"All Around the World" is a song by English singer, songwriter and actress

Lisa Stansfield Lisa Jane Stansfield (born 11 April 1966) is an English singer, songwriter, and actress. Her career began in 1980 when she won the singing competition ''Search for a Star''. After appearances in various television shows and releasing her first ...

from her debut studio

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

, ''

Affection Affection or fondness is a "disposition or state of mind or body" that is often associated with a feeling or type of love. It has given rise to a number of branches of philosophy and psychology concerning emotion, disease, influence, and sta ...

'' (1989). It was released as the album's second single on 16 October 1989 by

Arista Records Arista Records () is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. The label was previously handled by BMG Entertainmen ...

. It was written by Stansfield, Ian Devaney and Andy Morris, and produced by Devaney and Morris. The song received favorable reviews from music critics. Songwriters, Stansfield, Devaney and Morris, received the 1989

Ivor Novello Award The Ivor Novello Awards, named after the entertainer Ivor Novello, are awards for songwriting and composing. They have been presented annually in London by the Ivors Academy (formerly the BASCA) since 1956, and over 1,000 statuettes have been a ...

for Best Song Musically and Lyrically. "All Around the World" was also nominated for the

Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance was a Grammy Award recognizing superior vocal performance by a female in the pop category, the first of which was presented in 1959. It was discontinued after the 2011 Grammy season. The awar ...

at the

33rd Annual Grammy Awards The 33rd Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 20, 1991. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year. Quincy Jones was the night's biggest winner winning a total of six awards including Album of the Year. Performers ...

. Additionally, Stansfield was nominated for the

Grammy Award for Best New Artist The Grammy Award for Best New Artist has been awarded since 1959. Years reflect the year in which the Grammy Awards were handed out, for records released in the previous year. The award was not presented in 1967. The official guidelines are as ...

. The song became the first of two UK number-one singles for Stansfield (the second being an appearance on

George Michael George Michael (born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou; 25 June 1963 – 25 December 2016) was an English singer and songwriter. He is considered one of the most significant cultural icons of the MTV generation and is one of the best-selling musici ...

and

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's "

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" EP) and the first of eight top-ten hits she would achieve in that country. In 2003, "All Around the World" was included on '' Biography: The Greatest Hits''. In 2014, the remixes of "All Around the World" were included on the deluxe 2CD + DVD re-releases of ''Affection'', '' Face Up'' and on the '' People Hold On ... The Remix Anthology'' compilation (also on ''

The Collection 1989–2003 ''The Collection 1989–2003'' is a thirteen- CD and five DVD box set by British recording artist Lisa Stansfield. It was released by Edsel Records in the United Kingdom on 10 November 2014 and in Europe on 21 November 2014. It includes five ...

'').

Background and release

Stansfield co-wrote the lyrics of "All Around the World" with her former bandmates Ian Devaney and Andy Morris from Blue Zone. In a 2019 interview, Stansfield recalled the process when the song was made: The song came down quickly and on low budget. The vocal part was made in only two takes and real strings were put on afterwards. The song is largely influenced by American singer-songwriter

Barry White Barry Eugene Carter (September 12, 1944 – July 4, 2003), better known by his stage name Barry White, was an American singer and songwriter. A two-time Grammy Award winner known for his bass voice and romantic image, his greatest success came ...

. As a tribute to him, they made a spoken intro on "All Around the World" like the one on the album version of White's "Let the Music Play", only shorter. The song was released as the second European single on 16 October 1989. It was remixed by Yvonne Turner,

Eddie Gordon Eddie Gordon (born Edmund Richard Gordon; 9 February 1959 in Biggin Hill, Farnborough, Kent) is an English music journalist, producer, DJ and music business personality. Early and personal life Born in Biggin Hill, Gordon was raised in Gravesen ...

, Paul Witts and Steve Anderson. In North America, "All Around the World" was released as the first single on 15 January 1990 and included remixes created by

The 45 King Mark Howard James (born October 16, 1961) professionally known as The 45 King (also known as DJ Mark the 45 King), is an American hip hop record producer and disc jockey (DJ) from The Bronx borough of New York City. James began DJing in The Bron ...

and Richard Sweret. In Japan, the single was released on 7 February 1990. Stansfield went on to become the first white British woman to reach number-one on the ''Billboard'' R&B chart, the American black music chart. A music video was made to accompany the song, directed by

Philip Richardson Sir Philip Wigham Richardson, 1st Baronet, (26 January 1865 – 23 November 1953) was a British sport shooter and Conservative politician. He was the first son of John Wigham Richardson, the shipbuilder from Newcastle upon Tyne. He also compet ...

Critical reception

The song received favorable reviews from many music critics. In an retrospective review, Matthew Hocter from Albumism declared it as "sultry and heartbreakingly beautiful".

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editor Alex Henderson described it as a "melancholy,

-influenced single" and noted further that "it was obvious that not since

Teena Marie Mary Christine Brockert (March 5, 1956 – December 26, 2010), known professionally as Teena Marie, was an American singer-songwriter, musician, composer, arranger, and producer. She was known by her childhood nickname Tina before taking the sta ...

had a white female singer performed R&B so convincingly." Upon the single release, Bill Coleman from ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' felt it "sports that all-too-familiar

Soul II Soul Soul II Soul are a British musical collective formed in London in 1988. They are best known for their two major hits; 1989's UK number five and US number eleven " Keep On Movin'", and its follow-up, the UK number one and US number four " Back to ...

-ish feel but it's the lyric and Stansfield's emotive vocal which take it to the next level." Ernest Hardy from '' Cashbox'' stated that "it’s her earthy vocals swarthed in whirling strings and placed against a soft beat that sets toes tapping, shoulders swaying and heads bopping." He added that "there’s no denying that Stansfield has released one of 1990s best singles. What a way to start the year." A reviewer from ''

The Dallas Morning News ''The Dallas Morning News'' is a daily newspaper serving the Dallas–Fort Worth area of Texas, with an average print circulation of 65,369. It was founded on October 1, 1885 by Alfred Horatio Belo as a satellite publication of the ''Galvesto ...

'' called it "infectious".

Greg Sandow Greg Sandow (born June 3, 1943) is an American music critic and composer. Education Sandow is a graduate of Harvard University, with a bachelor's degree in government. He is also a graduate of Yale University, with a master's degree in composi ...

from ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...

'' commented that the singer "might be hurtling right to the top of the charts. Can we listen to her soberly? ”We drive each other crazy", she sings, in a voice like a suffocated flame. ”No two people ever felt this way", she wants her lucky lover to know." Swedish ''

Expressen ''Expressen'' (''The Express'') is one of two nationwide evening newspapers in Sweden, the other being '' Aftonbladet''. ''Expressen'' was founded in 1944; its symbol is a wasp and its slogans are "it stings" or "''Expressen'' to your rescue". ...

'' wrote that Stansfield "sings like an older black woman. An old-fashioned kind of song, very good." Tom Ewing of

Freaky Trigger ''Freaky Trigger'' is an Internet publication and e-zine that focuses on popular culture with topics varying from music to cinema. It was founded by the music critic Tom Ewing in 1999 and features Pete Baran and Mark Sinker as editors. From 2000 ...

said that "All Around the World" "is a song about guilt and loss, it's no surprise she doesn't sound quite so joyful." Paul Simper from ''

Number One Number One most commonly refers to: * 1 (number) Number One, No. 1, or #1 may also refer to: Music Albums * ''Number 1'' (Big Bang album), and the title song * ''No. 1'' (BoA album), and the title song * ''No.1'' (EP), by CLC * ''n.1 ...

'' declared it "the most super swooshy dance single of the year". A reviewer from ''

Reading Eagle The ''Reading Eagle'' is the major daily newspaper in Reading, Pennsylvania. A family-owned newspaper until the spring of 2019, its reported circulation is 37,000 (daily) and 50,000 (Sundays). It serves the Reading and Berks County region of Pe ...

'' described it as a "hauntingly seductive" track that "revolves around a classic hook." Amy Linden for ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' remarked that Stansfield "accomplishes what she has to with disarming ease. The way she reaches for the high notes (" What Did I Do to You?") and the way her voice slinks around the line "so-oo sad" in "All Around the World" show that this is someone who knows her roots – even if they aren't really hers." Steven Daly from ''

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'' viewed it as "a sensational piece of self-invention around the kind of voice that vaporizes all criticism." John Nichols from ''

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'' felt it is "dazzling", and stated that Stansfield's voice "is everywhere it is should be – whispering, soaring, going deep and then going loud. There is no doubt she owns a musical gift." An editor from ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...

'' commented that "All Around the World" "has knocked the socks off listeners ... well, all around the world."

Commercial performance

"All Around the World" became a very successful single, peaking at number-one in many countries. In Europe, it reached the top of the chart in Austria (for six weeks), Netherlands (four weeks), Norway (three weeks), United Kingdom (two weeks), Spain (two weeks) and Belgium (one week). It also peaked at number two in Italy and West Germany, number three in Ireland and Switzerland, number four in Sweden, and number seven in Finland. In the United States, "All Around the World" reached number three on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and also topped for two weeks the

Hot Black Singles The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 p ...

and

Hot Dance Club Songs Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as t ...

charts. Stansfield became the first white woman to top the now-Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart since

scored in 1988 with " Ooo La La La." On the Adult Contemporary Singles, the song peaked at number seven. In Canada, "All Around the World" reached number three on the Top Singles Chart and Adult Contemporary Chart, and peaked at number one on the Dance/Urban Chart. "All Around the World" also reached number nine in Australia and number ten in New Zealand. The single was certified

Platinum Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver". Platinu ...

in the United States for selling over one million copies and Gold in the United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, Austria and Sweden.

Music video

The accompanying

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

of "All Around the World" was directed by Philip Richardson. It was nominated as Best New Artist in a Video on the

MTV Video Music Award The MTV Video Music Awards (commonly abbreviated as the VMAs) is an award show presented by the cable channel MTV to honour the best in the music video medium. Originally conceived as an alternative to the Grammy Awards (in the video category) ...

s in 1990. The video was later published on Stansfield's official

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

channel in October 2012. It had generated more than 61 million views as of January 2023. The video opens with a close-up of Stansfield in black-and-white speaking the intro. As the song begins, the camera circle around Stansfield, now in colours. The backdrop is a world map. Her hair is very short, she wears red lipstick and her famous kiss curls. Next she sits outdoors in the rain, performing on the stairs in front of a house. Other scenes shows Stansfield singing, while she rotates in the middle of a ring of men standing next to each other as the camera follows her round. Towards the end, she stands in the rain and sings as the raindrops are falling on her face.

1992, 2003 and 2014 versions

In 1992, Stansfield re-recorded "All Around the World" as a duet with

. This version was included on her single "

Time to Make You Mine "Time to Make You Mine" is a song recorded by British singer, songwriter and actress Lisa Stansfield for her second album, '' Real Love'' (1991). It was written by her with Ian Devaney and Andy Morris, and produced by Devaney and Morris. The son ...

" (March 1992). All artist royalties from this record were donated to the charity Trading Places. The Peter Stuart-directed music video for the duet version was also released. In November 1992, this duet version was also included on White's retrospective box set, ''Just for You''. In 2003, Stansfield released '' Biography: The Greatest Hits'' which was promoted by her signature song, "All Around the World." In the United States, the promotional single included remixes created by Norty Cotto and reached number thirty-four on the ''

''s

. The digital promo single with remix by

Junior Vasquez Junior Vasquez (born Donald Gregory Mattern, August 24, 1949) is an American DJ, record producer and remixer. He has been referred to as one of the only DJs of his time to gain international attention. Career Mattern moved to New York City a ...

was also released. In 2014, the remixes of "All Around the World" were included on the deluxe 2CD + DVD re-releases of ''

'', '' Face Up'' and on the '' People Hold On ... The Remix Anthology'' compilation (also on ''

''). ''Affection'' re-release includes: Long Version, Around the House Mix and Runaway Love Mix, all from 1989. ''Face Up'' 2014 re-release features remixes from 2003: Norty Cotto Remix, Norty's World Dub and

Earth Anthem. Finally, ''People Hold On...The Remix Anthology'' includes: The Global Quest from 1989,

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Club Remix from 1990 and previously unreleased Attack Mix by

Track listings

* Australian/European 7" single / Japanese CD single #"All Around the World" – 4:22 #"Wake Up Baby" – 3:58 * European CD single #"All Around the World" – 4:22 #"All Around the World" (Long Version) – 7:02 #"Wake Up Baby" – 3:58 #"The Way You Want It" (Edit) – 4:16 * Australian/European 12" single #"All Around the World" (Long Version) – 7:02 #"Wake Up Baby" – 3:58 #"The Way You Want It" (Edit) – 4:16 * European 12" single (Remix) #"All Around the World" (Around the House Mix) – 6:03 #" This Is the Right Time" (Accapella) – 2:30 #"All Around the World" ( Runaway Love Mix) – 4:37 #"The Way You Want It" – 4:56 * UK promotional 12" single #"All Around the World" ( The Global Quest) – 6:17 * US 7" single #"All Around the World" – 4:21 #"Affection" – 5:50 * US 12" single #"All Around the World" (Long Version) – 7:02 #"All Around the World" (

Club Remix) – 11:48 #"Affection" – 5:50 * US promotional 12" single #"All Around the World" (Long Version) – 7:02 #"All Around the World" (Single Version) – 4:21 #"All Around the World" (American Club Remix) – 11:48 #"All Around the World" (American Club Edit) – 4:29 * 1992 European promotional 12" single #"All Around the World" (Duet with

) – 4:34 * 2003 European promotional CD single #"All Around the World" – 4:22 #"

The Real Thing The Real Thing or Real Thing may refer to: Film and television * The Real Thing (film), ''The Real Thing'' (film) or ''Livers Ain't Cheap'', a 1996 American film * ''The Real Thing'', a 1980 television documentary by James Burke (science historian) ...

" – 4:20 #"This Is the Right Time" – 4:31 * 2003 US promotional 12" single (Norty Cotto Mixes) #"All Around The World" (Norty Cotto Remix) – 7:33 #"All Around The World" (Hosh Gonna Lookapella) – 2:40 #"All Around The World" (Lisa's Reprise) – 2:40 #"All Around The World" (Norty's World Dub) – 7:43 #"All Around The World" (Instrumental) – 7:33 * 2003 US digital promo #"All Around The World" (

Earth Anthem) – 10:50 * 2006 US digital Dance Vault Mixes #"All Around The World" (Single Version) – 4:21 #"All Around The World" (American Club Edit) – 4:29 #"All Around The World" (Long Version) – 7:02 #"All Around The World" (American Club Remix) – 11:48 * Other remixes #"All Around the World" ( Attack Mix) – 5:00

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

Certifications and sales

References

{{authority control Lisa Stansfield songs 1989 singles Songs written by Lisa Stansfield Number-one singles in Austria Number-one singles in Belgium Dutch Top 40 number-one singles Number-one singles in Greece Number-one singles in Spain UK Singles Chart number-one singles 1989 songs Songs written by Ian Devaney Arista Records singles Songs written by Andy Morris (musician) 1990 singles Torch songs