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All I Ever Wanted (The Human League song)
Encyclopedia
"All I Ever Wanted" is a song by the British synthpop
group The Human League
. It is taken from the Secrets album of 2001 and was released as its first single. It is currently their most recent single released on a major label. It follows the standard Human League style of baritone
lead vocals of Philip Oakey
with choruses and incidentals jointly shared between female co-vocalists Joanne Catherall
and Susan Ann Sulley (credited for the first time under her married name,Gayle, causing some erroneous comment that 'Susan Sulley' had been replaced). The meticulous joint production of Q, Kerry Hopwood and Dave Clayton produced a modern sounding electronica
track that was critically well received. It was released in July 2001 and reached number 47 in the UK Singles Chart
.
in 1995. "All I Ever Wanted" was to be the first single from the album and with a professional promotional music video
filmed the single was expected to enter high up the UK charts heralding another return to form for the Human League similar to Octopus six years previously. Although keenly anticipated, Papillon dithered over the release date, with even Oakey stating he didn't know when the single would be eventually released.
The uncertain release date for "All I Ever Wanted" prompted worries from some in the industry that Papillon Records may have been having problems and there was also little in the way of advance promotion for the single for the public, save a token advertisement in UK's tabloid Red Tops.
To compound the problem in the UK, both BBC Radio 1 and 2 (who have a virtual monopoly on national airplay) refused to playlist the single. Alex Jones-Donnely, head of music programming for BBC Radio 1 claimed that the audience would not be able to 'connect' with the Human League's new single adding that it was too 'retro'. It was also claimed that with Oakey in his late 40s and the girls (Susan Sulley and Joanne Catherall) both 39, the group didn't meet Radio 1's self-imposed demographic target audience of teenagers and 20-somethings. Philip Oakey was stoical in the face of such hostility simply responding that "it was their station, they can play what they want". Ironically, Radio 1 and 2 have played the band's 2011 singles "Night People" and "Never Let Me Go".
The single was finally released on July 23, 2001, but it soon became apparent that Papillon lacked the distribution power and the will to promote the single. Most stores in the UK didn't get the single on the crucial first day of release and many fans reported problems across the country. Despite this, midweek chart figures had the single down as a hit within the top 30 but as limited stocks sold out - the single dropped. The distribution chaos sealed the single's fate and the single scraped into the UK charts at number 47, it remained at the lower end of the charts for a further two weeks before disappearing. It was the first time that the premier track from a Human League studio album had failed to make the top 20. Philip Oakey was also quick to defend Papillon Records against criticisms regarding the lack of promotion responding that the label had spent much time, effort and money on the recording of Secrets, but privately the band were devastated. Worse was yet to come with the subsequent failure of the entire album due in no part to the winding up of Papillon Records by Chrysalis mid-issue.
The music video
was filmed on a moderate budget on a small studio set. The theme has as its influence the film 2001: A Space Odyssey
. This fit in with the modern-sounding track and its obvious year of release. In keeping with the promotional videos from the Octopus album, there is no storyline. Only Oakey, Sulley and Catherall appear, all dressed in black against a futuristic white set. As the band's age was a contentious issue, the standard filmmakers' technique of making the band appear younger by the use of bright lighting and high exposure is applied. This worked well for the darker complexions of Oakey and Catherall, but the lighter skin and blonde hair of Sulley made her appear over exposed throughout the video. The overall result however was a modern-looking professional music video which would have been acceptable to the various music television
channels. It now appears on the Very Best of the Human League DVD.
, but there are a number of unofficial sites on-line:
Synthpop
Synthpop is a genre of popular music that first became prominent in the 1980s, in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic art rock, disco and particularly the "Kraut rock" of...
group The Human League
The Human League
The Human League are an English electronic New Wave band formed in Sheffield in 1977. They achieved popularity after a key change in line-up in the early 1980s and have continued recording and performing with moderate commercial success throughout the 1980s up to the present day.The only constant...
. It is taken from the Secrets album of 2001 and was released as its first single. It is currently their most recent single released on a major label. It follows the standard Human League style of baritone
Baritone
Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
lead vocals of Philip Oakey
Philip Oakey
Philip Oakey is an English composer, singer, songwriter and producer.He is best known as the lead singer, frontman and co-founder of the famous English synthpop band The Human League. He has also had an extensive solo music career and collaborated with numerous other artists and producers...
with choruses and incidentals jointly shared between female co-vocalists Joanne Catherall
Joanne Catherall
Joanne Catherall is an English singer; best known as one of the two female vocalists of the veteran English synthpop band The Human League.Born and raised in Sheffield, England...
and Susan Ann Sulley (credited for the first time under her married name,Gayle, causing some erroneous comment that 'Susan Sulley' had been replaced). The meticulous joint production of Q, Kerry Hopwood and Dave Clayton produced a modern sounding electronica
Electronica
Electronica includes a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; however, unlike electronic dance music, it is not specifically made for dancing...
track that was critically well received. It was released in July 2001 and reached number 47 in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
.
Background
The Human League had recently signed to Papillon Records, a subsidiary of the Chrysalis Group. Papillon were set up to capitalize on so called 'heritage acts' (bands with a large and established fan base) and the Human League were to become their headline band. However the label was in financial difficulties as previous releases had failed to realize Papillon Records' investments and Chrysalis were unwilling to further invest. The band recorded the studio album Secrets, their first since OctopusOctopus (Human League album)
Octopus is the seventh full-length studio album recorded by British synthpop band The Human League. It was produced by former Tears for Fears keyboardist Ian Stanley and released by EastWest Records in 1995. It was the first new album from the Human League in five years after the termination of...
in 1995. "All I Ever Wanted" was to be the first single from the album and with a professional promotional music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
filmed the single was expected to enter high up the UK charts heralding another return to form for the Human League similar to Octopus six years previously. Although keenly anticipated, Papillon dithered over the release date, with even Oakey stating he didn't know when the single would be eventually released.
The uncertain release date for "All I Ever Wanted" prompted worries from some in the industry that Papillon Records may have been having problems and there was also little in the way of advance promotion for the single for the public, save a token advertisement in UK's tabloid Red Tops.
To compound the problem in the UK, both BBC Radio 1 and 2 (who have a virtual monopoly on national airplay) refused to playlist the single. Alex Jones-Donnely, head of music programming for BBC Radio 1 claimed that the audience would not be able to 'connect' with the Human League's new single adding that it was too 'retro'. It was also claimed that with Oakey in his late 40s and the girls (Susan Sulley and Joanne Catherall) both 39, the group didn't meet Radio 1's self-imposed demographic target audience of teenagers and 20-somethings. Philip Oakey was stoical in the face of such hostility simply responding that "it was their station, they can play what they want". Ironically, Radio 1 and 2 have played the band's 2011 singles "Night People" and "Never Let Me Go".
The single was finally released on July 23, 2001, but it soon became apparent that Papillon lacked the distribution power and the will to promote the single. Most stores in the UK didn't get the single on the crucial first day of release and many fans reported problems across the country. Despite this, midweek chart figures had the single down as a hit within the top 30 but as limited stocks sold out - the single dropped. The distribution chaos sealed the single's fate and the single scraped into the UK charts at number 47, it remained at the lower end of the charts for a further two weeks before disappearing. It was the first time that the premier track from a Human League studio album had failed to make the top 20. Philip Oakey was also quick to defend Papillon Records against criticisms regarding the lack of promotion responding that the label had spent much time, effort and money on the recording of Secrets, but privately the band were devastated. Worse was yet to come with the subsequent failure of the entire album due in no part to the winding up of Papillon Records by Chrysalis mid-issue.
12" Vinyl
- A1 "All I Ever Wanted" (Oliver Lieb's Main Mix) 7:41
- A2 "All I Ever Wanted" (Oliver Lieb's Alternative Mix) 7:10
- B1 "All I Ever Wanted" (The Vanity Case Mix) 6:02
- B2 "All I Ever Wanted" (The Vanity Case Instrumental Mix) 5:59
CD 1
- "All I Ever Wanted" (Dave Bascombe Album Mix) 3:32
- "Tranquility" 3:28
- "All I Ever Wanted" (Vanity Case Mix) 6:02
CD 2
- "All I Ever Wanted" (Original Mix) 3:55
- "All I Ever Wanted" (Oliver Lieb Main Mix) 7:41
- "All I Ever Wanted" (Video) 3:33 4
Versions
Two main versions of the song exist:- The original version, which features on CD2 and their 2003 greatest hits compilation.
- The album version, remixed by Dave Bascombe, which is faster and features much more instrumentation than the sparse original version.
Music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
was filmed on a moderate budget on a small studio set. The theme has as its influence the film 2001: A Space Odyssey
2001: A Space Odyssey (film)
2001: A Space Odyssey is a 1968 epic science fiction film produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick, and co-written by Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke, partially inspired by Clarke's short story The Sentinel...
. This fit in with the modern-sounding track and its obvious year of release. In keeping with the promotional videos from the Octopus album, there is no storyline. Only Oakey, Sulley and Catherall appear, all dressed in black against a futuristic white set. As the band's age was a contentious issue, the standard filmmakers' technique of making the band appear younger by the use of bright lighting and high exposure is applied. This worked well for the darker complexions of Oakey and Catherall, but the lighter skin and blonde hair of Sulley made her appear over exposed throughout the video. The overall result however was a modern-looking professional music video which would have been acceptable to the various music television
Music television
Music television is a type of television programming which focuses predominantly on playing music videos from bands, usually on dedicated television channels broadcasting on satellite or cable. Music TVs may host their own shows charts, award prizes. Examples are VIVA, Scuzz, MTV, JBTV, MuchMusic,...
channels. It now appears on the Very Best of the Human League DVD.
External links
The Human League does not have an official websiteWebsite
A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
, but there are a number of unofficial sites on-line: