“All I Want Is You”
by U2
from the album Rattle & Hum
1988
Buy the album on Amazon

Although I’m not much of a U2 fan these days, there’s no denying that they have some amazing songs and albums in their catalog (if you don’t think Joshua Tree is a perfect album, please leave the planet now).  Rattle & Hum is a mixed bag sandwiched between the aforementioned Joshua Tree and the brilliant Achtung Baby (which should have been their final album).  There is a ton of filler and disappointing covers but they also include some downright amazing tracks, notably “God Part II,” “Desire” and my pick for Karaoke Tuesday, “All I Want Is You.”

I love singing this song because it’s fairly easy to pull off even if you haven’t quit warmed up yet.  But more than that, this song has always reminded me of a specific place and time.  My high school girlfriend lived way out in the country and we’d always go exploring, looking for new makeout spots.  There was this big hill near her house that overlooked an abandoned quarry that her family had nicknamed, “The Top of the World.”  I remember sitting up on that hill one late autumn afternoon, it was a crisp day with the sun starting to fade and this song came on the radio we had drug up there with us.  It was one of those absolute perfect moments, where you feel like everything is okay and always will be.  Every time it comes up on the radio, or on the screen at karaoke, I remember that time and those feelings.