"All I Wanted" by Paramore // Song Review

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Closing out Paramore's 2009 album Brand New Eyes, "All I Wanted" stands out as a defining moment in the band's discography. It is a transcendent and emotional ballad that stands apart from much of their pop punk sound up to that point. If anything, "All I Wanted" is undeniable proof that Hayley Williams is one of the greatest living vocalists. The sheer intensity of her voice, the way the emotions build until the song's explosive end - it's raw, powerful, and perfectly conveys the depth of feeling behind its message.

Originally titled "All I Wanted Was You", the song nearly didn’t make the album. Hayley wrote in a diary entry published in the Brand New Eyes deluxe release, "Just an 'emo' kind of day & I'm proud of the obscurity in the lyrics while still remaining pretty personal." 

Written alongside Taylor York, the song emerged from an isolating time in Hayley's life. "I wish there was an actual story for this song," Hayley said in an interview with Alternative Press in 2009. "The whole time we were writing and rehearsing at home, I was in this state where I wouldn't come out or go out unless it was to write with the guys. I spent so much time alone in my apartment that I think it started to mess with me and just make me really sad. One day, I went to practice and Taylor was playing this song. It was another one of his. It hit me and I just started writing whatever came to mind. 'All I Wanted' almost didn’t make the record. I can't remember why we didn't think it would work. We would've been pissed right now if it wasn't there."

At its core, "All I Wanted" is a message to someone she used to know. "Think of me when you're out, when you're out there, I'll beg you nice from my knees," she sings in the first verse. "And when the world treats you way too fairly, well, it's a shame I'm a dream."

The imagery in the third verse is also especially stunning, "I could follow you to the beginning, just to relive the start, and maybe then, we'd remember to slow down at all of our favorite parts". 

Hayley's powerhouse vocals repeat the simple statement, "All I wanted was you", growing more desperate and explosive with each line up until the very end is so breathtaking to hear every time. If you haven't already, you need to watch videos of her performing this song live, it's insane. She's such a force, effortlessly hitting every single note of a song that seems unbelievably difficult to sing. Seeing her pull it off with such precision and raw emotion is just incredible. Its soaring, intense climax makes "All I Wanted" one of the Paramore's most unforgettable moments of their career.



Check out my review of Paramore's This Is Why & the Record Store Day exclusive Re: This Is Why - plus more from my song of the week series here. ☆ Thanks for reading!
-Melissa ♡



Photo Credit: Zachary Gray via @paramore on Instagram


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