"All You Wanted" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Michelle Branch, released as the second single from her debut album The Spirit Room. It was released by the Maverick Recording Company and Warner Bros. Records on October 28, 2001. The song was written by Branch and was produced by John Shanks. "All You Wanted" received generally positive reviews and is, to date, Branch's only top-ten single in the United States, surpassing the peak of her debut single "Everywhere" and reaching number six on the Billboard Hot 100. The song also performed well in New Zealand, reaching number three on the RIANZ Singles Chart—one place shy of the peak of "Everywhere". Elsewhere, "All You Wanted" did not match the success of "Everywhere", underperforming in Europe and stalling inside the top 30 in Australia.
Background and composition
"All You Wanted" was written by Branch and produced by John Shanks. "If you want to/I can save you/I can take you away from here," she wails over a crumbling wall of guitars. Lyrically, it talks about a heartbreak.
Critical reception
"All You Wanted" received mostly positive reviews from music critics. In 2009, Sputnikmusic said that the song was the most recognizable while reviewing Branch's The Spirit Room album. Jeff C of Popdirt called the track amazing while reviewing The Spirit Room in 2002. In December 2005, Pam Avoledo embraced the song, she called it "a teen fairytale worth believing in." Hot Sauce Reviews called "All You Wanted" a favorite and that its one of the tracks that were "listenable, tuneful, and they are great for singalongs too". In 2003, IGN Music stated that "The lyrics, while not the deepest, are not simple or cheesy by any means." They added that "The song features some nice guitar work and again, an insanely catchy chorus."
Music video
The music video was directed by Liz Friedlander, who had also directed her previous video for "Everywhere". It begins with Branch entering a club where her boyfriend is. During the chorus, everything around her freezes, and she takes the opportunity to sing at him, "If you want to, I can save you, I can take you away from here..." assuming he cannot hear her. They then go on a bus together, she sits down, assuming he will sit next to her, but he runs into friends and ignores her. She again sings at him during the chorus. After they exit the bus, it begins to rain and her surroundings are again frozen, and she sings at him, but she then notices that her boyfriend's watch is still ticking. When she realizes this, her boyfriend looks at her, the rain is still stopped. She realizes he was able to hear everything she said before the rain begins to pour again, and she runs away. In 2002, the video was nominated on MTV Video Music Awards in two categories: Best Female Video and Best Pop Video.
