Love Is All Around

"Love Is All Around"
Single by The Troggs
B-side	"When Will the Rain Come"
Released	October 1967
Format	7" single
Recorded	1967
Genre	Rock
Length	2:45
Label	Page One, Fontana, Mercury
Writer(s)	Reg Presley
Producer(s)	Larry Page
The Troggs singles chronology
"Hi Hi Hazel" (1967) "Love Is All Around" (1967) "Little Girl" (1968)

"Love Is All Around" is a song recorded by the Troggs, featuring a string quartet and a 'tick tock' sound on percussion, in D-major. It was written by lead singer Reg Presley and was purportedly inspired by a television transmission of the Joy Strings Salvation Army band's "Love That's All Around".^[1][2] The song was first released as a single in the UK in October 1967. On the UK Singles Chart top 50, the record debuted at number 50 on 18 October 1967^[3] (using the Wednesday date system)^[4] (date derived from 21 October 1967^[5] and 28 October 1967^[6]), peaked at number five on 22 November 1967^[7] (using the Wednesday date system)^[8] (date derived from 25 November 1967^[9]), and appeared 15 straight times. On the US Billboard Hot 100, the record entered at number 98 on 24 February 1968, peaked at number seven on 18 May 1968, and spent a total of 16 weeks on the chart.

"Love Is All Around" has been covered by numerous artists, including R.E.M., with whom the Troggs subsequently recorded their 1992 comeback album Athens Andover. R.E.M.'s cover was a B-side on their 1991 "Radio Song" single, and they also played it during their first appearance at MTV's Unplugged series that same year. Wet Wet Wet's cover, for the soundtrack to the 1994 film Four Weddings and a Funeral, was an international hit and spent 15 consecutive weeks at number one on the UK Singles Chart.

Charts

Chart (1967–68)	Peak position
Germany (Official German Charts)[10]	15
Ireland (IRMA)[11]	17
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[12]	17
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[13]	5
US Billboard Hot 100[14]	7

Wet Wet Wet version

"Love Is All Around"
Single by Wet Wet Wet
from the album Four Weddings and a Funeral and Picture This
Released	9 May 1994
Recorded	4 January 1994
Genre	Rock
Length	3:59 (album version) 4:12 (TV Mix version) 4:14 (Promo version
Label	PolyGram, Records Service
Writer(s)	Reg Presley
Producer(s)	Graeme Clark, Graeme Duffin, Wet Wet Wet
Wet Wet Wet singles chronology
"Cold Cold Heart" (1993) "Love Is All Around" (1994) "Julia Says" (1995)

Wet Wet Wet's version of "Love Is All Around", which has a different introduction from the Troggs' version, was recorded in B-flat-major on 4 January 1994 and released on 9 May 1994. It topped the UK Singles Chart after just under three weeks and, fuelled by its appearance in the film Four Weddings and a Funeral,^[15] remained there for 15 consecutive weeks, the second longest stay at the top of that chart to date (beaten only by "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" by Bryan Adams, which topped the chart for 16 weeks). The song was later included on the band's album Picture This.

Chart performance

On 15 May 1994, "Love Is All Around" entered the UK Singles Chart at number four.^[16] After climbing to number two the following week, it finally got to number one on 29 May.^[17] It then remained there for 15 weeks, the second longest UK chart reign of all time (beaten only by Bryan Adams' "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You", which was number one for 16 weeks), before it was finally knocked off the top spot by Whigfield's "Saturday Night" on 11 September. The song spent a further 22 weeks in the UK Top 75.^[18] Throughout its chart run, some radio stations even banned the song, as many listeners were fed up of hearing it. The band themselves eventually took the decision to delete the record from sale.^[19] As of February 2016, it has sold 1.88 million copies in the United Kingdom, making it the country's best-selling love ballad of all time.^[20]

Reg Presley famously spent some of his songwriting royalties on crop circle research.^[21] Wet Wet Wet lead singer Marti Pellow also recorded his own version of the song for inclusion on his 2002 album Marti Pellow Sings the Hits of Wet Wet Wet & Smile.

In 2004, Pellow told the Daily Record, "We did everybody's head in the summer of 1994".^[22] Nevertheless, Pellow said, "I still think it's a brilliant record. Its strength is its sheer simplicity. Any band would give their eye teeth to have a hit record like that. I'm very proud of it."^[18] In 2013, "Love Is All Around" was named as the number one song in VH1's The Ultimate Movie Soundtrack: Top 100.

Track listings

CD, Promo, Single

1. "Love Is All Around (Remix)"
2. "Love Is All Around"

CD 1

1. "Love Is All Around"
2. "I Can Give You Everything" (7" Arthur Baker soul remix)
3. "Ain't No Stoppin'/Le Freak"

CD 2 Limited Edition Digi Pack

1. "Love Is All Around"
2. "Is This Love?" (live)
3. "Love Is All Around" (TV mix)
4. "I Can Give You Everything" (12" house mix)

MC

1. "Love Is All Around"
2. "I Can Give You Everything" (7" Arthur Baker soul remix)

7"

1. "Love Is All Around"
2. "I Can Give You Everything" (7" Arthur Baker remix)

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts Chart (1994) Peak position Australia (ARIA)[23] 1 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[24] 1 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[25] 1 Canada (RPM)[26] 17 Denmark (IFPI)[27] 2 Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[28] 1 France (SNEP)[29] 2 Germany (Official German Charts)[30] 2 Ireland (IRMA)[31] 2 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[32] 1 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[33] 1 Norway (VG-lista)[34] 1 Scotland (Official Charts Company)[35] 1 Spain (AFYVE)[36] 5 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[37] 1 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[38] 2 UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[17] 1 US Billboard Hot 100[39] 41 US Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks[40] 8

Year-end charts Chart (1994) Position Australia (ARIA)[41] 1 Austrian Singles Chart[42] 2 French Singles Chart[43] 14 Swiss Singles Chart[44] 5 UK Singles Chart 1 Certifications Region Certification Sales/shipments Australia[41] 3× Platinum 210,000^ Austria[45] Platinum 30,000 Germany[46] Platinum 500,000 Netherlands[47] Gold 40,000 Sweden[48] Platinum 20,000 United Kingdom[49] 3× Platinum 1,860,000[20] ^*sales figures based on certification alone ^^shipments figures based on certification alone ^xunspecified figures based on certification alone

Other cover versions and film uses

Prior to achieving international success with their single "These Eyes", "Love Is All Around" was covered by The Guess Who around 1967/68, and is available on compilation album This Time Long Ago.^[50] The song was also covered by Lotta Engbergs orkester as "Du ger mig av din kärlek" with Swedish lyrics written by Peter Stedt in 1994 ^[51] while the Spanish rendering "El Amor Me Envuelve (Sabes Que Te Amo)" was recorded by Rocío Banquells for her 1999 album Fuerza Del Amor.

The song appeared in "Get Real 1998" directed by Simon Shore, screenplay by Patrick Wilde.^[52] After its use in Four Weddings and a Funeral, the song appeared in several of Richard Curtis' other projects including the 2003 film Love Actually (reinvented as the Christmas song "Christmas Is All Around" performed by Bill Nighy as fictional rock star Billy Mack)^[53] and an episode of his 90s sitcom The Vicar of Dibley where it is performed by a church choir.

See also

• List of number-one singles in Australia during the 1990s
• List of number-one hits of 1994 (Austria)
• List of Dutch Top 40 number-one singles of 1994
• List of European number-one hits of 1994
• List of number-one singles in 1994 (New Zealand)
• List of number-one songs in Norway
• List of number-one singles and albums in Sweden
• List of UK Singles Chart number ones of the 1990s
• List of million-selling singles in the United Kingdom

References

1. Dr. Synthia Andrews, ND, and Colin Anderson (2010). The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Akashic Record. Alpha, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. ISBN 978-1-101-19798-1. Retrieved 2012-01-20.
2. Bill Davidson. "Love That's All Around". The Joy Strings. Retrieved 2012-01-20.
3. "Official Singles Chart Top 50 for 18 October 1967 to 24 October 1967". The Official UK Charts Company. 1967-10-18. Retrieved 2015-07-09.
4. Hits of the World. Billboard. 1967-10-28. p. 68. Retrieved 2014-07-05.
5. "Official Charts". 1967-10-21. Retrieved 2014-07-05.
6. "Official Charts". 1967-10-28. Retrieved 2014-07-05.
7. "Official Singles Chart Top 50 for 22 November 1967 to 28 November 1967". The Official UK Charts Company. 1967-11-22. Retrieved 2015-07-09.
8. Hits of the World. Billboard. 1967-12-02. p. 76. Retrieved 2014-07-05.
9. "1967-11-25 Top 40 Official Singles Chart UK Archive". Official Charts Company. 1967-11-25. Retrieved 2014-07-05.
10. "Offiziellecharts.de – The Troggs – Love Is All Around". GfK Entertainment Charts.
11. "The Troggs - Love Is All Around". Irishcharts.ie.
12. "Dutchcharts.nl – The Troggs – Love Is All Around" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
13. "Troggs: Artist Chart History" Official Charts Company.
14. "The Troggs – Chart history" Billboard Hot 100 for The Troggs.
15. King, Alex P. (2004). Hit-parade — 20 ans de tubes (in French). Paris: Pascal. p. 343. ISBN 2-35019-009-9.
16. "1994-05-21 Top 40 Official Singles Chart UK Archive - Official Charts". officialcharts.com. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
17. "Archive Chart: 1994-06-04" UK Singles Chart.
18. Sloan, Billy (27 June 2004). "Wets Get Together Again". Daily Record (Trinity Mirror).
19. "Lights! Camera! Music! 21 chart hits from movie soundtracks". officialcharts.com. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
20. Myers, Justin (10 February 2016). "These are the UK's 20 biggest selling love ballads of all time". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
21. "Reg Presley's 'Wild Things They Don't Tell Us'". BBC Wiltshire. Retrieved 20 March 2010.
22. "Love Is All Around - Now That's What I Call Cheesy Movie Rock Ballads: Vol. 3 - Features - Empire". empireonline.com. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
23. "Australian-charts.com – Wet Wet Wet – Love Is All Around". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
24. "Austriancharts.at – Wet Wet Wet – Love Is All Around" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
25. "Ultratop.be – Wet Wet Wet – Love Is All Around" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
26. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 2013-02-05.
27. "Billboard" (in Danish). 23 July 1994. Retrieved 24 February 2012.
28. Nyman, Jake (2005). Suomi soi 4: Suuri suomalainen listakirja (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 951-31-2503-3.
29. "Lescharts.com – Wet Wet Wet – Love Is All Around" (in French). Les classement single.
30. "Offiziellecharts.de – Wet Wet Wet – Love Is All Around". GfK Entertainment Charts.
31. Irish Singles Chart Irishcharts.ie (Retrieved 10 April 2008)
32. "Dutchcharts.nl – Wet Wet Wet – Love Is All Around" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
33. "Charts.org.nz – Wet Wet Wet – Love Is All Around". Top 40 Singles.
34. "Norwegiancharts.com – Wet Wet Wet – Love Is All Around". VG-lista.
35. "Archive Chart: 1994-06-04". Scottish Singles Top 40.
36. Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
37. "Swedishcharts.com – Wet Wet Wet – Love Is All Around". Singles Top 100.
38. "Swisscharts.com – Wet Wet Wet – Love Is All Around". Swiss Singles Chart.
39. "Wet Wet Wet – Chart history" Billboard Hot 100 for Wet Wet Wet.
40. Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 256.
41. "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles 1994". Australian Record Industry Association Ltd. Archived from the original on 2015-10-25. Retrieved 2016-01-18.
42. 1994 Austrian Singles Chart Austriancharts.at (Retrieved 25 August 2008)
43. 1994 French Singles Chart Disqueenfrance.com (Retrieved 30 January 2009)
44. 1994 Swiss Singles Chart Hitparade.ch (Retrieved 25 August 2008)
45. Austrian certifications. ifpi.at. Retrieved 25 August 2008.
46. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank ('Love+Is+All+Around')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 25 August 2008.
47. Dutch certifications. nvpi.nl. Retrieved 9 December 2008.
48. Swedish certifications. ifpi.se. Retrieved 11 September 2008.
49. UK certifications. bpi.co.uk. Retrieved 25 August 2008
50. Unterberger, Richie. "The Guess Who? This Time Long Ago". Retrieved 2014-05-14.
51. "Våra nya vingar | Svensk mediedatabas". SMDB. Retrieved 2013-02-05.
52. IMDB.com. "Get Real 1998". Soundtrack. Internet Movie Database.
53. IMDB.com. "Love Actually Soundtrack". Internet Movie Database.

External links

• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics