Forever (Mariah Carey song)
| "Forever" | |
|---|---|
| Song |
"Forever" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey from her fifth studio album, Daydream. It was released by Columbia Records on March 10, 1996, as an airplay-only single from the album. The song was written by Carey and Walter Afanasieff, who also served as producer. Its lyrics describe a situation where the protagonist knows her relationship with her lover has withered away, however he will continue living in her memory forever.
The song's music video is a collage of snippets from Carey's shows at the Tokyo Dome, during her Daydream World Tour in 1996. Most of the video is the performance of the song during one of the three Japanese shows on the tour. Serving as an airplay only song in the US, and a limited release around the world, the song achieved minimal chart success. In the United States, Billboard rules did not allow the charting of non-commercially released songs. For this reason, it did not chart on the Hot 100, however peaking at number two on the Adult Contemporary chart. Outside the US, the song peaked at number eleven in Canada, forty in New Zealand and forty-four in the Netherlands.
Composition
"Forever" was written by Carey and Walter Afanasieff in early 1995.[1] The song is written in the key of A♭ major.[2] It features a basic chord progression of A♭-C/G-Fm/E♭-D♭-E♭, and Carey's voice spans from the low note of E♭3 to the high note of F♯5.[2] According to the author Chris Nickson, the song brought back reminders of older decades.[1] The throwback was featured through the chord changes and in the way the guitar arpeggios "stayed at the forefront of the music."[1] The song displayes subtle vocals from Carey, as well as an "undeniable richness."[1] Stephen Holden from The New York Times outed the song, describing it as a "50's-style rock-and-roll ballad."[3]
Reception
Ken Tucker, an editor from Entertainment Weekly praised the song's instrumentation, writing "I like the brisk waltz tempo of 'Forever.'"[4] "Forever" was released as an airplay only single in the US, and received a limited European release.[1] Due to Billboard rules at the time of its release, "Forever" wasn't eligible to chart on the Hot 100. However, the song charted on the Adult Contemporary chart, peaking at number two. In Canada, the song peaked at number eleven on the Canadian RPM Singles Chart issue dated September 30, 1996.[5] In New Zealand, the song entered the singles chart at its peak of number forty, spending only one week in the chart.[6] On the Dutch Singles Chart, "Forever" peaked at number forty-seven, fluctuating in the chart for a total of nine weeks.[7]
Music video and live performances
"Forever" was performed throughout all the shows on Carey's Daydream World Tour in 1996.[8] The music video for "Forever" was filmed at one of the Japanese shows during the tour.[1] It presents Carey singing the song on stage at the Tokyo Dome, and inter-cuts scenes from other segments of the show. For the show and video, Carey wore a pair of black pants and matching blouse, together with a long leather trench coat. Her hair teased in a long wavy fashion, and is a golden-auburn color. The video features three back-up singers, one male and two female and a large projection screen on the stage's rear.[1]
Charts
| Chart (1996) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian RPM Singles Chart[5] | 11 |
| Dutch Singles Chart[7] | 47 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart[6] | 40 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks[9] | 2 |
References
- ^ a b c d e f g Nickson 1998, pp. 149
- ^ a b "Mariah Carey - Forever - Digital Sheet Music". Musicnotes.com. Alfred Publishing. Retrieved 2009-05-05.
- ^ Holden, Stephen (1995-10-08). "Pop Music; Mariah Carey Glides Into New Territory". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved 2010-10-20.
- ^ Tucker, Ken (1995-10-13). "Daydream (1995)". Entertainment Weekly. Time Warner. Retrieved 2010-10-20.
- ^ a b "Top Singles - Volume 64, No. 7, September 30 1996". RPM. 1996-09-30. Retrieved 2010-09-13.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ a b "Mariah Carey - Forever". Charts.org.nz. Hung Medien. Retrieved 2010-12-10.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|work=(help) - ^ a b "Mariah Carey - Forever". Dutchcharts.nl. Hung Medien. Retrieved 2010-12-10.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|work=(help) - ^ Nickson 1998, pp. 155
- ^ "Mariah Carey Album & Song Chart History". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 2010-09-14.
Bibliography
- Nickson, Chris (1998), Mariah Carey revisited: her story, St. Martin's Press, ISBN 978-0312195120