Key
2023 Single
The basis for this song is quite strange, at least to me. Back in the days when I was scoring songs to paper (because I didn’t have any recording equipment, I’m talking when I was a kid), this was one of the things I came up with. It was a simple chord progression that only lasted eight bars. It wasn’t even enough for me to write it down at the time.
I would have forgot about it altogether except that I fell asleep one afternoon and ‘dreamed’ the memory of this chord progression. When I woke up, I remembered playing this silly chord progression on some silly Casio keyboard that was bought at K-Mart — it must have been 1984 or 1985. (Weird side note — the chord progression I came up with was exactly the same one used by La Bouche for ‘Sweet Dreams’ in 1994. I wish I could prove I came up with it first, you’ll just have to trust me.)
So, that possibly makes this the oldest song I’ve written. There was not much effort put into this track, meaning that it was not difficult to come up with a track that I felt was finished. The lyric writing was quick, which is not very usual at all.
While I was creating it, it noted that it was unabashedly the most ‘Pet Shop Boys’ song I’ve ever done. Surely they have been an influence, but this is essentially written for them, in that I could see them recording it. The minor seventh chords and the breakdown are pure PSB. The lyrics are very a very tongue-in-cheek dialog from the point of view of a narcissist who doesn’t understand why they’re so bad with people. There is even a Chris Lowe-style word recitation. Knowing that this was going in that direction, I just pulled out all the stops and added the cowbells and agogos that were so prevalent in their 80s works. Might as well lean into it.
Yes, there was a specific narcissist in mind when I wrote it.
All About Me
Key
Credits
written, produced and arranged by Key. additional whispers by Nikki Macdonald.
Lyrics
When I go out I always look my best
To distinguish myself from all the rest
The privilege I enjoy does allow me
To be an expert at living judgmentally
Because it's all about me
Everything I see
Is all about me
Most decidedly
My relationships are always good at the start
But they tend to fall apart and quite a lot
Their emotions are too much for a person like me
So I push them away and I do it unregrettably
Because it's all about me
Not you and your needs
I struggle with the concept of empathy
Compassion, kindness, generosity
Tenderness, mercy, benevolence, grace
Are these just words that we read about?
Is there more to life than just showing out?
Living this way seems to serve me well
But the way things are going you can never tell
At the end of the day this is all I know
If I ever have feelings I will put them on show
I don't care to hear about your reality
And that's because you really mean nothing to me
Can't you see?
It's all about me
It's all about me