Songfacts®:

• "All I Want" is an A Day to Remember song that musically leans more toward their Pop-Punk side versus the heavier sound that characterizes some of their work. Jeremy McKinnon wrote the lyrics, and they feature the personal, confessional style that is typical of his work.
  
  In "All I Want", McKinnon grapples with his own fears, doubts, and desires and how to go about reconciling with them. It's both anguished and anthemic, a song that lays his woes out on a table but refuses to wallow in them, instead searching for an escape. This creates a theme of needing to take a chance, no matter how high the stakes. McKinnon has stated that he hopes to convey to the listener that, rather than dwell on your worries and doubts, it's better to simply move forward and progress your life.
• This was released as the lead single from the band's fourth album, What Separates Me From You. Critics lauded an increased mastery over their craft on the band's part, while critically the release was the band's most successful yet, peaking at #11 on the US Billboard 2000. When asked whether the album leaned more toward the band's Pop-Punk or heavy sound, McKinnon said he believed it served to expand both. He also stated the album was loosely based on the idea of choices, good and bad, how they can affect your life.
• The music video for the song features cameos from over twenty popular bands that A Day to Remember are friends with. Appearances include The Acacia Strain, Pierce the Veil, Silverstein, and As I Lay Dying.
• This was one of the last songs that McKinnon wrote for What Separates Me From You. He recalled to Kerrang!: "I was just sitting on my couch playing acoustic guitar, and I played the riff that it starts with. Immediately I heard the whole first verse and the entire chorus, and this song wrote itself in 15 minutes."
  
  "I showed it to the guys the next morning," he continued. "There were a couple of things I had to pitch a fit over to get my way, but it worked out that the best!"