All Shall Be Well

Album: TIME OUT (2021)
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Songfacts®:

  • The Accidentals (Sav Buist and Katie Larson) wrote this song with Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Mary Gauthier and indie musician Jaimee Harris.

    Buist called it the easiest song the Accidentals ever co-wrote. The four women had all been locked down and beaten up by the state of the world and were just ready to get some music out. They wrote it over Zoom in one hour.
  • "All Shall be Well" is best understood in the context in which it was released.

    The song was written and recorded in late 2020, which was a very tumultuous time in American history. Stark political divides sparked violence across the country, wild fires streaked across the landscape, and half of the country was huddled indoors in terror of the COVID-19 virus while the other half raged against the lockdowns that had been instituted in response (even in regards to a worldwide pandemic there was division).

    It was in this setting that the Accidentals brought "All Shall be Well" into life. The words are simple, almost like a lullaby, but in the context of late 2020 that kind of sweetness and optimism were actually profound. Or, at least, they would have felt profound to a good portion of the nation (and of the world) at that unsettling time.

    The song is meant to be comforting but not blind to the harsh realities of life. As Sav Buist told Songfacts: "'All Shall Be Well' is by no means painting a perfect picture for the world going forward. It's just a reminder that it's OK to breathe every once in a while. It's a promise that it is going to be okay - sometimes it just takes a minute. That's definitely something Katie and I needed to hear at the time."

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