Forever After All

"Forever After All" is a song by American country music singer and songwriter Luke Combs. It was released on October 23, 2020, as part of What You See Ain't Always What You Get, the deluxe edition of his second studio album, What You See Is What You Get. Combs wrote the song inspired by his wife, Nicole Hocking. Following its release, the song broke Apple Music and Spotify's streaming records for a country song.

"Forever After All"
Song by Luke Combs
from the album What You See Ain't Always What You Get
WrittenJanuary 2019
GenreCountry
Length3:52
Label
Songwriter(s)
  • Luke Combs
  • Rob Williford
  • Drew Parker
Producer(s)
Audio video
"Forever After All" on YouTube
Acoustic version
"Forever After All" on YouTube

Commercially, the song debuted at number two on the US Billboard Hot 100, for the chart dated November 7, 2020, behind Ariana Grande's "Positions", becoming Combs' highest-charting single on the chart to date. In addition, he surpassed Chris Gaines' "Lost in You" (1999) as the highest Hot 100 debut ever for a male country artist.[1]

Background and writing
Official thumbnail for the audio video

"Forever After All" was the first song Combs wrote after he and his wife, Nicole, moved into their house in Tennessee.[2] It was written in January 2019,[3] and was further co-written by Combs' frequent collaborators, Rob Williford and Drew Parker.[2] This was beneficial to Combs as he found it "easier to open up with guys that you've written with a lot".[2] The song was first previewed by Combs on August 27, 2020, on the video-sharing app TikTok.[4] He later shared a video on Instagram featuring some of the lyrics.[5] Combs recalled, "once we teased the song, people's reaction was really awesome. I don't think we expected it to be that big".[2] He said they were "trying to hold [the song] back for a long time and not play it".[6] The song is a continuance of "Beautiful Crazy" and "Better Together",[6] which were both dedicated to his wife, whom he married in August 2020.[4][7][8] He stated, "You could write a generic love song, and not to say it couldn't be done, but my wife's impact on my life has weighed heavily on the outcome of these songs".[3]

Composition

"Forever After All" is a "tender",[8] "romantic" midtempo country love song.[8][9][10] It sees Combs harmonizing about his wife's unique attributes, and how, unlike material things, their love "last forever after all".[8][11] The ballad[7] reflects on how love is everlasting, even through death.[5]

Live performances

On the day of the song's release, Combs, accompanied with a full band, performed it on Facebook Live along with the rest of the song's on the deluxe album.[11] The performance benefited the MusiCares foundation.[12]

Commercial performance

"Forever After All" set the record for the biggest first day streams for a country song on Apple Music, reaching number one on the platform's global chart.[3][8] It also earned the most first day streams for a country song by a solo artist on Spotify.[8]

Charts

References
  1. Trust, Gary (November 2, 2020). "Ariana Grande's 'Positions' Debuts at No. 1 on Hot 100, Luke Combs' 'Forever After All' Launches at No. 2". Billboard. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
  2. "You See Ain't Always What You Get (Deluxe Edition) by Luke Combs on Apple Music". Retrieved October 29, 2020 – via Apple Music.
  3. Leimkuehler, Matthew (October 29, 2020). "Luke Combs is aiming for the country music history books (again)". The Tennessean. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  4. Black, Lauren Jo (August 28, 2020). "Luke Combs Teases New Song 'Forever After All' Inspired By Wife, Nicole". Country Now. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  5. Kandpal, Disha (August 31, 2020). "'Forever After All' release date: When does Luke Combs' new song come out?". Republic World. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  6. Krol, Jacklyn (October 26, 2020). "Luke Combs Reveals His Favorite Song From Latest Album". Outsider. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  7. Dukes, Billy (August 28, 2020). "Luke Combs Teases Forever After All, New Wife-Inspired Love Song". Taste of Country. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  8. Black, Lauren Jo (October 28, 2020). "Luke Combs Shatters Streaming Records With 'What You See Ain't Always What You Get'". Country Now. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  9. Cillea, Houghton (August 31, 2020). "Luke Combs teases romantic new song, "Forever After All" – Music News – ABC News Radio". ABC News Radio. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  10. Furdyk, Brent (October 28, 2020). "Luke Combs Teases New Ballad 'Forever After All', Tribute To Wife Nicole Hocking". Entertainment Tonight Canada. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  11. Aderoju, Darlene (October 23, 2020). "Luke Combs Dedicates Romantic New Song 'Forever After All' to Wife Nicole Hocking". People. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  12. "Luke Combs' New Deluxe Album 'What You See Ain't Always What You Get' Out Today". BroadwayWorld. October 23, 2020. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  13. "ARIA Australian Top 50 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. November 2, 2020. Retrieved October 31, 2020.
  14. "Luke Combs Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  15. "Luke Combs Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved November 7, 2020.
  16. "Official Irish Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
  17. "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. November 2, 2020. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
  18. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
  19. "Luke Combs Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  20. "Luke Combs Chart History (Country Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
  21. "Luke Combs Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  22. "Top 100 Songs". Rolling Stone. October 30, 2020. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
  23. "Hot Country Songs – Year-End 2020". Billboard. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
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