All I Wanna Do (Sheryl Crow song)

Infobox Single
Name = All I Wanna Do


Artist = Sheryl Crow
from Album = Tuesday Night Music Club
Released = 1994
Format = CD Single
Genre = Alternative rock
Writer = Wyn Cooper, Sheryl Crow, David Baerwald, Bill Bottrell and Kevin Gilbert
Producer = Bill Bottrell
Certification =
Last single = "Leaving Las Vegas"
(1994)
This single = "All I Wanna Do"
(1994)
Next single = "Strong Enough"
(1994)Extra album cover
Upper caption = Alternative cover
Background = khaki


Lower caption = French CD single cover

"All I Wanna Do" is a song performed by Sheryl Crow and written by David Baerwald, Bill Bottrell, Wyn Cooper, Sheryl Crow, 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. The song is her biggest US hit, peaking at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100, and also reaching #4 on the UK Singles Chart.

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The lyrics for the song are based on the poem "Fun" by Wyn Cooper. [cite web|title=Text of the poem "Fun" by Wyn Cooper|url=http://ahsahtapress.boisestate.edu/books/cooper.htm] [cite web|title="Wyn Cooper: A Serendipitous Career,"|url=http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/5822] 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 push 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.

Musically, the song bears a resemblance to Stuck in the Middle by Stealers Wheel, although the chord progressions are different and the arrangement is simpler.

Music video

The video was directed by David Hogan, who also directed her first video ever for "Leaving Las Vegas". It features Sheryl and her band performing the song on the street, with notable characters flying through the air.

Track listing

French CD single (cat. no. 580-654-2)

# "All I Wanna Do"
# "What I Can Do For You" – live

EU release (cat. no. 580-655-2)

# "All I Wanna Do"

# "I Shall Believe" – live in Nashville
# "What I Can Do For You" – live at the Borderline, London

UK cd #1 (cat. no. 580-843-2)

# "All I Wanna Do" – remix
# "Solidify"
# "I'm Gonna Be A Wheel Someday"

UK cd #2 (cat. no. 580-845-2)

# "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

Cover versions

Amy Studt version

Infobox Single
Name = All I Wanna Do


Artist = Amy Studt
from Album = False Smiles (re-release)
B-side =
Released = 12 January 2004
Format = CD single
Digital download
Genre = Pop/Rock
Length = 3:55
Label = Polydor
Last single = "Under the Thumb"
(2003)
This single = "All I Wanna Do"
(2004)
Next single = "Furniture"
(2007)

English singer/songwriter Amy Studt released a cover version of the song as her fourth single. Interestingly, Amy was asked personally by Sheryl Crow to record a cover of the song. [cite web|title="Studt's Crow fears"|url=http://www.contactmusic.com/new/xmlfeed.nsf/mndwebpages/studt.s%20crow%20fears]

Released on January 12, 2004, the single reached a peak of #21 in the charts, Studt's lowest position to date. 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. [cite web|title="Polydor axes Studt due to poor record sales"|url=http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2004102206,00.html]

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".

German techno band Scooter covered the song on their 2004 album "Mind the Gap".

References