| All I Know | |
| Cover: | All_I_Know_-_Art_Garfunkel.jpg |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Art Garfunkel |
| Album: | Angel Clare |
| B-Side: | Mary Was an Only Child |
| Released: | 1973 |
| Genre: | Orchestral pop |
| Length: | 3:43 |
| Label: | Columbia |
| Prev Title: | Forgive Me |
| Prev Year: | 1973 |
| Next Title: | I Shall Sing |
| Next Year: | 1973 |
"All I Know" is a song written by American songwriter Jimmy Webb, first recorded by Art Garfunkel on his 1973 debut solo album, Angel Clare, released by Columbia Records. Instrumental backing was provided by members of the Wrecking Crew, L.A. session musicians.[1] Garfunkel's version is the best known and highest-charting version, peaking at number nine on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Easy Listening chart for four weeks in October 1973.[2] Garfunkel's version begins with a solo piano, before he begins to sing. When the orchestration is beginning to fade out, the solo piano takes over, playing melodic passages to the song's end.
In his review for Allmusic, Joe Viglione wrote that Jimmy Webb's own version of the song, recorded for Ten Easy Pieces in 1996, had "none of the gloss" of Garfunkel's hit version, but more soul.[3] Viglione continued:
| Chart (1973) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[4] | 36 |
| Canada RPM Adult Contemporary[5] | 1 |
| Canada RPM Top Singles[6] | 7 |
| New Zealand (Listener)[7] | 17 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100[8] | 9 |
| U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary | 1 |
| U.S. Cash Box Top 100[9] | 6 |
| Chart (1973) | Rank |
|---|---|
| Canada [10] | 103 |
| U.S. (Joel Whitburn's Pop Annual)[11] | 88 |
| U.S. Cash Box [12] | 88 |
More recently, Webb invited Linda Ronstadt to join him in a duet version for his 2010 album Just Across the River. Ronstadt had just announced her retirement from singing when Webb sent her an email describing his new CD of duets. Webb asked if she would sing "All I Know" with him, with just a guitar backup. Ronstadt called him and said, "Damn it, you've gotten me interested in that song." Webb later recalled, "There was a poignancy to that moment ... because I didn’t know if she'd ever sing again. Her voice sounds elegantly beautiful on 'All I Know' ... I loved the meticulous way she covered my voice."[13]
The song continues to appear in popular culture. It was featured in the season 2 finale and the series finale of the American drama series Nip/Tuck.
Garfunkel's second rendition of the song was also used in a video montage in the ending credits of "The Grass Is Always Greener," Episode 12 in Season 3 of the American comedy-drama series Boy Meets World.[14]
. David Kent (historian) . . Australian Chart Book . St Ives, N.S.W. . 1993 . 0-646-11917-6.
