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Always (Erasure song)

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"Always"
Single by Erasure
from the album I Say I Say I Say
B-side"Tragic"
Released11 April 1994 (1994-04-11)[1]
Genre
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

"Always" is a song by British synth-pop duo Erasure. The ballad was released on 11 April 1994 as the first single from their sixth studio album, I Say I Say I Say (1994). 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.

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-20 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 synthesized instruments and with Clarke and Bell's subdued vocals and lyrics. The song's chorus features an unusual time signature change from 4/4 to 5/4 for the final line (in which the lyrics are "Harmony, harmony, oh love").

Critical reception

AllMusic editor Ned Raggett described "Always" 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."[5] Larry Flick from Billboard stated 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."[6] Troy J. Augusto from 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."[7] 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")."[8] Dave Sholin from the Gavin Report said the song is "execeptional, mid-tempo Euro-pop".[3] Caroline Sullivan from The Guardian viewed it as "timeless".[9] John Hamilton from Idolator described it as a "bleep-bloopy disco ballad featuring some of Andy Bell’s most delicate vocals to-date."[2]

Music writer James Masterton wrote in his weekly UK chart commentary, "One of the best singles they have released for years, the anthemic pop song is sure to hang around the upper reaches for a few weeks yet."[10] Chris Gerard from Metro Weekly stated, "They made a triumphant return with "Always", a divine synth-pop ballad that proved irresistible to pop radio."[4] Mario Tarradell for The Miami Herald deemed it as "bouncy fun" and "ideal summer fare – light, bubbly and innocuous."[11] Pan-European magazine Music & Media commented, "Nobody can continue the early '80s like them. Flashbacks of the prototypes of synthesisers come to mind when receiving these Martian sounds bleeping through a prosaic pop song."[12] Alan Jones from Music Week gave it five out of five, describing it as "busy, perky pop with the deftest of touches, this is another hugely commercial and nicely understated piece enlivened by Vince Clarke's tickering synths and Andy Bell's warm contralto."[13] John Kilgo from The Network Forty deemed it "an interesting techno pop number".[14] A reviewer from People Magazine said that Bell's "quasi-operatic vocals continue to lend color and depth to Clarke's effete synthetic grooves".[15] Darren Lee from The Quietus called it a "surefooted day-glo" pop anthem, "which fitted seamlessly into the canon".[16] Dardy Chang from Stanford Daily described it as "cheesy yet pretty", adding that the song "begs you to sing along".[17]

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 peaked at number one in Lithuania and made it to the top 10 in Austria (number two), Denmark, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Scotland, Spain, Sweden (number two) and the United Kingdom, as well as on the Eurochart Hot 100, where the single hit number four. In the UK, it also peaked at number four in its first week at the UK Singles Chart, on 17 April 1994.[18] It became Erasure's 13th top-10 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 Italy and Switzerland. Outside Europe, it reached number one in Israel, number six on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart and number 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, number 19 on the RPM Top 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 are 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.[19]

Track listings

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for "Always"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Germany (BVMI)[47] Gold 250,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[48] Silver 200,000‡

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

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.[49]

References

  1. ^ "Single Releases" (PDF). Music Week. 9 April 1994. p. 23. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
  2. ^ a b 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.
  3. ^ a b Sholin, Dave (8 April 1994). "Gavin Picks: Singles" (PDF). Gavin Report. p. 50. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
  4. ^ a b Gerard, Chris (17 September 2014). "Erasure's 40 Greatest Tracks". Metro Weekly. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
  5. ^ Raggett, Ned. "Erasure - I Say, I Say, I Say". AllMusic. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  6. ^ Flick, Larry (16 April 1994). "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  7. ^ Augusto, Troy J. (23 April 1994). "Pop Singles: Reviews" (PDF). Cashbox. p. 7. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
  8. ^ Browne, David (29 July 1994). "Top Summer Singles". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
  9. ^ Sullivan, Caroline (20 May 1994). "Music: What a drag! - Pop/rock". The Guardian.
  10. ^ Masterton, James (17 April 1994). "Week Ending April 23rd 1994". Chart Watch UK. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  11. ^ Tarradell, Mario (6 July 1994). "Album Reviews: Erasure, I Say I Say I Say". p. 7E. The Miami Herald.
  12. ^ "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. 23 April 1994. p. 6. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
  13. ^ Jones, Alan (26 March 1994). "Market Preview: Mainstream - Singles" (PDF). Music Week. p. 14. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
  14. ^ Kilgo, John (1 July 1994). "Mainstream: Music Meeting" (PDF). The Network Forty. p. 22. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  15. ^ "Picks and Pans Review: I Say, I Say, I Say". People. 20 June 1994. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
  16. ^ Lee, Darren (27 February 2009). "Erasure – TOTAL POP! ERASURE'S FIRST 40 HITS". The Quietus. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
  17. ^ Chang, Dardy (26 May 1994). "spins". Stanford Daily. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  18. ^ a b "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  19. ^ "Erasure - Always (Official HD Music Video)". YouTube. 25 February 2009. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  20. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
  21. ^ "Erasure – Always" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  22. ^ "Erasure – Always" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  23. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 2557." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  24. ^ a b "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 11, no. 19. 7 May 1994. p. 13. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
  25. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 11, no. 19. 7 May 1994. p. 11. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
  26. ^ Nyman, Jake (2005). Suomi soi 4: Suuri suomalainen listakirja (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 978-951-31-2503-5.
  27. ^ "Erasure – Always" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  28. ^ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40". DV (in Icelandic). 7 July 1994. p. 16. ISSN 1021-8254 – via Timarit.is.
  29. ^ "Classifiche". Musica e dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 1 June 2022. Select "Singoli" in the "Tipo" field, type "Erasure" in the "Artista" field and press "cerca".
  30. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  31. ^ Salaverrie, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Madrid: Fundación Autor/SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  32. ^ "Erasure – Always". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  33. ^ "Erasure – Always". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  34. ^ "Erasure Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  35. ^ "Erasure Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  36. ^ "Erasure Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  37. ^ "Erasure Chart History (Dance Singles Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
  38. ^ "Erasure Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  39. ^ "Cash Box Top 100 Pop Singles – Week ending August 6, 1994". Cash Box. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  40. ^ "Jahreshitparade Singles 1994". austriancharts.at (in German). Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  41. ^ "1994 in Review Sales Charts – Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 11, no. 52. 24 December 1994. p. 12. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
  42. ^ "Top 100 Singles-Jahrescharts – 1994" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  43. ^ "Árslistinn 1994". DV (in Icelandic). 2 January 1995. p. 16. ISSN 1021-8254 – via Timarit.is.
  44. ^ "Årslista Singlar, 1994" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  45. ^ "Top 100 Singles 1994" (PDF). Music Week. 14 January 1995. p. 9. ISSN 0265-1548 – via World Radio History.
  46. ^ "The Year in Music 1994 – Hot 100 Singles". Billboard. Vol. 106, no. 52. 24 December 1994. p. YE-26. ISSN 0006-2510 – via Google Books.
  47. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Erasure; 'Always')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  48. ^ "British single certifications – Erasure – Always". British Phonographic Industry. 1 October 2021. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
  49. ^ Gillen, Kieron (30 December 2010). "Page 2 | Games of 2010: Robot Unicorn Attack". Eurogamer.
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