Greatest Love Songs Ever: #22 “All the Things You Are”

By Tom Quiner, Board President, Pulse Life Advocates

“You are the promised kiss of springtime, that makes the lonely winter seem long.” These romantic words by the legendary Oscar Hammerstein II launch “All the Things You Are” on a journey to your heart.

Composer Jerome Kern uses a classic jazz chord progression and haunting melody to perfectly complement the metaphorical verse.

Kern and Hammerstein are American songwriting royalty. They collaborated on the classic musical, “Show Boat,” which featured the legendary songs “Old Man River” and “Can’t Help Lovin’ That Man.”

“All the Things You Are” was the best of their love songs. I love Carly Simon’s interpretation of the song (top of page). Her contralto voice allows her to sing in a lower register than the typical soprano or mezzo soprano voices you’re used to. For me, Carly’s voice works very well on this song.

Kern collaborated with a different lyricist on an even better love song, one which cracks my top ten. But you’ll have to wait a few months to learn what it is. I hope you can handle the suspense!

Too sentimental?

As I pointed out in an earlier post, Hammerstein’s lyrics tug on the heartstrings by plying very sentimental lyrics. Sentimentality walks a fine line between being dreamy and passionate vs. saccharine and sappy. Some of his critics, including his friend and protégé, Stephen Sondheim, suggest Hammerstein was too often guilty of the latter.

Interestingly, this is Hammerstein’s only song to make my list, despite the fact that he wrote a ridiculous number of great love songs in his storied Broadway career, including:

If I Loved You (from Carousel)

A Wonderful Guy (South Pacific)

People Will Say We’re in Love (Oklahoma)

Some Enchanted Evening (South Pacific)

Do I Love You Because You’re Beautiful (Cinderella)

Younger Than Springtime (South Pacific)

I Have Dreamed (The King and I)

Very few songwriters have written even a single song as good as any of these, much less dozens, as is the case with Hammerstein. By the time my list is done, you’ll note that there is no shortage of contemporary songwriters who did not place a song on my list, including Elton John, Billy Joel, Bob Dylan, Taylor Swift, Paul Simon, and Joni Mitchel, to name a few. 

Good love songs are hard to write

It’s no reflection on their talent, because they have collectively written a boatload of songs that people will be playing fifty years from now. It’s just that good love songs are really hard to write.

“All the Things You Are” is a perfect example. Every word flows so beautifully. Every single note Kern wrote seems like the obvious note. It’s as if God simply planted the completed song in the hearts of Kern of Hammerstein, and that all they had to do was let it out.

The first part may be true, but the ‘letting it out’ part doesn’t begin to put into perspective the labor required to craft and polish this work of art.

Hammerstein’s style was emotional honesty compared to the witty cleverness honed by the likes of Cole Porter, Lorenz Hart, or Ira Gershwin. Emotional honesty can sometimes descend into mushiness, but I believe Hammerstein hit a home run with “All the Thinks You Are.”

If you’ve been following this series of the 52 Greatest Love Songs Ever, you know that the whole point is that love is the antidote to abortion. The best love songs soften your heart. They take the focus off of yourself, opening your heart to think of someone else.

A different perspective

View “All the Things You Are” from a slightly different perspective: Think about the potential of the baby in her mom’s womb. From the instant of her conception, someone, somewhere is thinking about her in this way:

“You are the angel glow that lights the star,

The dearest things that I know are what you are.”

It could be her mom or dad or grandparents. It could be her future husband, whose subconscious unknowingly longs to meet this little girl someday and make a life with her and raise a family.

Love songs make you think and feel that way. That’s why we need more of them. That’s why Pulse Life Advocates believe this yearlong series is worth it. Help us spread the love. Share this post. And if you’re enjoying this series, support us financially. Every gift, regardless of size, helps.