"All the Small Things" was the second single released from the Blink-182's third album Enema of the State. Written by guitarist Tom DeLonge for his girlfriend, the song is one of Blink-182's most popular songs and is often considered their signature song.
The single was the band's first number 1 hit and it exposed the band to a whole new audience.
Song background and information[]
Blink-182 guitarist Tom DeLonge wrote the song about his then girlfriend (later wife) Jennifer Jenkins. According to DeLonge, it wasn't just about Jenkins: "I wanted to write a song with na-nas in it, 'cause I love the Ramones. So I thought, I'll write this song about my chick, and it'll be an ode to the Ramones, too." The line in the song about "roses by the stairs" was inspired by a real-life night where DeLonge came home from recording and found roses laying at the top of the stairs.
"All the Small Things" stuck out instantly among the demos for Enema of the State. In a 2004 interview, bassist Mark Hoppus recalled "I thought it was great. It had this cool catchiness that we liked immediately." Tom DeLonge stated that after production was done for the song, "we sat back listened, and got goosebumps. Chills." DeLonge predicted the song would be a hit on the radio, stating in the same interview: "I was like, 'Fuck, radio will probably love this!' "
The working title for this song was Babycakes Buttermuffin.
The album version of the song segues from "Adam's Song". The album version was released as a single, with the regular opening two chords.
Chart success[]
Although one source states the single was released in December 1999, most sources agree the single was released January 18, 2000. The song peaked at number 1 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart. The song reached number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100, the highest Blink-182 has received on that respective chart. The song also charted very well in other countries, most notably the United Kingdom, where it peaked at number 2. The single was certified platinum in Australia.
The single was received positively, and labeled "a pop punk watershed" by Jonah Weiner of Blender. The song has been a staple of Blink's live set since the single's heyday.
In popular culture[]
"All the Small Things" was released on the UK compilation album Now That's What I Call Music! 45 (2000) and the US edition of Now That's What I Call Music! 4 (2000). Before it was released on CD it was used in the TV show "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (season 4, episode 9 - Something Blue). The song is played during the end credits of the 2000 film, Charlie's Angels. It can be heard in the 2002 film Clockstoppers, and is also present on its soundtrack. Alvin and the Chipmunks covered the song for their 2008 album Undeniable. The song has been used frequently in music video games. It was released as downloadable content for Rock Band and Guitar Hero 5, and is part of the setlist for Guitar Hero: On Tour and the iPhone version of Rock Band. Covers are present in the video games Rock Revolution and Alvin and the Chipmunks.
When originally released, the song was performed on Saturday Night Live along with "What's My Age Again?" on January 8, 2000 on the season 25 episode hosted by Jamie Foxx. As a testament to the song's lasting popular impact, it was performed on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno twice: first on October 15, 1999, and second after Blink 182's reformation on May 19, 2009. A United Kingdom|British television series named after the song was broadcast on BBC One in 2009. In one of the hit animated sitcom Family Guy's star wars tributes, specifically the latest "It's a Trap!", Peter can be heard singing the song after Quagmire states the Ewoks "Seem to think I'm some sort of god.", to which Peter ironically exclaims "And they seem to think I'm Sum 41!" before proceeding to sing the first line of "All the Small Things".
Music video[]
The music video for the song, directed by Marcos Siega, features the band parodying various pop videos produced by a number of artists, most notably boy bands such as the Backstreet Boys ("I Want It That Way") and 98 Degrees ("Because of You"), but also pop artists such as Britney Spears ("Sometimes"), Christina Aguilera ("Genie in a Bottle"), Sugar Ray ("Someday"), Westlife, Ricky Martin ("Livin La Vida Loca"), *NSYNC ("Tearin' Up My Heart") and Five. Siega had previously directed the video for "What's My Age Again?".
The clip was shot August 5 and 6, 1999 on location at the Van Nuys Airport and Santa Monica Beach. The video premiered September 20, 1999 on MTV’s Making the Video. The video was named "Best Video" at the 2000 Kerrang! Awards, as well as nabbing "Best Group Video" at the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards.
Guitarist Tom DeLonge said of the video: We want to do a video that's like, directly like a boy band video, because we figure we're just as hot and we look good wet and we dance and we can fit in tight clothes just like everyone else, you know?
During rehearsals for the video, bassist Mark Hoppus met his future wife, Skye Everly. According to a 2004 interview, Everly, who was then an MTV talent executive, initially said no to dating Hoppus: "Tom [DeLonge] always used to embarrass me. Any girl he'd talk to, he'd say, 'Hey, you wanna go on a date with Mark?' He asked Skye [Everly], my wife, who looked at me and said 'No.' That's how it all started." Hoppus would marry Everly on December 2, 2000.
In 2011, the British boy band One Direction released their first music video - "What Makes You Beautiful". In 2012, a blogger at BuzzFeed noticed the similarities between the music videos. Surprisingly, they were both shot at Santa Monica Beach, with the noticeable rock shapes behind both bands. Later the media jokes that Blink-182 parodied One Direction 11 years ago, even before they were formed.