All of a Sudden (album)

All of a Sudden
Studio album by John Hiatt
Released	March 1982
Studio	Power Station, New York City Good Earth, London
Genre	Rock new wave [1]
Length	42:13
Label	Geffen
Producer	Tony Visconti
John Hiatt chronology
Two Bit Monsters (1980) All of a Sudden (1982) Riding with the King (1983)
Singles from All of a Sudden
"I Look For Love" Released: 1982

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
Robert Christgau	B− [3]
Rolling Stone	[4]
The New Rolling Stone Album Guide	[5]

All of a Sudden is singer-songwriter John Hiatt's fifth album, released in March 1982. It was the first of three albums with Geffen Records. Hiatt toured in support of the album. ^[6]

Background and release

After his previous album, Two Bit Monsters, failed to chart MCA Records dropped Hiatt. In 1981, he signed with Geffen Records. ^{[6] [7] [8]}

All of a Sudden was released by Geffen Records in March 1982. ^{[6] [7] [9]} It was produced by Tony Visconti, known for his work with David Bowie. ^{[10] [11]} The album peaked at number 203 on the Billboard Bubbling Under chart. ^[12]

Track listing

All tracks are written by John Hiatt, except where noted.

Side one

No.	Title	Length
1.	"I Look for Love"	3:34
2.	"This Secret Life"	3:58
3.	"Overnight Story"	3:30
4.	"Forever Yours"	3:48
5.	"Some Fun Now"	3:21
6.	"The Walking Dead"	2:54

Side two

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"I Could Use an Angel"		3:38
2.	"Getting Excited"		3:36
3.	"Doll Hospital"	John Hiatt, Isabella Wood	3:03
4.	"Something Happens"		3:24
5.	"Marianne"		2:46
6.	"My Edge of the Razor"		4:21
Total length:			42:13

Personnel

• John Hiatt – guitar, vocals
• Jesse Harms – keyboards, backing vocals
• James Rolleston – bass guitar, backing vocals
• Darrell Verdusco – drums, backing vocals

Technical

• Larry Alexander – engineer
• Nick Taggart – cover illustration
• Richard Seireeni – art direction
• Howard Rosenberg – photography

Notes

1. Ingalls, Chris; Wilhelm, Rick (19 June 2025). "20 of the Best New Wave Albums by Rock/Pop Artists". PopMatters . Retrieved 20 October 2025. ...All of a Sudden is one of the oddball winners in this new wave sweepstakes.
2. Ruhlmann, William. All of a Sudden at AllMusic. Retrieved 12 August 2011.
3. "Consumer Guide, John Hiatt reviews". Robert Christgau . Retrieved 12 August 2011.
4. Pond, Steve (27 May 1982). "John Hiatt: All of a Sudden: Music review". Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on 11 May 2006. Retrieved 12 August 2011.
5. Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian David (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon and Schuster. p. 378. ISBN   978-0-7432-0169-8.
6. "Geffen Inks John Hiatt" (PDF). Record World . 27 February 1982. p. 12 – via World Radio History.
7. "Signed, Sealed, Delivered" (PDF). Cash Box . 27 February 1982. p. 14 – via World Radio History.
8. "Signings" (PDF). Billboard . 11 July 1981. p. 6 – via World Radio History.
9. "Signings" (PDF). Billboard . 6 March 1982. p. 10 – via World Radio History.
10. "Funny Producer" (PDF). Billboard . 13 March 1982. p. 46 – via World Radio History.
11. "Points West" (PDF). Cash Box . 31 October 1981. p. 18 – via World Radio History.
12. "Bubbling Under The Top LPs" (PDF). Billboard . 22 May 1982. p. 64 – via World Radio History.