I'd Do It All Again
Encyclopedia
"I'd Do It All Again" is the lead single
from English
singer Corinne Bailey Rae
's second album The Sea and her first single in three years.
s Sean O'Hagan that "It was written literally just after me and Jason had this massive disagreement, a big argument, a bad one. Almost as he was leaving the room, I just sat down and wrote it. It's just about how I felt about him at that time. Even right in the middle of the worst times, I remember thinking that I would choose this exact life again, that I would do it all again. It was me saying, I'm not wishing myself out of this situation. I'm 100 percent committed to this person. I don't have any regrets about this relationship even though there are all these difficult times."
Bailey Rae told The Sun
: "There's a line in there that love is bigger than your pride and that's how I felt about him. No one was more right for me than him. No one."
Meanwhile, in terms of musically choosing 'I'd Do It All Again' as her first single in three years, she told noted UK soul writer Pete Lewis of Blues & Soul
: "I felt it was a good way to re-introduce myself to people. Because it just starts with me playing my guitar and singing, but then all the different layers come in. And I really like the fact that it grows and swells to just one chorus, and then it retreats again. You know, it follows an unusual song form, and I felt it was an honest and raw song about love when things are difficult."
. Corinne Bailey Rae had been familiar with Thraves previous music videos, calling them "very real looking, cinematic and quite dark", according to Thraves. She asked for the same concept for her own music video.
Jamie Thraves shot the video in East Dulwich
, a southern district of London, England. It begins with Rae awaking somberly in bed while singing the first few lines of the song. She is then shown in front of a mirror dabbing lightly at her cheek with a make-up brush before exiting for a walk outside. The video then cuts to Rae buying groceries, walking through a dimly lit subway, and then up a flight of stairs crowded with people who Rae has to weed through to get to her destination. The sequence of events repeats until the climax of the song where Rae breaks through the crowd of people and instead of awaking again in her bed. She tosses off her jacket and sings in front of moving traffic. Rae then runs into an alley where she stops to catch her breath. After this scene, the cycle of awaking in bed, fixing her make-up, buying groceries and so on, continues for the rest of the video.
Director Jamie Thraves said of the video's concept, "When I first heard the song I instantly saw her doing everyday things, shopping in a supermarket, walking through a park etc but always singing in an intimate fashion." He continues to say "We agreed that the song had a sad beginning, a hopeful middle and a sad ending, so that's what we aimed for with the visuals. She saw herself running at some point, so that inspired the running down the alleyway and gave me the idea of her walking in front of traffic. We both saw that moment as a great release in the video."
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
from English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
singer Corinne Bailey Rae
Corinne Bailey Rae
Corinne Bailey Rae is a British singer-songwriter and guitarist from Leeds, who released her debut album Corinne Bailey Rae in February 2006....
's second album The Sea and her first single in three years.
Background
The song, which describes a partner's commitment to a relationship despite having moments of difficulty, was written by Rae immediately after an argument with her late husband Jason Rae in January 2008. She stated in an interview with The ObserverThe Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
s Sean O'Hagan that "It was written literally just after me and Jason had this massive disagreement, a big argument, a bad one. Almost as he was leaving the room, I just sat down and wrote it. It's just about how I felt about him at that time. Even right in the middle of the worst times, I remember thinking that I would choose this exact life again, that I would do it all again. It was me saying, I'm not wishing myself out of this situation. I'm 100 percent committed to this person. I don't have any regrets about this relationship even though there are all these difficult times."
Bailey Rae told The Sun
The Sun (newspaper)
The Sun is a daily national tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and owned by News Corporation. Sister editions are published in Glasgow and Dublin...
: "There's a line in there that love is bigger than your pride and that's how I felt about him. No one was more right for me than him. No one."
Meanwhile, in terms of musically choosing 'I'd Do It All Again' as her first single in three years, she told noted UK soul writer Pete Lewis of Blues & Soul
Blues & Soul
Blues & Soul is a British music magazine covering black music. Genres covered include soul, R&B, jazz, hip hop, reggae and world music. It was first published in 1966 and is known for first using the term Northern Soul....
: "I felt it was a good way to re-introduce myself to people. Because it just starts with me playing my guitar and singing, but then all the different layers come in. And I really like the fact that it grows and swells to just one chorus, and then it retreats again. You know, it follows an unusual song form, and I felt it was an honest and raw song about love when things are difficult."
Music video
The music video was directed by Jamie ThravesJamie Thraves
Jamie Thraves is a British film writer and director.Jamie Thraves began making early short experimental films in 1989 at Hull University, having previously studied illustration . His graduation film Scratch and The Take-Out both went on to win numerous awards at short film festivals worldwide...
. Corinne Bailey Rae had been familiar with Thraves previous music videos, calling them "very real looking, cinematic and quite dark", according to Thraves. She asked for the same concept for her own music video.
Jamie Thraves shot the video in East Dulwich
East Dulwich
East Dulwich is a district of South London, England in the London Borough of Southwark. It forms the eastern one third of Dulwich, with the Dulwich Wood area, Dulwich Village and West Dulwich to its South and West making up the remaining two thirds...
, a southern district of London, England. It begins with Rae awaking somberly in bed while singing the first few lines of the song. She is then shown in front of a mirror dabbing lightly at her cheek with a make-up brush before exiting for a walk outside. The video then cuts to Rae buying groceries, walking through a dimly lit subway, and then up a flight of stairs crowded with people who Rae has to weed through to get to her destination. The sequence of events repeats until the climax of the song where Rae breaks through the crowd of people and instead of awaking again in her bed. She tosses off her jacket and sings in front of moving traffic. Rae then runs into an alley where she stops to catch her breath. After this scene, the cycle of awaking in bed, fixing her make-up, buying groceries and so on, continues for the rest of the video.
Director Jamie Thraves said of the video's concept, "When I first heard the song I instantly saw her doing everyday things, shopping in a supermarket, walking through a park etc but always singing in an intimate fashion." He continues to say "We agreed that the song had a sad beginning, a hopeful middle and a sad ending, so that's what we aimed for with the visuals. She saw herself running at some point, so that inspired the running down the alleyway and gave me the idea of her walking in front of traffic. We both saw that moment as a great release in the video."
Track listings and formats
- Digital Download
- "I'd Do It All Again" (Rae) – 3:07
- Promo CD
- "I’d Do It All Again" (Rae) - 3:08
- "I’d Do It All Again Instrumental" - 3:06
Credits
- Written by Corinne Bailey Rae
- Produced by Steve Chrisanthou and Corinne Bailey Rae
- Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Backing Vocals by Corinne Bailey Rae
- Drums by Luke Flowers
- Bass by John Ellis
- Organ, Backing Vocals by Steve Brown
- Electric Guitar by Paul Farr
- Backing Vocals by Jennifer Birch, John McCallum
- Cello Solo by Simon Denton