Song Analysis: All We Do

The duo, Josephine Vander Gucht and Anthony West who call themselves Oh Wonder, is based in London and came out with their first album on September 4, 2015. Gucht and West were determined to release one song each month for a year and “All We Do” was one of the songs they decided to release as another step towards their goal. Through a combination of emotional lyrics and heartfelt music, the song “All We Do” effectively conveys the message that we need to start living the way we want to and stop creating façades to cower from reality. The overall structure of “All We Do” presents a repetitive, but coherent approach for individuals to be able to uncover the underlying themes and message from Oh Wonder’s lyrics. Throughout the entire song,
Since the opening of the song, the verses in each stanza have begun with the repetitive phrase “All we do is…,” but in the chorus, the phrase is not used. Alternatively, the artists change the use of the first person-plural pronouns (we) into first person (I) as the main subject. Gucht’s pitch in her voice is raised slightly higher as she sings into the chorus along with West’s voice and the feeling within the song is more uplifted due to the tone of their voices. As Gucht and West sing the first line of the chorus, “I’ve been upside down…” the keys of the piano are played at a higher note as well. Apart from the music, the significance behind the first verse of the chorus can be interpreted as Gucht’s individual self who has been “upside down” for such a long period of time that she is used to the feeling of abnormality and that she is comfortable where she is. As the second verse begins, Gucht and West sing, “I don’t wanna be the right way round” which can easily be referred back to the previous idea of her accepting the way life has already been and the carelessness of even attempting to be as normal. West’s voice continues to linger as a shadow behind Gucht’s voice, possibly putting emphasis on the fact that although men and women in society are all corrupted, women may just be more corrupted than men. On to the final verse of the chorus, Gucht and West sing, “Can’t find paradise on the ground” as a form of the male and female singers expressing that by the acceptance of the way their lives are “upside down,” that is the only way for them to find satisfaction with the way their current state of being. Fast forward to the second time the chorus is played, the music is different. Besides the soothing tunes of the piano, there is now a rhythmic beat that follows the flow of the music. The rhythmic beat of the piano near the