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Original Song
Academy Award for Best Original Song
The Academy Award for Best Original Song is one of the awards given annually to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences . It is presented to the songwriters who have composed the best original song written specifically for a film...
a "snub".
Background
Spike JonzeSpike Jonze
Spike Jonze is an American director, producer and actor, whose work includes music videos, commercials, film and television...
, director of Where the Wild Things Are, knew he wanted Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Yeah Yeah Yeahs are an American indie rock band formed in New York City in 2000. The group is composed of vocalist and pianist Karen O, guitarist and keyboardist Nick Zinner, and drummer Brian Chase. They are complemented in live performances by second guitarist David Pajo, who joined as a touring...
singer Karen O to compose the film's soundtrack as soon as he began working on its screenplay. Though O had never worked on a soundtrack before, Jonze stated, "I just love her music and knew she could write emotionally in the way we needed the music [...] I wanted a lot of people working on the movie that weren’t necessarily trained in like [...] a bit more I just knew had the right sensibility and worked intuitively because I wanted not be like a real cerebral thing I wanted to be this very childlike, intuitive way of filmmaking."
O signed on in November 2007, two years before the film and soundtrack were released, and assembled a large group of Indie Rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
musicians to accompany her on tracks: Dean Fertita
Dean Fertita
Dean Fertita is an American rock musician and multi-instrumentalist. Fertita was the lead singer and guitarist of The Waxwings from the band's formation in 1997 to its breakup in 2005...
, Imaad Wasif
Imaad Wasif
Imaad Wasif is a Canadian singer, guitarist and songwriter whose music combines elements of both folk and rock music. Wasif’s music has been described as “unbelievably intense with sparkling, raga-influenced guitar and a mystic bent.”...
, Tom Biller, Jack Lawrence, Bradford Cox, Greg Kurstin
Greg Kurstin
Gregory Allen "Greg" Kurstin is an award-winning American songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. In 2009 Kurstin received a Grammy Award nomination for Producer of the Year. That same year he won three Ivor Novello awards for his work with Lily Allen, including Songwriters of the Year for "The Fear"...
, and Yeah Yeah Yeahs bandmates Brian Chase
Brian Chase
Brian Chase is an American drummer playing in the New York rock band Yeah Yeah Yeahs. He was ranked at #50 in Gigwise's list of The Greatest Drummers of All Time. He plays drums with traditional grip.-Early life:...
and Nick Zinner
Nick Zinner
Nicholas Joseph Zinner is the guitarist for the New York rock band Yeah Yeah Yeahs. He is known for his "unmistakable" wild hair, skinny physique, and pale appearance...
. Together, O and Zinner wrote "All Is Love", the soundtrack's lead single. O says she began writing with the hope of paying homage to her favorite movie music through "organic melodies, really simple performances, [and] a lot of emotion" that "both kids and adults would appreciate."
Jonze hoped the film's music would have a similar mood as The Langley Schools Music Project
The Langley Schools Music Project
The Langley Schools Music Project is a collection of recordings of children's choruses singing pop hits by the likes of The Beach Boys, David Bowie, and Paul McCartney...
, a collection of recordings by a rural Canadian school choir, and gave O a copy of the album Innocence and Despair to inspire her. O described the songs as "all sort of jangly and imperfect, but the heart behind it kills you." As a result, O incorporated a sixteen-person untrained children's choir into several tracks, most prominently on "All Is Love".
Composition
"All Is Love" is set in C majorC major
C major is a musical major scale based on C, with pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. Its key signature has no flats/sharps.Its relative minor is A minor, and its parallel minor is C minor....
at a tempo of 108 beats per minute. The song begins with a slow piano introduction
Introduction (music)
In music, the introduction is a passage or section which opens a movement or a separate piece. In popular music this is often abbreviated as intro...
before picking up speed. The lyrics commence with Karen O yelling, "One, two, ready, go!" The children and adults then sing the song's first and only verse. According to Andrzej Lukowski of Drowned in Sound
Drowned in Sound
DrownedinSound.com or DiS is a UK based music webzine financed by artist management company Silentway . The site is an editorially independent music website.-History:...
, "with the children to back her up and bulk her out, O can permit herself her frailest, most open tones". In the song's high pitched, sing-along
Sing-along
Sing-along, community singing, group singing, is an event of singing together at gatherings or parties, less formally than choir singing. One can use a songbook. Common genres are folk songs, patriotic songs, hymns and drinking songs...
chorus, the artists spell out "L-O-V-E" and chant "all is love, is love, is love, is love". In between repetitions of the chorus are shouts of "Hey!" and "Woo!" by the children and a whistled bridge
Bridge (music)
In music, especially western popular music, a bridge is a contrasting section which also prepares for the return of the original material section...
. The music is supported by clapping
Clapping
A clap is the sound made by striking together two flat surfaces, as in the body parts of humans or animals. Humans clap with the palms of their hands, often in a constant drone to express appreciation or approval , but also in rhythm to match sounds in music and dance...
and a variety of instruments including guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, bass
Bass (instrument)
Bass describes musical instruments that produce tones in the low-pitched range. They belong to different families of instruments and can cover a wide range of musical roles...
, and drums. The song concludes with the kids shouting "is love!" over and over.
Critical reception
Critical reception for "All Is Love" was positive. Heather Phares of Allmusic called it "a rainbow of youthful expression" and marked it as one of the best tracks on the soundtrack. Nate Chinen of The New York TimesThe New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
found the song "a summery pleasure". Andrew Gensler of T: The New York Times Style Magazine
T: The New York Times Style Magazine
T: The New York Times Style Magazine is a perfect-bound magazine dedicated to fashion, living, beauty, holiday, travel and design coverage. The magazine was launched in August 2004. It is published 15 times a year and distributed within the Sunday edition of The New York Times newspaper...
described "All Is Love" as an "ebullient leadoff" and an "infectious singalong anthem". Mikael Wood of the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
wrote that "Karen O proves she's capable of still more, floating her ethereal vocals over charmingly ramshackle folk-pop arrangements" and that her "unique singing defines [...] "All Is Love". Warren Truit of About.com
About.com
About.com is an online source for original information and advice. It is written in English, and is aimed primarily at North Americans. It is owned by The New York Times Company....
calls "All Is Love" a "highlight" of the soundtrack, "absolutely joyful", and "a magical anthem". Hermione Hoby of The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
claims the song is "as sweetly joyous as Arcade Fire as reimagined by Sesame Street
Sesame Street
Sesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
and has a chorus that will thaw icy hearts. Justin Jacobs of Paste
Paste (magazine)
Paste is a monthly music and entertainment digital magazine published in the United States by Wolfgang's Vault. Its tagline is "Signs of Life in Music, Film and Culture."-History:...
magazine describes "All Is Love" as a "seriously sunshiney tune" and remarks, "If you had any sort of imagination as a child, the time to start getting excited is now." Ronald Hart of The Hollywood Reporter
The Hollywood Reporter
Formerly a daily trade magazine, The Hollywood Reporter re-launched in late 2010 as a unique hybrid publication serving the entertainment industry and a consumer audience...
claims that on "All Is Love", Karen O and the Kids "perfectly capture childlike innocence" and that the track's "whimsical melody that's lighter and brighter" than the songs produced by the musician's regular bands. Hart concludes, "If you close your eyes, you can easily envision the Wild Things prancing along to this joyful singalong".
Awards and nominations
On December 9, 2009, Jones posted an email from Interscope records announcing "All Is Love" had replaced "The ClimbThe Climb (song)
"The Climb" is a song performed by American recording artist and actress Miley Cyrus, for the 2009 film Hannah Montana: The Movie. The song was written by Jessi Alexander and Jon Mabe, and produced by John Shanks. It was released on March 5, 2009, as the lead single of the film's soundtrack by...
" as a nominee for the Grammy Award for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media
Grammy Award for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media
The Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media has been awarded since 1988 and is awarded to songs written for films, television, video games or other visual media...
, a songwriter's award. Although "The Climb", written by Jessi Alexander
Jessi Alexander
Jessica "Jessi" Alexander is an American country music singer-songwriter. She has had her songs recorded by Patty Loveless, Trisha Yearwood and Little Big Town. She also launched her own recording career in 2004...
and Jon Mabe, had been featured in the film Hannah Montana: The Movie
Hannah Montana: The Movie
Hannah Montana: The Movie is a 2009 Walt Disney Pictures musical comedy film based on the Disney Channel show Hannah Montana which was released on April 10, 2009, by Walt Disney Pictures, it was the second Disney Channel series to have a movie for Walt Disney Pictures. The film was directed by...
, it had not been written intentionally for the film as the category's eligibility rules required. The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences
National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences
The National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, Inc., known variously as The Recording Academy or NARAS, is a U.S. organization of musicians, producers, recording engineers and other recording professionals dedicated to improving the quality of life and cultural condition for music and its...
(NARAS), the presenters of the Grammy Awards, released a statement stating that despite the "great lengths" NARAS takes to review nominations, "there are rare occasions where changes are required". NARAS stated that Walt Disney Records had voluntarily reported the error and withdrawn the nomination, and that "The Academy ha[d] complied with the label’s request. Per our process in this circumstance, The Academy has pulled up the next eligible song in this category, which is "All Is Love". The song lost the award to "Jai Ho
Jai Ho
"Jai Ho" is a Hindi song composed by A. R. Rahman, with lyrics by Gulzar, for the 2008 film Slumdog Millionaire. It accompanies a choreographed dance sequence at the end credits of the film. The song also features vocals by Mahalakshmi Iyer, Tanvi Shah, Vijay Prakash, and Sukhwinder Singh, who is...
" from Slumdog Millionaire
Slumdog Millionaire
Slumdog Millionaire is a 2008 British epic romantic drama adventure film directed by Danny Boyle, written by Simon Beaufoy, and co-directed in India by Loveleen Tandan. It is an adaptation of the novel Q & A by Indian author and diplomat Vikas Swarup...
.
"All is Love" also received a nomination for the Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Song at the 15th Critics' Choice Awards
Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards 2009
The 15th Critics' Choice Awards were presented on Friday, January 15, 2010 at the Hollywood Palladium to honour the finest achievements in 2009 film-making, on January 15, 2010 on VH1...
, but lost to "The Weary Kind" from Crazy Heart
Crazy Heart
Crazy Heart is a 2009 American musical-drama film, written and directed by Scott Cooper and based on the 1987 novel of the same name by Thomas Cobb. Jeff Bridges plays a down-and-out country music singer-songwriter who tries to turn his life around after beginning a relationship with a young...
. The song was included on the short list for the Academy Award for Best Original Song
Academy Award for Best Original Song
The Academy Award for Best Original Song is one of the awards given annually to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences . It is presented to the songwriters who have composed the best original song written specifically for a film...
at the 82nd Academy Awards
82nd Academy Awards
The 82nd Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences , honored the best films of 2009 and took place March 7, 2010, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles beginning at 5:30 p.m. PST / 8:30 p.m. EST. The ceremony was scheduled well after...
. Its failure to receive a nomination for the award was widely considered a "snub".