"All We Need Is Love" is a song recorded by Australian singer and songwriter
Ricki-Lee Coulter
Ricki-Lee Dawn Coulter (born 10 November 1985), also known mononymously as Ricki-Lee, is a New Zealand-born Australian singer, songwriter, television, and radio presenter. She was born in Auckland, New Zealand, grew up on the Gold Coast, Qu ...
. It was released as a
digital extended play
An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record. on 2 May 2014, as the
lead single
A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date.
Release s ...
from her fourth studio album ''
Dance in the Rain''. Coulter wrote the song with
Ilan Kidron
Ilan Kidron (born 22 April 1976), also known as iKid, is a Sydney-based singer songwriter with over one billion combined streams, best known as the lead singer for Australia's multi-platinum selling dance music act The Potbelleez. As a writer ...
and Stuart Crichton, in hopes that it would encourage people to spread love and positivity. The lyrics are intended to make people smile and feel good about themselves.
Upon its release, "All We Need Is Love" debuted at number 39 on the
ARIA Singles Chart. The accompanying music video was directed by Melvin J. Montalban and features stories about three people. Coulter promoted "All We Need Is Love" with interviews and performances on television and radio programs. The song was also part of Coulter's set list for the Australian leg of
Jason Derulo's
Tattoos World Tour
Tattoos World Tour was a world tour by R&B and pop singer Jason Derulo. It was his second headlining world tour and his first headlining tour since he broke a vertebra in January 2012 while rehearsing for his Future History World Tour, leading t ...
, where she was the supporting act.
Writing and inspiration
"All We Need Is Love" was written by
Ricki-Lee Coulter
Ricki-Lee Dawn Coulter (born 10 November 1985), also known mononymously as Ricki-Lee, is a New Zealand-born Australian singer, songwriter, television, and radio presenter. She was born in Auckland, New Zealand, grew up on the Gold Coast, Qu ...
,
Stuart Crichton and
Ilan Kidron
Ilan Kidron (born 22 April 1976), also known as iKid, is a Sydney-based singer songwriter with over one billion combined streams, best known as the lead singer for Australia's multi-platinum selling dance music act The Potbelleez. As a writer ...
.
Coulter stated that they were inspired to write the song after becoming fed up with all the drama in their personal lives and the bad things happening in today's society.
She said, "We live in a world full of negativity, hate, criticism and judgment. We wanted to make a song about accepting and embracing each other, supporting, encouraging and complimenting each other and spreading love."
Coulter also explained that the song's lyrics are intended to make people smile and feel good about themselves.
The line "Kicking down the doors / and coming alive" was inspired by a fan who sent Coulter a private message on
Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
, saying that her support of the
gay
''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'.
While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...
community had inspired him to finally come out to his family.
In an interview with
News.com.au
news.com.au is an Australian website owned by News Corp Australia. It had 9.6 million unique readers in April 2019 and covers national and international news, lifestyle, travel, entertainment, technology, finance, and sport.
Staff
The organiza ...
, Coulter said that she believes people have forgotten she can sing because the vocals on her comeback album, ''
Fear & Freedom'' (2012), were not as "front and centre" like her earlier releases.
She intended for "All We Need Is Love" to remind people that she can sing, saying, "I wanted to be able to strip it all back and take everyone back to the very beginning when they met me ten years ago on
ustralianIdol and the reason they embraced me was because of my voice."
Release and reception
An audio teaser of "All We Need Is Love" was uploaded to Coulter's
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video sharing and 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 Google, and is the second mo ...
account on 13 April 2014, and the full song premiered on Australian radio stations the following day.
It was released as a
digital extended play
An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record. (EP) on 2 May 2014; it features a
B-side track titled "
Happy Ever After", an acoustic cover of
Avicii
Tim Bergling (; 8 September 1989 – 20 April 2018), known professionally as Avicii (, ), was a Swedish DJ, remixer and music producer. At the age of 16, Bergling began posting his remixes on electronic music forums, which led to his first re ...
's "
Wake Me Up", as well as acoustic and remix versions of "All We Need Is Love".
The song served as the
lead single
A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date.
Release s ...
from Coulter's fourth studio album, ''
Dance in the Rain''.
After hearing the track, News.com.au wrote that "Coulter has reclaimed the powerful pop voice which launched her on ''Australian Idol'' a decade ago."
''
Take 40 Australia
''Take 40 Australia'' was Australia's first and longest-running music countdown. It counted down the official top 40 singles on the ARIA chart on a weekly basis. It was broadcast nationally each week to over 1.2 million listeners. Starting i ...
'' described it as a "positive song."
Stephanie Tell of The Music awarded "All We Need Is Love" two-and-a-half stars and wrote that it sounds like "the generic, catchy pop we've come to expect" from Coulter.
She concluded that the track "perfects its tried-and-true brand of wholesome dance stylings, building dutifully to a satisfying chorus."
Upon its release, "All We Need Is Love" debuted at number 39 on the
ARIA Singles Chart issue dated 12 May 2014.
In its second week, the song dropped fifty-nine spots to number 98.
Promotion
In April–May 2014, Coulter was the supporting act for
Jason Derulo's Australian leg of his
Tattoos World Tour
Tattoos World Tour was a world tour by R&B and pop singer Jason Derulo. It was his second headlining world tour and his first headlining tour since he broke a vertebra in January 2012 while rehearsing for his Future History World Tour, leading t ...
, where she performed "All We Need Is Love" as part of her
set list
A set list, or setlist, is typically a handwritten or printed document created as an ordered list of songs, jokes, stories and other elements an artist intends to present during a specific performance.
A setlist can be made of nearly any materi ...
. On 5 May 2014, Coulter performed the song on ''
Sunrise
Sunrise (or sunup) is the moment when the upper rim of the Sun appears on the horizon in the morning. The term can also refer to the entire process of the solar disk crossing the horizon and its accompanying atmospheric effects.
Terminology
A ...
'' as part of their "Sunrise Street Party" in
Jamisontown, New South Wales. She also performed acoustic versions of "All We Need Is Love" on ''
The Dan & Maz Show
''The Dan & Maz Show'' was an Australian breakfast radio show with Dan Debuf and Maz Compton.
The show aired on weekend mornings from 7am until 9am with music and daily topic discussions and special guests. It has previously aired as a breakfast ...
'' (7 May 2014) and ''
Mornings'' (19 May 2014), and promoted the song during television interviews on ''
The Riff
''The Riff'' was an Australian music video request television show that aired 6 days on Channel hosted by Billy Russell, Danny Clayton, Carissa Walford and Marty Smiley. The show ran from 2013 to 2015.
See also
* List of Australian music t ...
'' (13 May 2014) and ''
The Daily Edition
''The Daily Edition'' was an Australian afternoon entertainment show on the Seven Network which was first broadcast on 17 June 2013 and ended on 26 June 2020. The show featured a combination of live breaking news, as well as live interviews wi ...
'' (14 May 2014).
Music video
The music video was directed by Melvin J. Montalban and filmed in
Sydney in April 2014. A behind-the-scenes video of the shoot was posted on
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video sharing and 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 Google, and is the second mo ...
on 1 May 2014, and shown on ''Sunrise'' the following day. The official video clip premiered exclusively on Scoopla.com on 9 May 2014. The video features three stories about love.
The first is about a "young man telling his father he is gay and gaining acceptance" and the second is about "a boy at school who stands up to his bullies with his dance moves and wins their respect."
The third story is about a woman (played by Coulter) who is training for a marathon "which ends up being a fundraiser for her seriously ill sister in hospital."
''Take 40 Australia'' called it "a gorgeous video" and said "it made everyone in the Take 40 office shed a tear with its inspirational message."
Track listing
*Digital EP
#"All We Need Is Love" – 3:16
#"
Happy Ever After" – 4:03
#"
Wake Me Up" (Acoustic) – 4:21
#"All We Need Is Love" (Acoustic) – 3:33
#"All We Need Is Love" (Minx Remix) – 4:39
Charts
Release history
References
{{authority control
2014 songs
2014 singles
Ricki-Lee Coulter songs
EMI Records singles
Songs written by Ricki-Lee Coulter
Songs written by Ilan Kidron
Songs written by Stuart Crichton