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"All Or Nothing"
West German picture sleeve
Single by Small Faces
B-side	"Understanding"
Released	5 August 1966
Recorded	25 July 1966
Studio	IBC, London
Genre	Rock, hard rock
Length	3:04
Label	Decca (US RCA Victor)
Songwriter(s)	Steve Marriott, Ronnie Lane
Producer(s)	Don Arden
Small Faces singles chronology
"Hey Girl" (1966) "All Or Nothing" (1966) "My Mind's Eye" (1966)

"All or Nothing" is a song written by Steve Marriott and Ronnie Lane of the British rock band Small Faces and released as a single in 1966.

The song reached number one on the UK Singles Chart on 15 September 1966.

The song was also a major hit in both the Netherlands, where it reached number two and Ireland, where it reached number three. It was also the first song by the Small Faces to chart in the Republic of Ireland, as "Whatcha Gonna Do About It", "Sha-La-La-La-Lee" and "Hey Girl" all failed to do so.

Song information

According to Kay Marriott, Steve's mother, Steve wrote this song about his split with ex-fiancée Sue Oliver, though first wife Jenny Rylance states that Marriott told her he wrote the song for her as a result of her split with Rod Stewart. Both statements are said to be correct.

The song was recorded at IBC Studios in Portland Place, London. It appears on the Decca album From the Beginning. A live version is found on the BBC Sessions album.

Following Marriott's death in a house fire in 1991, the song was played as the requiem at his funeral.

In popular culture

The song appeared in the soundtrack for the 2010 film Made in Dagenham, Nigel Cole's film about the 1968 Ford sewing machinists strike at Ford Dagenham, where female workers protested against sexual discrimination and for equal pay.

The song is used as the theme tune (over the opening credits) on the 2012 BBC UK TV series, The Syndicate, about a group of lottery winners. Swedish pop band Tages did one of the earliest versions of the B-Side "Understanding", which appears on their 1966 album Extra Extra. The hard rock band UFO covered the song as a bonus track on their album No Heavy Petting. The punk rock band X also covered the song on their 1985 album Ain't Love Grand!.

Personnel

• Steve Marriott – lead and backing vocals, electric guitar
• Ronnie Lane – bass guitar, backing vocals
• Ian McLagan – Hammond organ, backing vocals
• Kenney Jones – drums

See also

• Small Faces discography

References

1. Valentine, Penny (6 August 1966). "Penny Picks the Pops: This Is the Best Beatle Song Ever!". Disc and Music Echo. p. 15.
2. Tracy 1993, p. 5.
3. ^ Rice, Jo (1982). The Guinness Book of 500 Number One Hits (1st ed.). Enfield, Middlesex: Guinness Superlatives Ltd. p. 103. ISBN 0-85112-250-7.
4. "Official Singles Chart UK Top 100". Theofficialcharts.com. Archived from the original on 8 April 2008. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
5. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 195. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
6. Steve Marriott - All Too Beautiful... p.121
7. "Steve Marriott". Making Time 1995–2007. Retrieved 7 August 2007.

• Paolo Hewitt/John Hellier (2004). Steve Marriott All Too Beautiful. Helter Skelter Publishing ISBN 1-900924-44-7.
• Tracy, John (1993). As Years Go By (CD). Europe: Deram. 844 014-2.

External links

• The Darlings of Wapping Wharf Laundrette

• 1966 singles
• Small Faces songs
• UK singles chart number-one singles
• Songs written by Steve Marriott
• Songs written by Ronnie Lane
• 1966 songs
• Decca Records singles
• RCA Records singles