"All I Want is You" - U2

Single

Track Listing:

Background Information

“All I Want is You” was the fourth and final single released from Rattle and Hum. Fittingly, it was also the final song on the album as well as the song that played over the closing credits of the film. The single was released in June of 1989 in the same format as the other singles from Rattle and Hum (as well as those from The Joshua Tree before it), with a sleeve featuring a black-and-white portrait of one band member. In this case the band member is Bono, whose photo also graced the final Joshua Tree single. An instant collectible was created in Australia when a small run of 7-inch singles was pressed on purple vinyl. It is rumored that only 400 of these were issued. In the UK, 15,000 copies of the 7-inch single were issued in a limited, numbered tin film canister. The 12-inch vinyl in the UK was released in a limited edition box featuring a different cover, along with a print of each of the four band member images used for the Rattle and Hum single sleeves. A very rare pressing resulted in three known copies of the 12-inch vinyl being issued on green vinyl.

With the album version of “All I Want is You” running more than six minutes in length, a more radio-friendly edit—eliminating the extended string outro of the album version—was issued as the single a-side. (This edit was not identified as such on most releases, aside from a US promo CD on which it is designated the ’7” Edit.’) The b-side used on the 7-inch vinyl, 3-inch CD, and cassette was a cover of “Unchained Melody.” This song, written by Alex North and Hy Zaret, was first recorded in 1955 by Todd Duncan for the prison film Unchained. The most widely known version, however, is the 1965 recording by The Righteous Brothers. The 12-inch vinyl also included U2’s cover of “Everlasting Love,” a song written by Buzz Cason and Mac Gayden and originally recorded by Robert Knight in 1967. The 5-inch CD release added a fourth track, the longer album version of “All I Want is You.”

U2 returned to director Meiert Avis for the “All I Want is You” video, which was filmed in the town of Ostia outside of Rome. The shoot began on April 18, 1989 and lasted four days. The storyline of the video was developed by Barry Devlin in the style of a silent movie. Shot entirely in black-and-white, the video features a circus wintering on a beach, with only a brief shot of the four members of U2 walking along the beach in Ostia. The story focuses on actress Paola Rinaldi and actor Paolo Rissi. Rinaldi plays a lovely aerial performer, and Rissi plays a fellow circus worker who is enamored with her. We watch him gaze longingly at Rinaldi on the trapeze, only to discover that she is involved with another man. Rissi is later seen climbing up to the trapeze, and it appears that he falls and dies, after which the video cuts to the scene of a funeral. However, Rissi is present among the mourners at the funeral, and he throws the ring he had purchased for Rinaldi into the grave. It has been a matter of debate over the years as to who actually died in the film, although The Edge has gone on record as saying that it was the trapeze artist played by Rinaldi who died. The video is included on The Best of 1980-1990 release. It is not included on the U218 Videos compilation.

“All I Want is You” was first performed live during The LoveTown Tour, getting the full treatment at 89% of the shows and appearing as a snippet at several others. During Zoo TV, the song was performed fully just 15 times, but was included as part of the song “Bad” for another 91 performances. Initially the song was not part of the set for The PopMart Tour, but it was introduced part way through the first leg, and remained in the setlist up until the end of that tour. Again on The Elevation Tour, the song was not part of the initial set, but was introduced during the first leg and played sporadically throughout the remainder of the tour. During The Vertigo Tour, the song was played fully only a handful of times throughout Europe and at one performance in North America in 2005, and again at a few shows on the 2006 leg of the tour. It was played in full only 12 times during the entirety of The U2360° Tour. “Unchained Melody” has also been played live in concert, including full performances at 23 shows on The PopMart Tour and as a snippet a number of times on the Zoo TV, Elevation, Vertigo, and U2360° tours, often as a way to end “One.” The song was played just six times during the Innocence and Experience Tour in 2015.

Live versions of “All I Want is You” have been released on the “Stuck in a Moment You Can’t Get Out Of” French CD (Paris, October 18, 2000); Go Home: Live from Slane Castle (Dublin, September 1, 2001); and on the digital download version of the deluxe U218 Singles release (Milan, July 2005). In 2011, members of the U2 fan club were given the opportunity to vote among 46 tracks recorded during The U2360° Tour, with the 22 tracks receiving the most votes to appear on the fan club album U22. A version of “All I Want is You,” recorded in Sydney, Australia on December 14, 2010 and segueing into “Love Rescue Me” as a single track, was among the 46 performances eligible. It received enough votes to make the album and appears as the lead track on Disc 2 of U22. In addition, the performance of “Bad” on Disc 1 of U22, recorded in Rome on October 8, 2010, contains an extended snippet of “All I Want is You.” “Unchained Melody” can be heard on the Zoo TV Live fan club album, recorded live in Sydney Australia in November 1993. A version performed only by Bono and The Edge in South Africa on November 29, 2003 can also be found on the 46664 concert release.

The full album version of “All I Want is You” was included on The Best of 1980-1990 compilation. At the end of the track there is a period of silence, after which the album version of “October” appears as a hidden track. The single edit of “All I Want is You” also appears on the soundtrack to the movie Reality Bites. “All I Want is You” is also featured in the 2011 movie Contagion, but there was no soundtrack album released. “Everlasting Love” was included on The Best of 1980-1990 & B-Sides compilation. It also appears on the Forces of Nature soundtrack album and can be heard in the movie Veronica Guerin, although it was not included on that film’s soundtrack release. “Unchained Melody” also featured on The Best of 1980-1990 & B-Sides compilation.

Liner Notes

All I Want is You:
Words by Bono. Music by U2. Produced by Jimmy Iovine. Recorded and mixed by David Trickle, A&M Studios, Hollywood. Assited by Rob Jacobs and Randy Wine. Edited by Rob Jacobs and Cheryl Engles. Strings arranged by Van Dyke Parks. Keyboards by Benmont Trench.

Unchained Melody:
Written by North / Zarrett. Produced by U2. Keyboards by Paul Barrett. Recorded and mixed by Paul Barrett, STS Studios, Dublin. Assisted by Ian Bryan.

Everlasting Love:
Written by Mac Gayden and Buzz Cason. Produced by U2. Piano by Paul Barrett. Engineered and mixed by Paul Barrett, STS Studios, Dublin. Assisted by Ian Bryan.

Artwork

Front cover photography by Anton Corbijn.
Back Cover photography by Lesley Howling / Barnaby’s.
Designed by DZN, The Design Group.

Related Promotional Videos

Related News

Catalog of Releases