Always (Erasure song)

"Always" is a synthpop ballad by British duo Erasure. It was released in 1994 as the first single from their sixth studio album, I Say I Say I Say. Written by Erasure members Vince Clarke and Andy Bell, it was produced by Martyn Ware. Mute Records issued the single in the United Kingdom, and Elektra Records released it in the United States.

"Always"
Single by Erasure
from the album I Say I Say I Say
B-side"Tragic"
Released11 April 1994
Recorded1993
GenreSynthpop
Length3:57
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Martyn Ware
Erasure singles chronology
"Who Needs Love Like That"
(1992)		 "Always"
(1994)		 "Run to the Sun"
(1994)
Music video
"Always" on YouTube

The song became Erasure's thirteenth top-ten single on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number four. In the United States, the single became Erasure's third top-twenty hit on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 20—six years after their last major US pop hit. On the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart, the single climbed to number six. In Europe "Always" reached number two in Austria and Sweden, number three in Finland, number four in Iceland and number five in Germany.

Composition

The song is built on the synthesized harmony of Clarke and Bell's subdued vocals and lyrics, and its pre-chorus melody is the same as in Roy Orbison's 1989 song "You Got It". The song's chorus is in 17/4 time signature.

Critical reception

AllMusic editor Ned Raggett described it as a "wonderful ballad" with a "slightly quirky opening, strong verses both musically and lyrically, and a flat-out brilliant chorus, Bell's impassioned delivery one of his finest moments."[1] Larry Flick from Billboard wrote that the song "glides along at a slick, compu-hip pace. Andy Bell has rarely sounded as good as he does here, contrasting the icy-smooth synth nature of Martyn Ware's production with a warm, well-shaded vocal. The tune is embellished with faster trance beats that fit current trends extremely well, without sacrificing the catchy hook."[2] Cashbox commented that "flamboyant frontman Bell’s voice is as smooth and bittersweet as ever, a nifty companion to Clarke's upbeat programming and producer Martyn Ware’s almost industrial style."[3] David Browne from Entertainment Weekly called it a "lament" and a "moving declaration of undying love." He noted Bell's "pained, naked wisp of a voice dips upward in the chorus ("I want to be with you")."[4] Dave Sholin from Gavin Report said the song is "execeptional, mid-tempo Euro-pop".[5] John Hamilton from Idolator described it as a "bleep-bloopy disco ballad featuring some of Andy Bell’s most delicate vocals to-date."[6] Chris Gerard from Metro Weekly stated, "They made a triumphant return with "Always", a divine synth-pop ballad that proved irresistible to pop radio."[7] John Kilgo from The Network Forty noted the song as "an interesting techno pop number".[8] People Magazine said that Bell's "quasi-operatic vocals continue to lend color and depth to Clarke's effete synthetic grooves".[9] Darren Lee from The Quietus called the song a "surefooted day-glo" pop anthem, "which fitted seamlessly into the canon".[10] Dardy Chang from Stanford Daily described it as "cheesy yet pretty", adding that the song "begs you to sing along".[11]

Chart performance

"Always" was very successful on the charts on several continents, becoming one of the band's biggest hits to date. In Europe, it managed to climb into the Top 10 in Austria (number 2), Denmark, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Scotland, Spain, Sweden (number 2) and the United Kingdom, as well as on the Eurochart Hot 100, where the single hit number 4. In the UK, it also peaked at number 4 in its first week at the UK Singles Chart, on April 17, 1994.[12] It became Erasure's thirteenth top-ten single on the chart and spent two weeks at that position. Additionally, "Always" was a Top 20 hit in Belgium and a Top 30 hit in Switzerland. Outside Europe, it hit number 6 on the Billboard Dance Club Songs and number 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, number 19 on the RPM Singles Chart in Canada and number 78 in Australia. The song earned a gold record in Germany, after 250,000 singles were sold.

Music video

The music video features Andy Bell in a Chinese scroll painting-inspired backdrop; it was directed by the Dutch-French filmmaker Jan Kounen. The singer appears as a mystical figure flying into a wintery garden, where he finds a woman standing in the cold by a pavilion. She is covered with snow and her eyes is closed. He uses his magical abilities, throws a magic ball in the air. Suddenly flowers are blooming and it becomes summer in the garden. The woman wakes up. Bell picks flowers for her and combs her hair. Suddenly a dark dragoon-like creature appears and it gets dark and winter in the garden. Bell must defend the woman against the creature, who now has the magic ball and makes a huge snowball that the two are being caught in. Frozen in the snow, Bell manages to use the magic ball, so that it becomes summer again. The creature is fought and falls to the ground. The video ends with Bell flying away from the woman in the summery garden.[13] It was uploaded to YouTube in February 2009. By May 2020, the video had been viewed more than 28 million times.

Track listings

7" single (MUTE152), cassette single (CMUTE152)

  1. "Always"
  2. "Tragic"

12" single (12MUTE152)

  1. "Always"
  2. "Tragic"
  3. "Always" (Cappella Club Mix)
  4. "Always" (Microbots Trance Dance Mix)

12" promotional single (Elektra ED5686)

  1. "Always" (Extended Mix) - 6:12
  2. "Always" (Cappella Club Mix) - 7:13
  3. "Always" (Microbots Trance Dance Mix) - 4:33
  4. "Always" (Hey Mix) - 6:26

CD Single #1 (CDMUTE152)

  1. "Always"
  2. "Always" (Extended Mix)
  3. "Tragic"

CD Single #2 (LCDMUTE152)

  1. "Always" (Cappella Club Mix)
  2. "Always" (Microbots Trance Dance Mix)
  3. "Always" (Microbots In Your Brain Mix)
  4. "Always" (Hey Mix)

US maxi-single (66225-2)

  1. "Always" (7" Mix)
  2. "Always" (Cappella Club Mix)
  3. "Always" (Hey Mix)
  4. "Tragic"

Charts and certifications

Covers

The song has been covered live as an intro piece by synthpop musician MNDR. In 2012 the synthpop band Xiu Xiu covered the song for a Record Store Day single.

The 2009 mix of the song (found on Pop! Remixed and on Total Pop! The First 40 Hits) is featured in the Robot Unicorn Attack video game.

References
  1. "Erasure - I Say, I Say, I Say". AllMusic. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  2. "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  3. "Pop Singles: Reviews" (PDF). Cashbox. p. 7. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
  4. "Top Summer Singles". Entertainment Weekly. 29 July 1994. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
  5. Sholin, Dave (8 April 1994). "Gavin Picks: Singles" (PDF). Gavin Report. p. 50. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
  6. Hamilton, John (20 November 2014). "The 50 Best Pop Singles Of 1994 (Featuring New Interviews With Ace Of Base, TLC, Lisa Loeb, Real McCoy & Haddaway)". Idolator. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
  7. Gerard, Chris (17 September 2014). "Erasure's 40 Greatest Tracks". Metro Weekly. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
  8. "Mainstream: Music Meeting" (PDF). The Network Forty. 1 July 1994. p. 22. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  9. "Picks and Pans Review: I Say, I Say, I Say". People. 20 June 1994. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
  10. Lee, Darren (27 February 2009). "Erasure – TOTAL POP! ERASURE'S FIRST 40 HITS". The Quietus. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
  11. Chang, Dardy (26 May 1994). "spins". Stanford Daily. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  12. "Official Singles Chart Top 100 17 April 1994 - 23 April 1994". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
  13. "Erasure - Always (Official HD Music Video)". YouTube. 25 February 2009. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  14. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988-2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
  15. "Austriancharts.at – Erasure – Always" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  16. "Ultratop.be – Erasure – Always" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  17. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 2557." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  18. "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 11 no. 19. 7 May 1994. p. 13. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  19. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 11 no. 19. 7 May 1994. p. 11. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  20. Nyman, Jake (2005). Suomi soi 4: Suuri suomalainen listakirja (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 978-951-31-2503-5.
  21. "Offiziellecharts.de – Erasure – Always". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  22. "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 7 July 1994. Retrieved 1 October 2019.
  23. Israel Top-30: 2 weeks at No. 1 (11.04.1994 & 19.04.1994)
  24. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  25. Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 978-84-8048-639-2.
  26. "Swedishcharts.com – Erasure – Always". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  27. "Swisscharts.com – Erasure – Always". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  28. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  29. "Erasure Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  30. "Erasure Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  31. "Erasure Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  32. "Erasure Chart History (Dance Singles Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  33. "Erasure Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  34. "Jahreshitparade Singles 1994" (in German). Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  35. "1994 Year-End Sales Charts: Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
  36. "Top 100 Singles–Jahrescharts 1994" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  37. "Árslistinn 1994". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 2 January 1995. p. 16. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  38. "Årslista Singlar, 1994" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  39. "Billboard Top 100 – 1994". Billboardtop100of.com. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  40. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Erasure; 'Always')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
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