All My Love (Major Lazer song) explained

All My Love
Cover:ML AG AML.jpg
Alt:An animated image of a man with armor kneeling down while surrounded in a pile of metal scraps. A yellow spotlight appears along a black and light pink background.
Type:song
Artist:Major Lazer featuring Ariana Grande
Album:The Hunger Games:
Mockingjay, Part 1
Label:Republic

"All My Love" is a song by American electronic music project Major Lazer featuring vocals from American singer Ariana Grande. It was released on 13 November 2014 as the fifth song from the soundtrack for (2014). The song was written by Grande, Lorde, and with production handled by Boaz van de Beatz, Jr Blender and Diplo. It is an electropop and dance-pop song with elements of dancehall. "All My Love" received positive reviews from music critics who complimented the track's production.

Commercially, the track performed modestly in Belgium and charted in France and the United Kingdom. A remix of the song featuring vocals from Grande and Trinidadian singer Machel Montano was released on 21 January 2015 and appears as the final track on Major Lazer's third studio album Peace Is the Mission (2015). It features an interpolation of Aqua's 1997 song "Lollipop (Candyman)".[1] This version performed modestly in Belgium and charted in Canada. Grande performed the original version on select dates on The Honeymoon Tour (2015).[2]

Background and release

"All My Love" was written by Lorde (credited under her birth-name Ella Yelich-O'Connor), Ariana Grande and (credited under her birth-name Karen Ørsted),[3] while production of the song was handled by Boaz van de Beatz, Jr Blender and Diplo, a member of Major Lazer. Lorde's desire to include "All My Love" on the film's soundtrack led Diplo to rush the production process of the song. In an annotation posted to Genius that Diplo wrote, he mentioned that he was on vacation in London at the same time Grande was there. He managed to communicate with her and go "back and forth with certain mixes." Diplo said that he was willing to "screw around" and surprise people with "this kind of collaboration."[4]

Leaked on 13 November 2014 before the official release date, "All My Love" was included as the fifth track for the soundtrack of the 2014 film .[3] Diplo first mentioned the track on 16 October 2014 via Twitter. However, he deleted the tweet afterwards.[5] When the album's official track list was announced on 21 October 2014, the song was listed as "Track 5".[6] Lorde, who curated the film's soundtrack, said on Twitter that the song was not excluded for "secrecy's sake" but because it was "not quite finished".[7] A week later, Grande revealed in a livestream that she was included in the film's soundtrack. She described the song as "very interesting" and "very different."[7] Lorde announced the track's title via Twitter on 3 November 2014.[8]

Composition and reception

"All My Love" is an electropop and dance-pop song, with elements of dancehall. Stereogums Tom Breihan compared it to Grande's 2014 single, "Break Free", featuring Russian-German DJ Zedd.[9] Bradley Stern from Idolator described its production as having "rich, tribal" sounds and "'90's-leaning dance floor pulsations".[10] Exclaim writer Alex Hudson called the track an "electronic banger with in-your-face beats and a manic breakdown."[11] Similarly, Complex writer Edwin Ortiz called the song an "electronic pop cut" with a "heart-pulsing backdrop".[12] Brennan Carley of Spin noted that the song features "yelping, punctuated beats and synthesizers [that] pierce the air".[13]

"All My Love" received mostly positive reviews from music critics. Michelle Geslani from Consequence of Sound called the song a "Grade A electropop banger." Geslani praised Diplo's "breezy yet bouncy island rhythms" and Grande's "angelic croon".[14] In a review of the soundtrack, Nick Levine of NME stated that both artists sounded like they were "holding a rave in the rainforest".[15] In a mixed review of the soundtrack, however, Jim Farber of New York Daily News called Grande's inclusion in the song a "commercial move", stating that her vocals proved "too mainstream for an album meant to project something sinister."[16] "All My Love" was moderately successful in Belgium, where it peaked within the top 40 in both the Flanders and Wallonia chart components. It reached number 135 in France and number 194 in the United Kingdom.

Remix

All My Love (Remix)
Cover:All My Love (Remix) Artwork.jpg
Alt:An animated picture of a man with armor kneeling down on a pile of scraps on a yellow and black background.
Type:remix single
Artist:Major Lazer featuring Ariana Grande and Machel Montano
Album:Peace Is the Mission
Released:January 21, 2015
Label:Mad Decent

On 21 January 2015, a remix version featuring vocals from Grande and Trinidadian singer Machel Montano was released.[17] It appears as the ninth track on Major Lazer's third studio album, Peace Is the Mission (2015). Diplo, a member of Major Lazer, co-wrote the song with producers Boaz de Jong, Jr Blender, and Skinny Fabulous, and featured artist Machel Montano.[18] A French version of the remix, featuring Grande, Montano, and the French duo Shin Sekaï, was released on 4 March 2016.[19]

The remix was described by critics as a soca,[20] house,[20] and dubstep song,[21] with influences of dancehall.[21] Its instrumentation includes bass,[22] bongo rhythms,[23] and a beat drop.[24] According to Pitchfork writer Claire Lobenfeld, the song features an interpolation of Aqua's 1997 song "Lollipop (Candyman)".[21] Jon Dolan from Rolling Stone called the remix a "weapons-grade sun splash".[25] Idolator writer Mike Wass called it an "effortless overhaul that deserves a spot on your next party playlist."[26] Commercially, the remix of the song charted at number 87 on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100 chart and peaked at number 15 on the US Dance/Electronic Songs chart; it reached number 66 on the latter's year-end chart.

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1 (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack).[3]

Recording and management

Personnel

Charts

Year-end charts

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Lobenfeld . Claire . 3 June 2015 . Major Lazer: Peace Is the Mission Album Review . 24 November 2022 . Pitchfork . Their contribution, "All My Love" featuring Ariana Grande, maintained their penchant for dancehall-inflected festival dubstep and worked in a winky interpolation of "Lollipop (Candyman)" by Aqua (yes, the "Barbie Girl" group), all with a much slicker sheen..
  2. News: Lee . Ashley . Ariana Grande Breaks Free and Into Tears at Madison Square Garden: Concert Review . 9 June 2020 . The Hollywood Reporter . 21 March 2015.
  3. Lorde. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1. 2014. Republic Records.
  4. Web site: Major Lazer — All My Love Lyrics. Genius. 18 May 2018.
  5. News: Wass . Mike . Diplo Reveals Looming Ariana Grande And Major Lazer Collaboration, Possibly Called "All My Love" . 30 August 2018 . Idolator . 16 October 2014.
  6. Web site: Lorde's 'Mockingjay' Soundtrack Features Kanye, Haim, Pusha T And Charli XCX. https://web.archive.org/web/20141024001003/http://www.mtv.com/news/1970037/kanye-haim-pusha-t-charlie-xcx-mockingjay-soundtrack/. dead. October 24, 2014. MTV. October 21, 2014. November 18, 2014.
  7. Web site: Is Ariana Grande Behind That Secret 'Hunger Games' Soundtrack Song?. https://web.archive.org/web/20141031202736/http://www.mtv.com/news/1979171/ariana-grande-hunger-games-mockingjay-soundtrack/. dead. October 31, 2014. MTV. October 28, 2014. November 18, 2014.
    Web site: Ariana Grande Reveals 'Hunger Games' Collaboration with Lorde, Diplo. Variance Magazine. October 29, 2014. November 18, 2014.
  8. Ariana Grande & Major Lazer Teaming Up for Lorde's 'Hunger Games: Mockingjay' Soundtrack. Billboard. November 3, 2014. November 18, 2014.
  9. News: Breihan. Tom. Major Lazer – "All My Love" (Feat. Ariana Grande). 18 May 2018. Stereogum. 13 November 2014.
  10. News: Stern . Bradley . Ariana Grande And Major Lazer's 'Hunger Games' Song, "All My Love": Listen . 30 August 2018 . Idolator . 13 November 2014.
  11. News: Hudson. Alex. Major Lazer "All My Love" (ft. Ariana Grande). 18 May 2018. Exclaim!. 13 November 2014.
  12. News: Ortiz. Edwin. Listen to Major Lazer's "All My Love" f/ Ariana Grande. 18 May 2018. Complex. 13 November 2014.
  13. News: Carley. Brennan. Major Lazer and Ariana Grande Team Up for Piercing 'Mockingjay' Cut. 18 May 2018. Spin. 13 November 2014.
  14. News: Geslani. Michelle. Ariana Grande and Major Lazer team up on "All My Love" — listen. 18 May 2018. Consequence of Sound. 13 November 2014.
  15. News: Levine. Nick. Various Artists – 'The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 OST'. 18 May 2018. NME. 19 November 2014.
  16. News: Farber. Jim. 'The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 -- Original Motion Picture Soundtrack,' music review. 18 May 2018. New York Daily News. 13 November 2014.
  17. News: Wass . Mike . Ariana Grande And Major Lazer's "All My Love" Gets A Soca Remix Featuring Machel Montano: Listen . 31 August 2018 . Idolator . 21 January 2015.
  18. Major Lazer. Peace Is the Mission. 2015. Mad Decent.
  19. Web site: All My Love (French Version) [feat. The Shin Sekaï, Ariana Grande, and Machel Montano] - Single by Major Lazer on Apple Music ]. Apple Music . Apple . 7 October 2020 . 4 March 2016.
  20. Medved. Matt. Diplo's Major Lazer Finds Its Footing In the World of Pop With 'Peace Is the Mission': Album Review. 12 March 2018. Billboard. 5 June 2015.
  21. News: Lobenfeld. Claire. Major Lazer: Peace Is the Mission Album Review. 12 March 2018. Pitchfork. 3 June 2015.
  22. News: Moayeri . Lily . Major Lazer: Peace Is the Mission (Mad Decent) Review . 6 October 2020 . Under the Radar . 22 July 2015.
  23. News: Malone . Matthew . Review: Major Lazer, Peace is the Mission . 6 October 2020 . Pretty Much Amazing . 4 June 2015 . 16 October 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201016142041/https://prettymuchamazing.com/reviews/major-lazer-peace-is-the-mission/ . dead .
  24. Web site: Jeffries . David . Peace Is the Mission - Major Lazer . AllMusic . 6 October 2020.
  25. Dolan . Jon . Peace Is the Mission . 31 August 2018 . Rolling Stone . 2 June 2015.
  26. News: Wass . Mike . Ariana Grande And Major Lazer's "All My Love" Gets A Soca Remix Featuring Machel Montano: Listen . 6 October 2020 . Idolator . 21 January 2015.
  27. Web site: Zywietz. Tobias. CHART: CLUK Update 29.11.2014 (wk47). Zobbel. November 29, 2014.
  28. 2015 Year End Charts – Dance/Electronic Songs. Billboard. January 9, 2016.