All Over the World (Electric Light Orchestra song)

"All Over the World"
Single by Electric Light Orchestra
from the album Xanadu
B-side
  • "Drum Dreams" (US)
  • "Midnight Blue" (UK)
ReleasedJuly 1980
Recorded1980
StudioMusicland Studios (Munich, Germany)
Length4:02
Label
Songwriter(s)Jeff Lynne
Producer(s)Jeff Lynne
Electric Light Orchestra singles chronology
"Xanadu"
(1980) 		"All Over the World"
(1980) 		"Don't Walk Away"
(1980)

"All Over the World" is a song by the Electric Light Orchestra (ELO). It is featured in the 1980 feature film Xanadu in a sequence with the film's stars Olivia Newton-John, Gene Kelly, and Michael Beck. The song also appears on the soundtrack album Xanadu, and was performed in the 2007 Broadway musical Xanadu.

Released after the single "Xanadu" (a collaboration with Olivia Newton-John), this was the third Top 20 ELO single released from the 1980 soundtrack, peaking at number 13 on the US Billboard Hot 100.[1]

The sequence in the Xanadu film was filmed on location at the Beverly Hills Fiorucci store.

One section of the lyrics lists a number of famous cities; London, Hamburg, Paris, Rome, Rio de Janeiro, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Los Angeles, New York City, Amsterdam and Monte Carlo. The last place named in the list is Shard End, the suburb of Birmingham, England where Jeff Lynne was born.

Cash Box called it "souped up '50s and '60s pop at its best", and praised the hook.[2] Billboard called it one of ELO's "catchier tunes".[3] Record World said that "a spirited chorus, triumphant keyboards & multitudinous handclaps carry the joyous, uplifting message".[4]

This song featured prominently in the trailer for the Simon Pegg science fiction comedy film Paul and also played at the end of the film before the credits.[5]

In 2022, Lynne listed it as one of his nine favorite ELO songs.[6]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference AM was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Singles Reviews > Feature Picks" (PDF). Cash Box. Vol. XLII, no. 12. 2 August 1980. p. 18. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  3. ^ "Top Single Picks". Billboard. 2 August 1980. p. 60. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  4. ^ "Hits of the World" (PDF). Record World. 2 August 1980. p. 1. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
  5. ^ Monger, James Christopher. "Original Soundtrack – Paul". AllMusic. Retrieved 20 July 2014.
  6. ^ Taysom, Joe (2 November 2022). "Jeff Lynne's favourite Electric Light Orchestra songs". Far Out. Retrieved 25 January 2024.