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"All I Ask"
Song by Adele
from the album 25
Released20 November 2015 (2015-11-20)
StudioGlenwood Recording Studios, Burbank, California
GenrePop
Length4:31
LabelXL
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)The Smeezingtons

"All I Ask" is a song by English singer-songwriter Adele for her third studio album, 25 (2015). The song was written by Adele, Bruno Mars, Philip Lawrence and Christopher Brody Brown, with production by The Smeezingtons. Adele has said that she had fun making the song with Mars, though the pair disagreed over the lyric, "Take me by the hand while we do what lovers do". Backed by a piano, the pop torch ballad describes the singer looking for one last night with her partner, before the couple separate.

It was well received by music critics, who praised the singer's vocal performance. "All I Ask" peaked at number 41 on the UK Singles Chart and at number 77 on the US Billboard Hot 100. The song also charted at numbers 66 and 65 in France and Australia, respectively. It was certified gold by Music Canada (MC) and silver by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). Adele performed it during several shows, including The Ellen DeGeneres Show and the 58th Annual Grammy Awards, both in February 2016. It was performed on selected dates during her Adele Live 2016 tour.

Background and production

Though Bruno Mars had a "big, diva, ballad thing" in mind,[1] he and Adele Adkins began conducting sessions for her third studio album, 25 (2015), initially attempting to create an uptempo song.[2] When the duo began writing, Adele kept saying, "I don't want to do this, I don't like that", until they played a few chords that she liked and "All I Ask" was created.[3] According to Mars, like a scene from the 1993 film Jurassic Park, Adele made water vibrate while recording the song in a studio booth.[3] On a similar note, according to the song's engineer, Charles Moniz, Adele's vocals caused an assistant to drop a cup of tea during the recording, saying that "he thought it was done and she belted out a note".[4] Adele considers the vocals on "All I Ask" her most "showoff-y".[2] Adele and Mars disagreed over the lyric, "Take me by the hand while we do what lovers do", but Mars later changed his mind and said that "lovers" is "this grand word that makes the song bigger because no one says it. Because nobody talks like that, it pops out".[1] They completed the song in two sessions.[1] Adele has remarked, "[C]an you imagine the fun me and Bruno had making that?"[5]

"All I Ask" was written by Adkins, Mars, Philip Lawrence and Christopher Brody Brown, with production by The Smeezingtons. Brown and Greg Phillinganes played the piano on the song, while Moniz, with engineering assistant Jacob Dennis, engineered the track. Tom Elmhirst mixed "All I Ask" at Electric Lady Studios in Greenwich Village, with Joe Visciano serving as the mix assistant. It was mastered by Tom Coyne and Randy Merrill, with Ryan Smith mastering the vinyl version.[6]

Composition

"All I Ask"
A 27-second sample of "All I Ask"'s chorus, which strips back the instrumentation to piano only, and sets Adele "gusting over the octaves".[7]
Problems playing this file? See media help.

Inspired by American singer-songwriter Billy Joel, piano is the song's only instrumentation.[7][8] The pop song is a love ballad which discusses the theme of melancholia, making use of "tidy, fast piano patterns".[9][10] The singer ask her lover to spend a final night with her before they part ways.[11] She processes the end of the relationship "in what feels like slow motion" according to Rolling Stone's Jon Dolan.[12] "All I Ask" is written in the key of E Major (and changes to F major at the third chorus) with a tempo of 71 beats per minute in common time, and follows a chord progression of E–G♯m–Asus2–B in the verses with her vocals spanning from E3 to D5.[13] Paste's Holly Gleason described "All I Ask" as a "'last time we make love' song", adding that it is "pure torch" and serves as an invitation to progress beyond, but "stay in the moment and enjoy it completely" for a while.[14]

Neil McCormick of The Telegraph described the song as a "deep, resonant piano ballad".[15] Mic's Liz Rowley wrote that the song leaves the listener with "a solid sense of accepting love lost, and clears up the dreadful finality that resignation brings with it" adding that it "arrives at an emotional plane that's devastating yet utterly relatable".[16] Tom Breihan of Stereogum called "All I Ask" a "weeper" and likened it to the work of American singer Barbra Streisand.[17] Writing for Entertainment Weekly, Leah Greenblatt described the song as a "palatial piano ballad" and as a "classic vehicle soaked in stately production and minor-key melancholy".[18]

Critical reception

"All I Ask" was well received by most music critics. Sarah Rodman of The Boston Globe called it a "whopper of an 11 o'clock number" that transitions from "plaintive" to "soaring".[19] Writing for PopMatters, Chris Gerard called the song a "showstopping highlight" and a "gorgeous ballad", describing Adele's vocal performance as "absolutely thrilling", but noted that it "[has] a little of that sappiness that often infects love ballads".[20] The New York Times' Jon Caramanica listed "All I Ask" as the fifth best song of 2015.[21] In a rave review, he observed a palpable gear shift and called the song a "masterpiece", adding that it is "even bigger than the legend".[22] Natalie Finn of E! felt its lyric, "It matters how this ends / cause what if I never love again?", was the most emotional on 25.[23]

Vanity Fair's Josh Duboff opined that a listener was most likely to sing "All I Ask" "in [their] shower again and again".[24] Christina Garibaldi of MTV called it a "song of desperation", adding that it is "so emotional" that the listener can "feel Adele's heart break into a million pieces".[25] Writing for Entertainment Weekly, Leah Greenblatt felt the song was a "classic ... soaked in stately production and minor-key melancholy" that affirmed Adele is not the same as on her previous album "pouring out the pain of her pulverized heart", but someone who can connect with "tender emotions".[18] In May 2018, Chuck Arnold ranked the song as Adele's eighth best for Billboard, calling it a "killer ballad" saying Adele is a "vocal beast all over it".[26]

Chart performance

Following the release of 25, "All I Ask" debuted at its peak of number 66 on the French Singles Chart.[27] It also debuted at number 60 on the Scottish Singles Chart and at number 77 on the Billboard Hot 100.[28][29] Following her Carpool Karaoke performance in January 2016,[30] the song entered at number 65 on the Australian Singles Chart,[31] number 21 on the Finnish Download Chart, number 93 on the Irish Singles Chart and number 41 on the UK Singles Chart.[32][33][34] It subsequently rose to a new peak on the Scottish Singles Chart, reaching number 12.[35] On Canadian Digital Songs, "All I Ask" managed to reach number 34 in March 2016.[36] The song peaked at number eight on the Netherlands Digital Songs chart. On Sweden Digital Songs, it reached number nine.[37] "All I Ask" subsequently reached number five on the UK Indie Songs chart issue dated 22 January 2016.[38] It was certified gold by Music Canada (MC) and silver by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).[39][40]

Live performances and cover

Adele singing at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee during her Adele Live 2016 tour

Adele first performed the song on Adele Live in New York City, which was recorded at Radio City Music Hall on 17 November 2015 and broadcast on NBC on 14 December 2015.[41][42] In a positive review, Lily Karlin of the Huffington Post referred to it as "honestly unreal" and a performance "for the ages".[41] Elle's Alyssa Bailey described the performance as "breathtaking" and said the listener would be "blown away" by Adele's voice.[42] During an episode of The Late Late Show with James Corden in January 2016, Adele included "All I Ask" on the Carpool Karaoke segment.[43][30]

She performed the song at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony on 15 February 2016, experiencing technical issues with the sound caused by the piano microphones.[44] In response to the incident, she posted an explanation on Twitter: "The piano mics fell on to the piano strings, that's what the guitar sound was. It made it sound out of tune".[45] Neil Portnow, president of The Recording Academy, claimed responsibility for the problem, stating "that was all an issue on our behalf".[46] Two days later, Adele performed "All I Ask" on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.[47] This performance was well received. Rappler wrote that Adele "slay[ed]" the song on Ellen.[48] Ella Ceron of Teen Vogue shared that opinion, writing that "she slays it, naturally", and adding that she performed the song with all the power and emotion "we've come to expect" from her.[49] The Wall Street Journal's Sarene Leeds wrote that the singer "redeem[ed]" herself in the eyes of the public with the "stunning rendition".[50]

Adele performed "All I Ask" on selected dates during her Adele Live 2016 tour.[51][52] Bruno Mars and his band, The Hooligans, covered the song during the BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge on 2 November 2016.[53]

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of 25[6]

Locations

Personnel

Charts

Chart (2015–16) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[31] 65
Canada (Hot Canadian Digital Songs)[36] 34
Finland Download (Latauslista)[32] 21
France (SNEP)[27] 66
Ireland (IRMA)[33] 93
Netherlands Digital Songs (Billboard)[37] 8
Scotland (OCC)[35] 12
South Korea International Chart (Gaon)[54] 17
Sweden Digital Songs (Billboard)[37] 9
UK Singles (OCC)[34] 41
UK Indie (OCC)[38] 5
US Billboard Hot 100[29] 77

Certifications and sales

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[39] Gold 40,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[40] Silver 200,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ a b c Eells, Josh (2 November 2016). "Bruno Mars: The Private Anxiety of a Pop Perfectionist". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 3 November 2016. Retrieved 2 November 2016.
  2. ^ a b Hiatt, Brian (3 November 2015). "Adele: Inside Her Private Life and Triumphant Return". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 21 September 2016. Retrieved 4 November 2015.
  3. ^ a b Stutz, Colin (26 October 2016). "Bruno Mars on Working With 'Diva' Adele: 'She's Just a Superstar'". Billboard. Archived from the original on 17 June 2017. Retrieved 2 June 2017.
  4. ^ Smith, Dennis (6 February 2016). "Burlington sound engineer knows his Uptown Funk". Inside Halton. Archived from the original on 23 March 2020. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  5. ^ Feeney, Nolan (27 October 2015). "The 6 Most Interesting Parts of Adele's First Interview in 3 Years". Time. Archived from the original on 6 June 2019. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  6. ^ a b 25 (booklet). Adele. London: XL Records. 2015.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  7. ^ a b Rosen, Jody (19 November 2015). "Adele Powers Through a Lifetime of Regret & Weariness on '25'". Billboard. Archived from the original on 7 June 2016. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
  8. ^ LeDonne, Rob (15 December 2015). "Adele: Live in New York City review – a performance for the ages". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 16 January 2016. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
  9. ^ McKee, Hannah (19 November 2015). "Review of Adele's album 25". Stuff. Retrieved 17 January 2016.
  10. ^ Garratt, Rob (21 November 2015). "Adele's 25 track-by-track". The National. Archived from the original on 25 December 2015. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
  11. ^ Wickman, Forrest (19 November 2015). "Adele's 25: A Track-by-Track Breakdown". Slate. Archived from the original on 21 January 2016. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
  12. ^ Dolan, Jon (23 November 2015). "Adele's New Album: 25". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 25 November 2015. Retrieved 23 November 2015.
  13. ^ "All I Ask by Adele". Musicnotes. Archived from the original on 13 March 2016. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
  14. ^ Gleason, Holly (10 November 2015). "Adele: 25 Review". Paste. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
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  23. ^ Finn, Natalie (20 November 2015). "The Most Emotional Lyrics From Adele's 25, Ranked in Order of Devastation". E!. Archived from the original on 2 January 2016. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
  24. ^ Duboff, Josh (19 November 2015). "This Will Be the Breakout Track from Adele's New Album". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on 25 January 2016. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
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  29. ^ a b "Adele Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 23 February 2016.
  30. ^ a b Bailey, Alyssa (14 January 2016). "Yes, Adele's Carpool Karaoke Is the Best Thing Ever". Elle. Archived from the original on 15 January 2016. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
  31. ^ a b "ARIA Report: Issue 1352 (Week Commencing 25 January 2016)" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. p. 4. Archived (PDF) from the original on 22 April 2017. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
  32. ^ a b "Adele: All I Ask" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved 23 January 2016.
  33. ^ a b "Chart Track: Week 3, 2016". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 23 January 2016.
  34. ^ a b "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 January 2016.
  35. ^ a b "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 January 2016.
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  38. ^ a b "Official Independent Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
  39. ^ a b "Canadian single certifications – Adele – All I Ask". Music Canada. Retrieved 11 May 2017.
  40. ^ a b "British single certifications – Adele – All I Ask". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 11 May 2018. Select singles in the Format field. Select Silver in the Certification field. Type All I Ask in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  41. ^ a b Karlin, Lily (15 December 2015). "Adele's Live 'All I Ask' Performance In New York City Is Honestly Unreal". The Huffington Post. Archived from the original on 29 February 2016. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
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  43. ^ Owoseje, Toyin (15 January 2016). "#CarpoolKaraoke: Nicki Minaj crowns Adele 'queen' after Monster rap on The Late Late Show With James Corden". International Business Times. Archived from the original on 16 January 2016. Retrieved 17 January 2016.
  44. ^ Kimble, Lindsay (16 February 2016). "Adele Blames 'Piano Mics' For Grammys Audio Issues – Says She's Treating Herself to an In-N-Out Burger". People. Archived from the original on 18 February 2016. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
  45. ^ "Adele responds to Grammy sound problems with the BEST ever Tweets". Irish Examiner. 16 February 2016. Archived from the original on 21 April 2016. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
  46. ^ Reed, Ryan (15 February 2016). "Adele Delivers Determined 'All I Ask' Amid Sound Problems at Grammys". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 17 February 2016. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  47. ^ Geslani, Michelle (18 February 2016). "Adele performs 'All I Ask' and 'When We Were Young' on Ellen". Consequence of Sound. Archived from the original on 20 February 2016. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
  48. ^ "Adele slays 'All I Ask' on 'Ellen' after Grammys mic glitch". Rappler. 18 February 2016. Archived from the original on 19 February 2016. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
  49. ^ Ceron, Ella (18 February 2016). "Watch Adele Perform 'All I Ask' the Way She Meant To at the Grammys". Teen Vogue. Archived from the original on 24 February 2016. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
  50. ^ Leeds, Sarene (18 February 2016). "Adele Performs 'All I Ask' on 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show'". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 10 November 2016. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
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  52. ^ Bream, Jon (6 July 2016). "Set list and more thoughts about Adele's first night at the X". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on 12 November 2016. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
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  54. ^ "South Korea Gaon International Chart (Week: November 15, 2015 to November 21, 2015)". Gaon Chart. Archived from the original on 1 April 2016. Retrieved 1 December 2015.
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