All the Small Things

Did You Know?

• The song is composed in the key of C major with a tempo of 150 beats per minute.
• The song was produced by Jerry Finn, who mixed Green Day's Dookie (1994).

Commercial performance

"All the Small Things" became one of Blink-182's biggest global crossover hits, achieving strong chart success across North America, Europe, and Oceania. In the United States, it debuted at number 89 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the week of December 4, 1999, and eventually peaked at number six in January 2000, the band's highest placement on that chart. Radio airplay was its major strength, charting on both pop and rock formats, including number eight on US Pop Airplay and number nine on UK Airplay. It topped the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. In the United Kingdom, it entered and peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart in March 2000, beaten by "Bag It Up" by Geri Halliwell. It also reached number two in Scotland and topped the UK Rock & Metal chart. Internationally, the song reached the top ten in Australia, Austria, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Romania, Portugal, New Zealand, and the Eurochart Hot 100. In Germany it peaked at number eleven. The song finished at number forty on the Billboard Hot 100 year-end chart for 2000 and number six on the Modern Rock Tracks year-end ranking. It had accumulated over 500,000 plays on US pop radio by 2011. The single has sold 2,400,000 copies in the UK and been certified quadruple Platinum, and was certified Platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association. Nielsen SoundScan estimated its US sales at 500,000 copies.

Music video

The music video for "All the Small Things" was directed by Marcos Siega, who had previously helmed the video for the band's single "What's My Age Again?" The video mocks boy bands and contemporary pop videos of the late 1990s, recreating and satirizing visual tropes such as dramatic beach scenes, choreographed dance numbers, slow-motion glamour shots, and emotional close-ups. It parodies acts including the Backstreet Boys, 98 Degrees, NSYNC, Britney Spears' "Sometimes", and Christina Aguilera's "Genie in a Bottle". Siega, who had roots in punk and hardcore, wanted the video to feel disruptive and counterculture, and wrote the treatment for the band's label, MCA. The band were on board: Tom DeLonge found the concept well within the band's sense of humor, and Travis Barker was willing to go along with anything. Bassist Mark Hoppus, however, was adamantly against the video, feeling it wasn't funny enough, and later conceded he was not as familiar with the teen-pop videos it lampoons. The members reportedly remained conscious of production costs despite the label emphasizing the group as a major commercial priority.

Legacy

"All the Small Things" continues to enjoy popularity decades after its release, counting over one billion streams on Spotify as part of the platform's "Billions Club". It has been a staple of the band's live performances since its release. Over time, playing the song became tiresome for the band members; Travis Barker noted that at one point they never wanted to play it again, but later came to appreciate it. Mark Hoppus concurred, saying everyone got sick of it but now remembers how lucky they are to be onstage playing it. Tom DeLonge's voice has deepened over the years, leading him to mock the original recording; in a 2022 interview, he compared his vocals on the song to Hanson. The song proved influential on the pop punk genre, with former Simple Plan bassist David Desrosiers noting it "blended punk attitude with pop songwriting so much better than other bands." Judah & the Lion drummer Spencer Cross recalled it as one of the first songs he remembers getting hooked on. The song has become a popular karaoke choice, particularly for millennials, with Billboard columnist Josh Glicksman ranking it among the best karaoke singalongs.

In popular culture

"All the Small Things" has seen extensive use in popular culture, covered by numerous artists from different genres and soundtracking video games, movies, and television programs. The band performed the song on late-night talk shows including twice on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and on Saturday Night Live. It was synched for use in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Boston Legal, Knuckles, and the band's 2003 guest appearance on The Simpsons; it was referenced in the 2011 Family Guy episode "It's a Trap!". In film, the song was licensed for Charlie's Angels (2000), Clockstoppers (2002), and Hope Springs (2003). It is a playable track in Guitar Hero 5, Guitar Hero: On Tour, Guitar Hero Live, Rock Band, Rock Band Track Pack Volume 1, and Fortnite Festival. Covers appear in Rock Revolution and Donkey Konga. A 2020 Dunkin' advertising campaign used the pun "All the Fall Things", and the song was used that year in a BMW commercial. It has been covered by All Time Low, Kelly Clarkson, Charlie Puth, GFOTY, Evan Stephens Hall, Kidz Bop, Nick and Joe Jonas, Avril Lavigne, Machine Gun Kelly, Middle Kids, Twenty One Pilots, Weezer, and Postmodern Jukebox. Alvin and the Chipmunks covered the song for their 2008 album Undeniable.