All For You

Album: Palo Santo (2018)
Charted: 47
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Years & Years' frontman Olly Alexander's lyrics often feature spiritual iconography. "Worship" finds him likening his devotion towards a guy to reverence and adoration for a deity while "Sanctify" characterizes gay sex as a sacred act. Even Communion, the title of their debut album is also the name of a Christian sacrament.

    This club-ready song finds Alexander describing a relationship in which he's "kneeling at your temple." He also harkens back to the biblical story of Adam and Eve when calling love "a bitter fruit if you choose to remain in your shame." The singer's lover has even "instructed all the demons."

    Speaking to Beats 1's Zane Lowe, Alexander explained that he doesn't come from a religious background. Instead, he became fascinated with religious imagery growing up next to a churchyard.

    "I was so yearning to be a part of something," the singer said. "I think that's why, obviously, religion is really powerful. All the ritualism and symbolism and I'm just really drawn by all of that stuff. And also kind of how like obviously traditionally, the church has like very much shut out gay people, I'm kind of subverting that a little bit."
  • Olly Alexander explained the song's meaning in a track-by-track interview with iHeartRadio: "This song is about reflecting on a past relationship and being, like, 'Those things that you did and those things that you said, and the way that you treated me was more about you than it was about me.'"

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Stephen Christian of Anberlin

Stephen Christian of AnberlinSongwriter Interviews

The lead singer/lyricist for Anberlin breaks down "Impossible" and covers some tracks from their 2012 album Vital.

Emilio Castillo from Tower of Power

Emilio Castillo from Tower of PowerSongwriter Interviews

Emilio talks about what it's like to write and perform with the Tower of Power horns, and why every struggling band should have a friend like Huey Lewis.

Art Alexakis of Everclear

Art Alexakis of EverclearSongwriter Interviews

The lead singer of Everclear, Art is also their primary songwriter.

Graham Bonnet (Alcatrazz, Rainbow)

Graham Bonnet (Alcatrazz, Rainbow)Songwriter Interviews

Yngwie Malmsteen and Steve Vai were two of Graham's co-writers for some '80s rock classics.

They Might Be Giants

They Might Be GiantsSongwriter Interviews

Who writes a song about a name they found in a phone book? That's just one of the everyday things these guys find to sing about. Anything in their field of vision or general scope of knowledge is fair game. If you cross paths with them, so are you.

Who's Johnny, And Why Does He Show Up In So Many Songs

Who's Johnny, And Why Does He Show Up In So Many SongsSong Writing

For songwriters, Johnny represents the American man. He has been angry, cool, magic, a rebel and, of course, marching home.