Go All the Way (song)

"Go All the Way" is a single by American rock group Raspberries, released in July 1972 and written by frontman Eric Carmen. The song reached the Top 5 on three principal US charts: number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100,[5] number 4 on Cashbox[6] and number 3 on Record World. The single sold more than 1.3 million copies, earning the band their only certified Gold Record.[7] It was their second single release, their all-time biggest US hit, and appeared on their debut LP, Raspberries.

This article is about the Raspberries song. For the Isley Brothers song, see Go All the Way (The Isley Brothers album).
"Go All the Way"
Single by Raspberries
from the album Raspberries
B-side"With You in My Life"
ReleasedJuly 1972
Recordedearly 1972
StudioAbbey Road Studios London
Genre
Length3:19
LabelCapitol
Songwriter(s)Eric Carmen
Producer(s)Jimmy Ienner
Raspberries singles chronology
"Don't Want to Say Goodbye"
(1972)		 "Go All the Way"
(1972)		 "I Wanna Be With You"
(1972)

Because of its sexually suggestive lyrics, considered risqué for the day, "Go All the Way" was banned by the BBC.[8][9]

Background

Carmen has stated that the inspiration for the song was the Rolling Stones' hit, "Let's Spend the Night Together."[10] He said that "I wanted to write an explicitly sexual lyric that the kids would instantly get but the powers that be couldn't pin me down for."[11] He also said that to try to avoid being censored he "turned it around so that the girl is encouraging the guy to go all the way, rather than the stereotypical thing of the guy trying to make the girl have sex with him. I figured that made me seem a little more innocent."[11] Carmen got the title from Dan Wakefield's novel Going All the Way.[11] Carmen said that when he saw the book "I realized it would make a sensational song title."[11]

According to Carmen he wrote the song alone at the piano, but guitarist Wally Bryson believed that he should have received a songwriting credit for coming up with the famous guitar riff for the song's intro.[12]

Sound engineer Shelly Yakus used a prototype of a limiter when recording the song in order to increase the power of the music.[11]

Allmusic critic Mark Deming called it "among the finest records ever made about one of the key subjects in rock & roll — convincing your girlfriend to have sex with you," saying that it "merges smooth harmony parts and an easygoing melody with hook-laden breaks and a guitar figure that Pete Townsend would have been happy to have dreamed up."[13] Rolling Stone critic Dave Marsh called it a "[ringer] for Paul McCartney."[14]

Music journalist Ken Sharp noted that the song's "subversive lyrics were cleverly masked in a G-rated package" and that the lyrics are unusual in that "the girl in the song's chorus is pleading with her boyfriend to do her."[15] Carmen said that his approach was "let's start it out like The Who, but when we get to the questionable part we will do it like choir boys and maybe they won't notice.[16]

Ultimate Classic Rock critic Dave Swanson described how the song reflects various influences and merges them into a new type of song: "The opening Who-like blast leads into a very Beatles-esque verse, before landing in some forgotten Beach Boys chorus."[17]

Reception

Cash Box said that "mighty guitar riffs explode on impact" and the song has "a touch of the Badfinger sound.[18] Record World said that "its effective combination of hard rock and top 40 stylings make this a natural for playlists of virtually every format."[19] Wichita Beacon critic Paul Baker said that the guitar playing sounded similar to Free's "All Right Now."[20]

Swanson rated it as the Raspberries all-time greatest song, saying that "In many ways, this is the definitive power pop song of all time."[17] Classic Rock History critic Brian Kachejian also rated it as the Raspberries best song, praising the melody and arrangement and calling it "an iconic pop gem."[21] Kachejian also noted that "The way the verse transcends into the song's chorus riding on the wings of Eric Carmen's legendary lead vocal is one for the ages."[21]

Sharp rated it the Raspberries 3rd best song, calling it a "'Power Pop How To' manual all wrapped up in three explosive minutes and unquestionably one of the most seminal pop singles ever."[15]

Steve Sullivan wrote in the Encyclopedia of Great Popular Song Recordings that the opening guitar riff played by Wally Bryson is one of the all-time great rock 'n' roll riffs, saying that its power "still has the capacity to startle and thrill more than four decades later."[11]

The tune ranked at number 33 on Billboard's Top 100 Singles of 1972 year-end list (number 39 on Cashbox's year-end best-sellers countdown). In 1989, Spin magazine named "Go All the Way" in its list of the "100 Greatest Singles of All Time", ranking it at number 91.[22] "Go All the Way" appeared in Blender magazine's July 2006 issue as one of its "Greatest Songs Ever".

Live performances

The song was performed on Don Kirshner's Rock Concert, Live in 1974. It was also performed on The Mike Douglas Show, and featured in the set at their 50th anniversary concert in 2007.

Use in media

"Go All the Way" has been featured in three movies. Director Cameron Crowe, a Raspberries fan, used it in his 2000 film Almost Famous. The Killers covered the song for the end credits of the 2012 film Dark Shadows, an adaptation of the 1966–1971 TV series of the same name.[23][24] The song briefly appears in the 2014 Marvel Studios film Guardians of the Galaxy, and is one of the songs on its soundtrack.

In interviews, hard rock/metal personality Eddie Trunk, states that this song sparked his interest in music due mainly to the distorted guitar riffs.[25][26]

"Go All the Way" was included on the Raspberries Pop Art Live CD set from their reunion concert recording, November 26, 2004, at the House of Blues in Cleveland, Ohio, released August 18, 2017.[27]

Chart performance

Later versions

Matthew Sweet and Bangles member Susanna Hoffs included a faithful rendition of the song in their 2009 collaboration Under the Covers, Vol. 2.

Band members

References
  1. Alden, Grant (2008). No Depression # 76: The Next Generation. University of Texas Press. p. 118. ISBN 978-0292719286.
  2. Runtagh, Jordan (April 8, 2016). "Catchy, Loud and Proud: 20 Essential Power Pop Tracks That Will Be Stuck In Your Head Forever". VH1. Retrieved July 29, 2016.
  3. Lester, Paul (February 11, 2015). "Powerpop: 10 of the best". The Guardian. Guardian News and Media. Retrieved July 29, 2016.
  4. Laing, Dave (14 June 2019). "10 Sexy Soft-Rock Hits of the 70s". I Like Your Old Stuff. Retrieved 15 June 2021.
  5. "Go All The Way by The Raspberries". Songfacts.com. Retrieved June 23, 2012.
  6. "Cash Box Top 100 10/14/72". Cashbox. October 14, 1972. Archived from the original on October 20, 2018. Retrieved June 23, 2012.
  7. "GOLD & PLATINUM: The Raspberries". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved October 20, 2017.
  8. "matthewsweetscoversraspberries".
  9. "Go All The Way – The Raspberries – 1972". December 13, 2015.
  10. Mike Ragogna (2017-12-06). "From 'Sunrise' to a Place In The Sun: Chatting With Eric Carmen". Huffington Post. Retrieved 2021-12-05.
  11. Sullivan, Steve (2017). Encyclopedia of Great Popular Song Recordings. Vol. 3. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 488. ISBN 9781442254497.
  12. Thompson, Lynne (March 27, 2007). "Fresh Raspberries". Cleveland Magazine. Retrieved 2023-04-06.
  13. Deming, Mark. "Go All the Way". Allmusic. Retrieved 2023-04-02.
  14. Marsh, Dave (1983). Marsh, Dave; Swenson, John (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Record Guide. p. 412. ISBN 0394721071.
  15. Borack, John M.; Sharp, Ken (2007). Shake Some Action: The Ultimate Guide to Power Pop. Not Lame. pp. 36–37. ISBN 9780979771408.
  16. Carmen, Eric (2005). Raspberries Greatest (album liner notes). Capitol.
  17. Swanson, Dave (August 11, 2013). "Top 10 Raspberries Songs". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 2023-04-03.
  18. "Cash Box Singles Review" (PDF). Cash Box. May 27, 1972. p. 16. Retrieved 2023-04-04.
  19. "Single Picks" (PDF). Record World. May 27, 1972. p. 10. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  20. Baker, Paul (May 24, 1972). "Disc-Ussion". Wichita Beacon. p. 8C. Retrieved 2023-04-04 – via newspapers.com.
  21. Kachejian, Brian (29 April 2020). "Top 10 Raspberries Songs". Classic Rock History. Retrieved 2023-04-03.
  22. SPIN. April 1989. p. 51. Retrieved October 6, 2016.
  23. Hogan, Marc (May 14, 2012). "Hear the Killers Cover the Raspberries' 'Go All the Way'". SPIN. Retrieved June 23, 2012.
  24. Bain, Becky (May 11, 2012). "The Killers Cover The Raspberries' "Go All The Way" For Tim Burton's 'Dark Shadows'". Idolator.com. Retrieved June 23, 2012.
  25. Toney, Michael (2012). Tales from the Stage, Volume 1. Lulu. p. 73. ISBN 978-1105726569.
  26. Goldmine Staff (September 18, 2011). "10 Albums that changed Eddie Trunk's life". Goldminemag.com/. Goldmine. "Go All The Way" was the first time I ever heard distorted electric guitar and power chords. I was a kid in my parents' back seat, and it came through the AM radio, and my hair stood up. Raspberries were the first real rock I ever heard, and I was consumed instantly
  27. "CD Preview: The Raspberries' Pop Art Live". www.thatdevilmusic.com.
  28. Steffen Hung. "Forum - 1970 (ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts)". Australian-charts.com. Archived from the original on June 2, 2016. Retrieved October 6, 2016.
  29. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Archived from the original on August 17, 2016. Retrieved October 6, 2016.
  30. "Cash Box Top 100 10/14/72". Tropicalglen.com. October 14, 1972. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 6, 2016.
  31. "Top 100 Hits of 1972/Top 100 Songs of 1972". Musicoutfitters.com. Archived from the original on April 27, 2017. Retrieved October 6, 2016.
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