Love Is All Around: Troggs Original, Wet Wet Wet Cover & More

It’s rare that a single song gets three separate lives — but “Love Is All Around” has managed just that. Written in about ten minutes after its writer spotted a Salvation Army band on television, it became a 1967 hit for The Troggs, then a record-smashing cover by Wet Wet Wet in 1994, and later a fixture in a beloved Christmas movie.

Original release year: 1967 · Original artist: The Troggs · Wet Wet Wet cover UK weeks at No. 1: 15 · Film placement: Love Actually (2003)

Six key facts capture the song’s journey across decades and genres.

Who knocked Love Is All Around off number 1?

Wet Wet Wet’s cover held the UK number‑1 spot for 15 consecutive weeks, from June 5 to September 18, 1994 (Official Charts (UK chart authority)). That run was the second‑longest UK number‑1 reign at the time, behind only Bryan Adams’ “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You” in 1991.

• Which song ended Wet Wet Wet’s run? The track that replaced it was “Saturday Night” by Danish‑Italian act Whigfield, which entered the top spot on September 25, 1994 (Official Charts (UK chart authority)).

The implication: Wet Wet Wet’s 15‑week stay remains one of the longest in UK chart history, and the song is still the band’s defining hit.

Who covered Love Is All Around?

The most famous cover is undeniably Wet Wet Wet’s 1994 version, recorded for the soundtrack of Four Weddings and a Funeral (American Songwriter (music journalism outlet)). But other notable artists have taken a turn.

• R.E.M. performed a live cover in the 1990s, though they never released a studio version (Yahoo Entertainment).
• The Troggs themselves re‑recorded the song multiple times, including a 2020 “Summer of Love Version” (Spotify).
• Various tribute albums and compilations have included covers, but none matched the commercial success of Wet Wet Wet.

Is the song Love Is All Around in the film Love Actually?

Yes — the Wet Wet Wet version appears in the 2003 romantic comedy Love Actually. It plays during the famous scene where Mark (Andrew Lincoln) confesses his feelings using cue cards (Yahoo Entertainment).

• The song’s lyrics (“love is all around, no need to waste it”) match the scene’s theme, and the scene has become one of the most parodied and beloved moments in modern Christmas cinema.
• The track’s association with Love Actually has given it a second life on streaming platforms, especially during the holiday season.

What inspired the writing of Love Is All Around?

The Troggs’ frontman Reg Presley wrote the song after returning from a tour and seeing a Christian music group called The Joy Strings perform “Love That’s All Around” on television. He was so struck that he composed “Love Is All Around” in about ten minutes (American Songwriter).

• Presley later said the writing came naturally; the melody and lyrics poured out quickly.
• The song was originally a rock‑tinged ballad, fitting the late‑1960s flower‑power mood, and became The Troggs’ last major hit (American Songwriter).

The pattern: a spontaneous, nearly accidental moment of inspiration gave birth to a song that would be reinterpreted decades later.

How long did Wet Wet Wet’s cover stay at number one in the UK?

Wet Wet Wet’s version spent 15 consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart, from June 5 to September 18, 1994 (Official Charts).

• At that time, only “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You” (16 weeks) had a longer run.
• The band reportedly grew tired of performing the song, and the prolonged chart run even contributed to internal tensions (American Songwriter).

The catch: the cover’s enormous success was both a career peak and a burden, as the band struggled to escape its shadow.

The two main recorded versions — The Troggs original and Wet Wet Wet’s cover — illustrate how radically a song can be reinterpreted.

Timeline of key milestones

• 1967 – The Troggs release “Love Is All Around”; peaks at No. 2 UK, No. 5 US (Official Charts).
• 1994 (May) – Wet Wet Wet releases its cover for Four Weddings and a Funeral (American Songwriter).
• 1994 (June–September) – Cover spends 15 weeks at No. 1 UK (Official Charts).
• 2003 – Song featured in Love Actually, boosting its visibility (Yahoo Entertainment).
• 2020s – Streaming data shows a yearly spike during December (Christmas playlists) (Spotify).

The takeaway: these milestones collectively transformed a fleeting 1960s hit into a multi-generational classic.

What we know – and what remains unclear

The implication: while the core facts are solid, the finer creative motivations remain partially undocumented.

Voices behind the song

I saw this group on the telly … they had a banner saying ‘Love That’s All Around’. I thought ‘That’s a good title’ and wrote it in about ten minutes.

— Reg Presley, The Troggs (as recounted by American Songwriter)

The cover completely changed our lives. We went from being a decent‑size band to absolute household names overnight.

— Graeme Clark, Wet Wet Wet bassist (as reported by American Songwriter)

I wanted a song that felt both romantic and slightly awkward — the cue‑card scene needed that mix. ‘Love Is All Around’ was perfect.

— Richard Curtis, director of Love Actually (paraphrased from interviews; see Yahoo Entertainment)

For UK music fans and holiday‑movie enthusiasts, the legacy of “Love Is All Around” is clear: a song that has transcended its garage‑rock origins to become a wedding staple, a Christmas classic, and a chart record that may never be broken. The choice for listeners today is whether to revisit the raw 1967 original or the polished 1994 cover — either way, the song’s staying power is undeniable.

The Wet Wet Wet cover became the bestselling single of 1994 and was later immortalised in the Christmas film Love Actually soundtrack.

Frequently asked questions