All Over the World (Electric Light Orchestra song) explained

All Over the World
Cover:elo world.jpg
Type:single
Artist:Electric Light Orchestra
Album:Xanadu
Recorded:1980
Studio:Musicland Studios (Munich, Germany)
Producer:Jeff Lynne
Prev Title:Xanadu
Prev Year:1980
Next Title:Don't Walk Away
Next Year:1980

"All Over the World" is a song by the Electric Light Orchestra (ELO). It is featured in the 1980 feature film Xanadu in a sequence with the film's stars Olivia Newton-John, Gene Kelly, and Michael Beck. The song also appears on the soundtrack album Xanadu, and was performed in the 2007 Broadway musical Xanadu.

Released after the single "Xanadu" (a collaboration with Olivia Newton-John), this was the third Top 20 ELO single released from the 1980 soundtrack, peaking at number 13 on the US Billboard Hot 100.

The sequence in the Xanadu film was filmed on location at the Beverly Hills Fiorucci store.

One section of the lyrics lists a number of famous cities; London, Hamburg, Paris, Rome, Rio de Janeiro, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Los Angeles, New York City, Amsterdam and Monte Carlo. The last place named in the list is Shard End, the suburb of Birmingham, England where Jeff Lynne was born.

Cash Box called it "souped up '50s and '60s pop at its best", and praised the hook.[1] Billboard called it one of ELO's "catchier tunes".[2] Record World said that "a spirited chorus, triumphant keyboards & multitudinous handclaps carry the joyous, uplifting message".[3]

This song featured prominently in the trailer for the Simon Pegg science fiction comedy film Paul and also played at the end of the film before the credits.[4]

In 2022, Lynne listed it as one of his nine favorite ELO songs.[5]

Personnel

Credits adapted from the album Xanadu:[6]

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Chart (1980)Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[7] 78
US Billboard Hot 100[8] 13
US Billboard Adult Contemporary[9] 46
US Cash Box[10] 14
US Record World[11] 8

Year-end charts

Notes and References

  1. Singles Reviews > Feature Picks . Cash Box . XLII . 12 . 18 . 2 August 1980 . 1 January 2022 .
  2. Top Single Picks. 2023-01-21. August 2, 1980. Billboard. 60.
  3. Record World. August 2, 1980. 2023-02-20. Hits of the World. 1.
  4. Web site: James Christopher . Monger . Original Soundtrack – Paul . . 20 July 2014 .
  5. Web site: Jeff Lynne's favourite Electric Light Orchestra songs. Taysom, Joe. 2 November 2022. 2024-01-25. Far Out.
  6. Xanadu . 1980 . liner notes . . 16 May 2016 .
  7. Book: Kent, David . David Kent (historian) . 1993 . Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 . Australian Chart Book . . 0-646-11917-6.
  8. Web site: Electric Light Orchestra – Awards . . 15 July 2014 .
  9. Book: Whitburn, Joel . Joel Whitburn . 1993 . Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993 . Record Research . 79.
  10. CASH BOX Top 100 Singles – Week ending OCTOBER 4, 1980 . . 15 September 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120915071205/http://cashboxmagazine.com/archives/80s_files/19801004.html.
  11. Web site: Artist-E . . https://web.archive.org/web/20090820044014/http://geocities.com/muggy59/Artist-E.html . 20 August 2009.
  12. Web site: The CASH BOX Year-End Charts: 1980 . . 15 September 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120915071244/http://cashboxmagazine.com/archives/80s_files/1980YESP.html.