All Kinds of Kinds

Album: Four the Record (2011)
Charted: 89
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Miranda celebrates the diversity of humanity on this bluegrass-influenced tune. Amongst the different characters the singer references are Horatio the Human Cannonball, a dog-faced boy, a congressman who is a closeted cross-dresser and a pharmacist who secretly feeds herself and her family pills. Truly, "It takes all kinds of kinds," Miranda sings, "to keep the world spinning."
  • The song was co-written by veteran singer-songwriter Don Henry, who in 1990 co-penned Kathy Mattea's Grammy-winning tune, "Where've You Been." The other writer was Country Music artist Phillip Coleman, who penned in 2008 the original version of Ronnie Dunn's hit "Cost of Livin'".
  • Lambert is accompanied on the chorus by Texas Country/Red Dirt artist Stoney LaRue, whose Velvet longplayer reached the top 20 of the Billboard country album chart in 2011.
  • Lambert said: "'All Kinds of Kinds' is such a different song. To me, I heard this — my producer sent it to me — and I don't know, I just identified with it immediately."
    She added: "I found my niche, I found my spot in country music, and everyone's uplifted me through that, and winnin' awards and havin' hits, but I still feel like I'm a little bit different. And I'm glad for that."
  • Directed by Bluford Sanders, the video intercuts footage of Lambert rehearsing the song informally, clips from her live show, and black and white shots of ordinary people holding up whiteboards on which they have written messages as to what kind of person they are.

Comments: 1

  • G_rod from SeattleThis song ostensibly "celebrates the diversity of humanity," but it uses some rather unsavory examples. I'm not so sure that we need circus freakshows (which ostracized and subjugated those with physical abnormalities as something less than human), cross-dressing politicians with dark skeletons in the closet, and pharmacist moms who feed their young children Ritalin without their knowledge, to "keep the world spinning." Odd song with lyrics in its verses that seem to undercut the sentiment of its chorus.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Oliver Leiber

Oliver LeiberSongwriter Interviews

Oliver Leiber talks about writing and producing hits for Paula Abdul, and explains his complicated relationship with his father, the songwriter Jerry Leiber.

Bible Lyrics

Bible LyricsMusic Quiz

Rockers, rappers and pop stars have been known to quote the Bible in their songs. See if you match the artist to the biblical lyric.

The 10 Bands Most Like Spinal Tap

The 10 Bands Most Like Spinal TapSong Writing

Based on criteria like girlfriend tension, stage mishaps and drummer turnover, these are the 10 bands most like Spinal Tap.

Is That Song Public Domain?

Is That Song Public Domain?Fact or Fiction

Are classic songs like "Over The Rainbow" and "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" in the public domain?

Peter Lord

Peter LordSongwriter Interviews

You may not recognize his name, but you will certainly recognize Peter Lord's songs. He wrote the bevy of hits from Paula Abdul's second album, Spellbound.

What Musicians Are Related to Other Musicians?

What Musicians Are Related to Other Musicians?Song Writing

A big list of musical marriages and family relations ranging from the simple to the truly dysfunctional.