Written by guitarist and vocalist Brian May (but credited to Queen) and produced by David Richards, it was released as the first single from the album on 2 May 1989.

According to May, it was the first song they did in the studio, recorded as a live band take without any drum machines or technology (except the sequencer section added later).

[6] The song was inspired by May's conflicted feelings after his breakup with his first wife, Christine Mullen, and his new relationship with Anita Dobson.

[3] The song was a live favourite, and has been a fixture regularly performed on Queen's "Queen+" tours, both with Paul Rodgers and subsequently Adam Lambert.

"[7] Melville-based newspaper Newsday mentioned "I Want It All" as one of "The best" of the album, describing it as "colored by May's rocking guitar rolls and Mercury's rough-boys vocals.

"[8] In reviewing the album, The Dallas Morning News described "I Want It All" in some depth, explaining how it "starts off with a Bowiesque guitar part, picks up a heavy cargo of steel, quickly lays down the hard line implied by the title, then takes flight along Mr. May's greased fretboard.