All of Me Is (Almost) All You Need
By Aaron Wulff
John Legend’s “All of Me” is a powerful piano ballad, and I’m pretty sure it works as a potent love elixir too. Who hasn’t put a couple of “Legend-ary” tracks on their wine and candlelight playlist?
It’s also become a popular first dance song for many couples. Because Legend wrote it as a letter to his fiance at the time (Chrissy Teigen), the lyrics and emotion deliver a nice dose of authentic sincerity. There’s even a country version if that’s more your style.
In an interview with Fuse, Legend says: “The song is saying things that balance each other out: even when I lose, I’m winning; my head’s under water, but I’m breathing fine; I give you all of me, you give me all of you. At the same time as you’re giving everything up, you’re gaining everything, and that’s what the whole song is about. If you’re in love and you connect, then even when you’re giving things up, you’re gaining so much from it.”
How danceable is it?
The song is stripped down and basic, featuring Legend’s vocals and a piano. This combination can make it hard to find a steady beat in the song, but the arrangement is consistent and the piano is solid enough that grooms and leaders should be able to keep time.
With a tempo of 126 beats per minute, this will feel on the “faster side” of slow for a box step.
There aren’t many surprises in the song. The piano cuts out midway, but the gap is short. The song tempo also slows at the beginning, but neither of these should be a major concern.
The song length is a chunky 4:29. I recommend trimming it so it doesn’t feel long to you or your crowd. The bridge of the song where Legend cranks it up a notch at about 3:10 is arguably the best part, so see if you can include it.
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