All I Wanna Do

Album: Tuesday Night Music Club (1993)
Charted: 4 2
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  • Lyrics currently unavailable Writer/s: Bill Bottrell, David Francis Baerwald, Kevin M Gilbert, Sheryl Suzanne Crow, Wyn Cooper
    Publisher: Audiam, Inc., Downtown Music Publishing, Reservoir Media Management, Inc., Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, The Administration MP, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.

Comments: 14

  • Roy M from Lodi, CaWe were in LA on vacation back then. We were driving down Santa Monica Blvd. My two daughters were being loud and obnoxious. I put on All I Want to Do on the cassette and told the girls to be on the lookout for Sheryl Crow. “She should be singing in front of a bar across from a giant car wash. It instantly caused the girls to stop bickering and look for Sheryl. It went on longer than I expected as they were trying hard to find Sheryl singing on the street. I know it was a fib , but it worked to quiet down the girls. I’ll never forget that and remember it every time I hear All I Want To Do.
  • Brad B - Uk from WisbechI recently went tonSanta Monica Boulevard to watch the sun go down. Im not sure it would be as impressive watching it come up. Mind you if you have been up all night drinking in the warm Californian sun I'm sure it would be nice to the sun rise.
  • Terry G from Fort Worth, TxThe line about "a guy named Willie or Mack or Buddy" is actually a reference to a guy I went to school with- Willie Wilson, stage named Willie Mack- who was from Hico, TX but moved to Nashville and was friends with Sheryl when they were both struggling unknown songwriters.
  • Cj from Orange CountySomething bugged me about this song since release. I take issue with the sun coming up over Santa Monica boulevard. From which bar can you see sunrise over smblvd? Thought this while standing in the alleyway of one of the research bars.
  • Luke from London, UkI remember late '94. I first heard this song on the radio. Talk about earworm! I think I drove my mates a bit nuts because I couldn't stop singing it. And this was when I was into the likes of Megadeth and Pantera.
  • Bill from Sacramento, CaThe poem "fun" by Wyn Cooper is based upon his personal relationship with the character in Crow's song. That's right, "Billy, Mac or Buddy" was a real person. Bill Ripley is called the "most unlikely muse" by another friend of his (and Wyn's). His signature line was "All I want do do is have a little fun before I die." The poem "Fun" was written after Wyn and Bill Ripley had spent an afternoon together in a Utah bar. But it's really about Bill and the kind of person he was. When you think about it, it really changes the meaning when you consider "Fun" was written by a man by another man, and not a rather sultry beauty like Sheryl Crow. But I would give David Rothman's explanation a good read, and some good thought. It will bring a whole new meaning to this song. Find it here: http://www.cprw.com/the-most-unlikely-muse-bill-ripley By the way, Wyn does receive royalties and has received enough, apparently, to retire.
  • Earl from Carlisle, PaI bought TNMC when it first came out for the song Run Baby Run. I totally hated All I Wanna Do at first. I could never get passed the "this ain't no disco" line. About a year later, during one of my daily hour and a half commutes to work, this song came on. It was one of those "where have I heard this song before?" moments. When I got home I dug out that year old CD and was surprised to find it was that "crappy disco" song I hated so much. Needless to say, it grew on me and is now one of the most played songs on my IPOD. Good times, great oldies.
  • John from Fort Worth, TxI remember when I first heard this song while driving to work one day ca 1993 or 1994 (today's date is Oct. 23, '07). To me, it had such a '70s sound and I loved it. I thought it had to be from that earlier era. I made a mental note to learn more about it and I was very surprised to learn that it had been only recently recorded. I didn't hear it again until a short time later when I listened to a 'dance music' tape and the song had been sped up, enhanced, etc. I still loved it in spite of all that and I was determined to hear the original, non-enhanced version again. To this day, I love the song and Sheryl Crow for having given me such an significant memory for my life experiences.
    John Martin, 46
  • Dave from Cardiff, WalesAmy Studt scored a UK hit in 2004 with a cover version of this song
  • Jo-c from Lima, PeruGreat slide guitar!
  • Jo from Newcastle, AustraliaMatt's link don't work. This one does though, and yeah, she HAS "borrowed" the poet's words...
    http://ahsahtapress.boisestate.edu/books/cooper.htm
    Did he get any royalties or songwriting credit for this?
  • Dee from Salt Lake City, UtMs. Crow owes a huge debt of gratitude to Kevin Gilbert, her erstwhile boyfriend shortly before she shot to fame. He was the best dead artist you never heard of, but a brilliant musical genius just the same. I believe he produced a great part of her break-out album. And as with great creative genius input which is no longer available to the artist, no brilliant follow-ups have emerged from Ms. Crow. Check out Kevin Gilbert's groups, Toy Matinee, Giraffe. His rock Opera is an absolute genius recording that never got the recognition or fame it deserved!
  • Scott from St. Louis, MoThis song is like a 90's "Piano Man." Forgive me if this comment is "apropos of nothing."
  • Matt from Beverly Hills, CaThe lyrics for the song are closely based on the poem "Fun" by Wyn Cooper (available at http://english.boisestate.edu/mfa/oldahsahta/books/cooper.htm). Crow had written the music for the song but was unhappy with the accompanying lyrics. Her producer bought her ten random books of poetry and Crow adapted "Fun" to accompany the music. Cooper is listed as a co-writer and receives royalties from the song.
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