All Mine (Portishead song)

"All Mine" is the second track and first single from English band Portishead's self-titled second album. It was released as a single, along with "Cowboys", "Only You" and "Over". The music video—based on a 1968 Italian music show and "The Outer Limits"—featured a little girl singing in front of an orchestra. The single reached No. 8 in the United Kingdom and is so far the band's only Top 10 hit there. The song was also covered on Tom Jones's album Reload.
Critical reception.
AllMusic editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine described the song a "impeccable modern-day torch song" and "horn-punctuated". Larry Flick from "Billboard" wrote that it shows Portishead "in a typically melancholy mood", and noted that singer Beth Gibbons "has perfected her Shirley Bassey vocal inflections, while partner Geoff Barrow builds a richly textured groove that compresses snakey guitars and ominous horn fills into a dark trip-hop groove." He added that it is "nourishment for the adventurous at heart, but accessible to the mainstream at the same time." The Daily Vaults Sean McCarthy noted its "elaborate orchestral setup, a jarring mix of strings and horns [that] drive the chorus." He stated that conductor Nick Ingman "deserves major props for adding, but not overpowering Portishead's intoxicating gloom." Jason Rugg from "The Ithacan" picked it as a highlight of the album, describing it as a "soul-influenced" track, "which swings with wan-wan guitar and a tight horn section". Elisabeth Vincentelli from "Rolling Stone" wrote that "All Mine" "may begin like a hiccuping James Bond theme, but it turns out to be a tale of coolly detached possessiveness: "There's nowhere to hide from me…./All mine, you have to be."" Sal Cinquemani from "Slant" noted that the song, "which first appears to be a "happy" love song, descends into a possessive declaration: "From that cloud, number nine/Danger starts the sharp incline"." "Sunday Mirror" called it "excellent". Dave Tompkins for "Vibe" said it is "soul controlling with horn blows and stalking snares."
Chart performance.
The song peaked at number 8 in its first week on the UK Singles Chart on September 14, 1997. It was also a Top 10 hit in Scotland, reaching number 8 there too. Additionally, "All Mine" peaked at number 30 in Iceland and number 44 in Sweden and Switzerland. On the Eurochart Hot 100, the song reached its best position at number 22 on September 27. Outside Europe, it peaked at number 29 in New Zealand and number 36 in Australia.
Music video.
The music video for the song is shot in black-and-white. It depicts a young girl at some kind of TV-show, performing the song accompanied by an orchestra in front of a camera. The video has a vintage feel to it and features Italian subtitles. It has been claimed to be based on a 1968 Italian music show and "The Outer Limits". A picture from the music video is used on the cover of the album. The Golden Apples commented on the video, "Possibly one of the most hauntological videos produced way back in 1997. Adding to its hauntology is the grainy look of any HD clip you can find and a nightmare inducing strange superimposed image around 3:40 – 3:48 …what the…".