All I Need

About this song

Radiohead had been working on new material in the fall of 2005, and the song appeared on a blackboard of nearly 40 titles the band posted on its Dead Air Space blog, though it was left off the shorter list prepared for their tour. The band first performed it on June 20, 2006, at the Auditorium Theater in Chicago, and Thom Yorke's verses shifted slightly from show to show as the lyrics were refined. It was later part of the material that became In Rainbows.

What it's about

The narrator laments being unable to reach or escape the beloved he is devoted to. Compared with the bursts of intensity in "Creep", it is a slow, soft build that releases emotionally in its outro.

Fun facts

• Sampled in 10 other songs, like “Osaru / Swing Again Version by surg1ne”.
• Covered 7 times, including “All I Need by Puma Blue”.
• Written by Thom Yorke, Colin Greenwood, Ed O’Brien, Jonny Greenwood and Philip Selway.
• Produced by Nigel Godrich.
• Recorded at Halswell House and Tottenham House.