Read All About It (song)

Robert Copsey of Digital Spy gave the song a very positive review stating:

If we were to liken it to the US rapper (Eminem), we'd suggest 'Read All About It' was his 'Cleanin' Out My Closet' moment; but in truth its lyrical content is too personal to be compared to his peers. "I wasn't even 5/ Life's a journey and mine wasn't an easy ride," he says of the tense relationship with his family after his father committed suicide, before a stadium-sized chorus courtesy of R&B-soul singer Emeli Sandé ensues. It may doff its cap to the rapping greats, but few can deny this is all Pro Green. [5]

A music video to accompany the release of "Read All About It" was first released onto YouTube on 15 September 2011 at a total length of three minutes and fifty-four seconds.[6]

The video begins with a five-year-old boy (in the same situation Professor Green was in at that age) staring at his step-mother working and his younger half-sister playing. The child's step-mother realises that her step-son is outside staring inside the house, she then calls the child's father. Later on in the video you can see the boy's father talking to someone on the phone (probably the boy's mother). Later the child goes upstairs into what appears to be his old room and damages many things (such as pictures). His father catches him and his step-mother screams at him, the child also screams back. In the end he puts his hands on his ears and closes his eyes. When he opens his eyes, he finds himself in a warehouse. Then he sees Professor Green entering through the front door. The video also shows Professor Green rapping outside the warehouse against a background of altocumulus and stratocumulus clouds lit by the setting sun, as well as Emeli Sandé singing in the rain at night. This video is loosely based on the life of Professor Green himself.

On 5 October 2011, Professor Green and Emeli Sandé performed the song live at the MOBO Awards at the SECC in Glasgow. They performed the song on The X Factor Results Show on 23 October 2011. On 18 November 2011 they performed the song live on Children in Need 2011. On 28 January 2012, Professor Green and Dolcenera performed the song live during the first episode of the Italian show London Live 2.0.[7] On 16 February 2012, they also performed the song during the third night of the 62nd Sanremo Music Festival.[8] In August 2012, Green and Sandé performed the song during Green's set at both parks at the V Festival. This was the only festival Green and Sandé performed the song together at. The song was also again performed together at Sandé's Royal Albert Hall gig in London on 11 November 2012.

"Read All About It" first charted on 28 October 2011, when it debuted at number two on the Irish Singles Chart.[9] The track then debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart on 30 October 2011[10] with sales of over 153,000 copies; the second biggest first-week sales of 2011 behind "What Makes You Beautiful" by One Direction.[11] Marking the first number-one single for both Professor Green and Emeli Sandé, the track spent two consecutive weeks at the peak; falling to number four on 13 November 2011 to accommodate the return of "We Found Love" by Rihanna and Calvin Harris at the chart summit. The single also debuted at number one on both the R&B chart[12] and Scottish chart[13] on 30 October. "Read All About It" was certified Gold on 25 May by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for surpassing sales of 400,000 copies in the United Kingdom.[14]