"All the Things She Said" is a song by Russian music duo t.A.T.u. from their first English-language studio album, 200 km/h in the Wrong Lane (2002). The song was first released in the United States as a DVD single on 13 August 2002, then was issued in various countries worldwide throughout late 2002 and early 2003 as the album's lead single.
"All the Things She Said" was written by Sergio Galoyan, Trevor Horn, Martin Kierszenbaum, Valery Polienko and Elena Kiper, while production was by Horn. It is a translated and reworked version of their 2000 song "" (, , ), included on their debut album 200 Po Vstrechnoy (2001). It was later included on their compilation albums t.A.T.u. Remixes (2003) and The Best (2006). Although its original story was based on a dream Kiper had at a dentist appointment, manager Ivan Shapovalov evoked the theme of lesbianism in both this and the English-language version. The lyrics describe two girls developing feelings for each other.
"All the Things She Said" received mixed reviews from music critics: while some commended the production and lyrical content, others called it a gimmick and suggestive. "All the Things She Said" reached number one in several countries around the world, including Australia, Austria, Ireland, New Zealand, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. It also reached number 20 on the US Billboard Hot 100, the first Russian act to have a top 40 single and the highest placing for a Russian act.
Shapovalov commissioned the accompanying music video for the single, which shows the group behind a fence in school uniforms, trying to escape. The music video caused considerable controversy in several nations because it depicted lesbian girls. Several organisations protested against the video and sought to ban it, while some music stations removed the scenes featuring the girls kissing. The song has been performed many times, including on many TV shows, along with a megamix version with "Not Gonna Get Us" at the 2003 MTV Movie Awards. It was also the first Russian music video on YouTube to receive a Vevo Certified Award for reaching 100 million views in June 2016.
Background Yulia Volkova and Lena Katina auditioned in a children's group named Neposedy. However, Volkova was removed from the group a year later. Russian tabloids believed her removal was based on misbehavior and disrupting other members by stripping, smoking, drinking alcohol and swearing, but Neposedy denied this. Russian producers Ivan Shapovalov and Alexander Voitinskiy held an audition for two teenage girls, where Volkova and Katina auditioned and won the part. Despite knowing each other, both girls did not know the other was auditioning. For their Russian debut, Shapolavov named the duo Тату ("Tatu"). The name is an abbreviation of the Russian phrase Ta lyubit tu (, "She loves her").
During their first sessions, Voitinskiy left the project. Shapovalov hired Elena Kiper to co-write and co-produce the music of Тату. Together, they wrote "". The duo, alongside several other Russian producers and songwriters, completed the group's first album 200 Po Vstrechnoy. The album was a large success in Europe, selling over one million units. Shapovalov persisted in trying to sign the group with an international label, visiting North America and meeting with several record companies. He eventually settled a deal with a Russian division of Universal Music Group and Interscope Records.
Writing "Ya Soshla s Uma", the original version of "All the Things She Said", was written by Sergio Galoyan, Martin Kierszenbaum, Valery Polienko and Elena Kiper. It was mixed and recorded by Robert Orton at UMG Studios in Santa Monica, California.
Kiper conceived the song after dreaming about kissing another woman while she was undergoing a dental surgery. She woke up saying "" (). After telling Shapovalov, he started to write the second phrase, "" (). Shapovalov included the lesbian theme in the English version. Shapovalov had been accused by Russian media of taking Kiper's idea and presenting it as his own, whilst Kiper stated that she had conceived the whole idea herself. "" was written by Sergio Galoyan, Kiper and Valeriy Polienko, whilst production was handled by the group's manager, Shapovalov. He also composed the track, and it was recorded by him at the Neformat Studios, Russia in the early 2000.
Two versions of the single were released: the original version that appears on 200 Po Vstrechnoy, with a more dance/electro composition; and the reworked, pop-rock version (used for "All The Things She Said") appearing on 200 km/h in the Wrong Lane (2002).
Composition It is a "grungy" Eurodance and Alternative rock song with Industrial beats, Harper's Bazaar also described it as "vaguely electronic pop". According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Universal Music Publishing Group, the song is composed in the key of F minor with a time signature in common time, and a moderate groove of 90 beats per minute. Both Volkova and Katina's vocal range is spread between F4 and D♭5. The composition is built on two main live instruments; piano and electric guitar.
The first verse has Volkova and Katina "whisper their desires and then blow up the chorus with enough teen confusion and angst to fill up a week of Hollyoaks". Lyrically, the song discusses difficulty in teenagers allowing themselves to express their sexuality. Katina commented "We're singing about love [...] Even all over the world teenagers, can find themselves in our song[s] 'cause we're singing about these problems, we're singing about teenagers, and I think everybody can understand that".
Recording
The American music executive Jimmy Iovine asked the English producer Trevor Horn to create English-language versions of t.A.T.u.'s songs, including "". Horn was given literal translations of the Russian lyrics, but found they did not work in English, and so he rewrote them while keeping the lesbian themes. He renamed it "All the Things She Said".
Horn spent two weeks working with Volkova and Katina, coaching them to sing the English lyrics. When Shapovalov insisted that Horn was being too patient with them, Horn invited him to try leading the session instead. After Shapovalov made both Volkova and Katina cry, Horn removed him from the session. He said later: "There's no shortcut, you can't bully people. So I didn't like him. But I liked the girls. They were both bumming cigarettes off me. They were 18, the manager didn't want them to be seen smoking."
Horn rerecorded the instruments, as he did not have access to the original multitracks. After the recording was complete, Horn felt the song was missing something and listened again to the Russian original. When he realised that the Russian chorus repeated lines, he removed some of the new lyrics to repeat the lines "all the things she said" and "running through my head". As Volkova and Katina had left, he adjusted the duplicated lines using pitch-shifting software.
Release After the completion of "Ya Soshla s Uma", the co-manager of the group, Boris Renski, canceled the release as he felt it would not achieve success with the Russian public. Shapovalov persuaded Renski in allowing the continuation of the band, and offered to pay for the music video himself; Renski accepted the offer.
The recording premiered on 14 December 2000 as the lead single from the album. It was released as a CD single which included the original version, four remix versions, and two enhanced videos (the visual and behind-the-scenes footage). A cassette tape was also issued in Russia, and featured the five tracks from the CD single. After the group signed a contract with Universal Music Russia in 2001, "" was re-distributed as a double A-side single with their song, "Nas Ne Dagonyat" (2001), in Poland. That same year, it was sent to radio stations in Germany and Europe. In January 2003, it appeared as a second B-side track on the physical release of "All The Things She Said".
Critical reception Both the original and English-language versions received mixed reviews. Writing for AllMusic, Drago Bonacich selected the track as one of the group's best songs. Michael Osborn from MusicOMH found the vocals in both versions were incomprehensible. Sean Bertiger from Popdirt.com preferred the Russian version, citing the vocals and emotions. Since its release, the song has achieved accolades and awards. In early 2001, Universal Music Group hosted a poll for the audience to vote on which song was the best from 200 Po Vstrechnoy; as a result, "" came first place. That same year, "" won the 100 Pound Hit awarded by Hit FM Russia, with t.A.T.u. as well performing the track the same night. On 29 November 2005, Kiper was presented the Songwriting Award at the BMI Honors Top European Songwriters And Publishers; this was her first win at the ceremony, and went on winning the second time with "Not Gonna Get Us" (2002), t.A.T.u.'s second international single. Commercially, the single reached number one on the Russian Singles Chart, charting there for eighteen consecutive weeks. By January 2010, "" sold over 50,000 units and over 200,000 illegal copies.
Allmusic reviewer Stephen Thomas Erlewine felt the song was a "gimmick" and "suggestive", but highlighted the song as an album standout. PopMatters called complaints about the song "ridiculous" and added that they do not care if they are "transgender, bisexual, lesbian or gay. In the end, it's about people and yourself feeling safe and better together". Bill Lamb from About.com had prospects for the song, feeling his view was "irrefutable". Rebecca Bary from The New Zealand Herald said "Think 'Baby One More Time' spliced with 'Dirrty' and you have the biggest one-hit wonder of the year." She continued, saying "When these obnoxious, school-uniformed Russian maybe-lesbians poured their squirrelly hearts out over a repetitive dance beat, you can't deny it worked.".
The song was ranked at number 452 in Blender magazine's The 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born. The song was listed at number 8 on the AOLs Top 100 Pop Songs of the Decade. Bill Lamb from About.com listed the song on his Top 100 Pop Songs of 2003 at number 31. He also listed it on his Top 10 Contemporary Girl Group Songs at number ten. Stephanie Theobald from The Guardian called it one of her favorite lesbian songs.
The song was ranked at the top spot on the Australian Top 50 Lesbian songs, which was voted by users. AfterEllen.com criticized the song for being at the top spot, exclaiming; "There are so many better songs than that – my mind is blown... I guess it's one of the easier ones to think of in this new generation of lesbians... I just hope they can open up their ears more and discover so many other amazing (really queer) musicians." Though she noted it was as a gay anthem, Mia Jones from AfterEllen.com did not add the song, because "she is still not a fan". In 2020, The Guardian named "All the Things She Said" Horn's greatest work since the mid-80s.
Commercial performance A high demand for imports of "All the Things She Said" in the UK caused it to debut at number 57 on the UK Singles Chart. It rose to number 44 and ascended to the top of the charts the following week after its official release, making t.A.T.u. the first Russian act to reach number one in the UK. The song spent four weeks at one on the UK Singles Chart and remained in the charts for 15 weeks, earning a double platinum certification from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), selling more than 1,200,000 units.