In a June 22, 2000 webchat on Björk.com, she explained how she came up with this song: "I guess waking up after having been in Spain for six months in the mountains with few people. It was kind of solitary. And it was April, and I had to walk in the morning, around the mountains. And spring just kicked in. It was definitely nature-inspired. On a more personal level. It's about when you have been too stubborn about giving love to one particular direction... you expect it back, like it's a bank or something. And kind of realizing that it's up to you what you give, but it's not up to you what you are given and where from."

The video was directed by Chris Cunningham, who drew on his adolescent obsession with robots to bring Björk's abstract vision to life. He is also directed the video for Madonna's "Frozen."

This was nominated for a Grammy and won several awards including Best Breakthrough Video and Special Effects at the 2000 MTV Video Awards.

Björk describing her songwriting technique in Q Magazine October 2007: "Sometimes the words will come out in one go. I went out for a walk in 1997 and 'All Is Full Of Love' came out at once."