"All My Love" is the sixth song on
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...
's 1979 album ''
In Through the Out Door''. Credited to
Robert Plant and
John Paul Jones
John Paul Jones (born John Paul; July 6, 1747 July 18, 1792) was a Scottish-American naval captain who was the United States' first well-known naval commander in the American Revolutionary War. He made many friends among U.S political elites ( ...
, it is a
rock ballad
A sentimental ballad is an emotional style of music that often deals with romantic and intimate relationships, and to a lesser extent, loneliness, death, war, drug abuse, politics and religion, usually in a poignant but solemn manner.J. M. C ...
that features a
synthesizer solo by Jones. It was written in honour of Plant's son
Karac, who died while Led Zeppelin were on their
1977 North American tour.
"All My Love" is one of only two Led Zeppelin songs that
Jimmy Page had no part in writing (the other being "South Bound Saurez", also from ''In Through the Out Door'').
Recording and releases
"All My Love" is a mid-tempo rock-style ballad, that biographer Nigel Williamson describes as "underpinned by a semi-classical arrangement of the kind popular at the time with the likes of
Genesis
Genesis may refer to:
Bible
* Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of mankind
* Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Book of ...
and
ELO". The original working title was "The Hook". The song was recorded between November and December 1978 at
Polar Studios
Polar Studios was a recording studio in Stockholm, Sweden, which operated from 1978 through 2004. The studio was formed by ABBA musicians Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson and the band's manager Stig Anderson, owner of the Polar Music recording ...
in Stockholm, Sweden. A studio outtake of an extended version of the song exists timed around 7:55 (the song itself would be timed around 6:57). It has a complete ending, with Plant extending the last chorus with much ad-libbing and a twangy
B-Bender
A B-Bender is a guitar accessory that enables a player to fluidly alter the pitch of a guitar's B-string. This works by mechanically bending the B-string through the use of a series of levers and/or pulleys attached to an external lever that is ...
guitar solo by Page. This version is found on several
Led Zeppelin bootleg recordings
The Led Zeppelin bootleg recordings are a collection of music, audio and video recordings of musical performances by the English Rock music, rock band Led Zeppelin which were never officially released by the band, or under other legal authority. Th ...
.
Led Zeppelin performed the song during their
concert tour of Europe in 1980. "All My Love" is also included in the Led Zeppelin compilations ''
Early Days and Latter Days'', ''
Remasters
Mastering, a form of audio post production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device (the master), the source from which all copies will be produced (via meth ...
'' and ''
Mothership
A mother ship, mothership or mother-ship is a large vehicle that leads, serves, or carries other smaller vehicles. A mother ship may be a maritime ship, aircraft, or spacecraft.
Examples include bombers converted to carry experimental airc ...
''.
Critical reception
In a review for ''In Through the Out Door (
Deluxe Edition
The terms special edition, limited edition, and variants such as deluxe edition, or collector's edition, are used as a marketing incentive for various kinds of products, originally published products related to the arts, such as books, prints, r ...
)'', Andrew Doscas of ''
PopMatters
''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...
'' described "All My Love" as "the saddest and most heartfelt Zeppelin song."
Doscas described the song as "a fitting ode to Plant's son, which hauntingly enough sounds like a foreshadowing of a band on the path to an impending and unforeseeable dissolution.
In its 1999 list of "Top 500 Tracks",
Radio Caroline
Radio Caroline is a British radio station founded in 1964 by Ronan O'Rahilly and Alan Crawford initially to circumvent the record companies' control of popular music broadcasting in the United Kingdom and the BBC's radio broadcasting monopoly ...
ranked the song at number 239.
In an interview he later gave to rock journalist
Cameron Crowe
Cameron Bruce Crowe (born July 13, 1957) is an American journalist, author, writer, producer, director, actor, lyricist, and playwright. Before moving into the film industry, Crowe was a contributing editor at '' Rolling Stone'' magazine, for w ...
, Plant stated that this song was one of Led Zeppelin's "finest moments".
[Liner notes by ]Cameron Crowe
Cameron Bruce Crowe (born July 13, 1957) is an American journalist, author, writer, producer, director, actor, lyricist, and playwright. Before moving into the film industry, Crowe was a contributing editor at '' Rolling Stone'' magazine, for w ...
for '' The Complete Studio Recordings''. However, guitarist
Jimmy Page and drummer
John Bonham
John Henry Bonham (31 May 1948 – 25 September 1980) was an English musician, best known as the drummer for the rock band Led Zeppelin. Esteemed for his speed, power, fast single-footed kick drumming, distinctive sound, and feel for groove ...
had reservations about the song's
soft rock sound.
The Hook
A
mono
Mono may refer to:
Common meanings
* Infectious mononucleosis, "the kissing disease"
* Monaural, monophonic sound reproduction, often shortened to mono
* Mono-, a numerical prefix representing anything single
Music Performers
* Mono (Japanese b ...
mix of the song was re-released in 2015 on ''In Through the Out Door (Deluxe Edition)'', under the title "The Hook".
See also
*
List of cover versions of Led Zeppelin songs
Led Zeppelin was an English rock band whose career spanned twelve years from 1968 to 1980. They are considered one of the most successful, innovative, and influential rock groups in history. During the band's tenure and in the years since the ...
"All My Love" entries
References
Sources
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External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:All My Love (Song)
1979 songs
1970s ballads
Led Zeppelin songs
Rock ballads
Songs written by John Paul Jones (musician)
Songs written by Robert Plant
Song recordings produced by Jimmy Page
Commemoration songs
Swan Song Records singles
British soft rock songs