All the Small Things

"All the Small Things" is a song by American rock band Blink-182. It was the second single and eighth track released from the band's third album, Enema of the State (1999). The track was composed primarily by guitarist and vocalist Tom DeLonge as an ode to his then girlfriend. Recorded in Los Angeles with producer Jerry Finn, the song was created with the intention of shipping it to radio, as the trio felt they needed a single "really catchy and basic." The single was released to radio on September 28, 1999, and promptly charted worldwide, becoming a number one hit on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart, peaking at number two on the UK Singles Chart, and crossing over to pop radio and peaking at number six on the Billboard Hot 100. The song remains the band's most successful single to date, being their only song to enter the top 40. The song charted within the top 20 in ten other countries, and gained greater significance due to its accompanying music video, which parodies videos by boy bands such as Backstreet Boys, 98 Degrees, and 'N Sync as well as videos by pop singers Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera. The video was popular in rotation on MTV's Total Request Live, leading to criticism from those who felt their basis for parody was thin. "All the Small Things" was selected by Rolling Stone as one of the "100 Greatest Pop Songs", and is listed in the 2010 book 1001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die. Background By the end of the 1990s, Blink-182 were on their way to becoming one of the biggest rock bands of the turn of the century. The trio—composed of vocalist/guitarist Tom DeLonge, vocalist/bassist Mark Hoppus, and new addition drummer Travis Barker—had come up playing in Southern Californian punk clubs and on the Warped Tour festival circuit. Their penchant for off-color humor and fast-paced punk rock had caught the interest of Universal Music Group, which signed the band to its MCA label. With a higher budget and assistance from the veteran engineer Jerry Finn—who mixed Green Day's Dookie (1994)—the band set out to make their next album, which came to be called Enema of the State.