"(Forever) Live and Die" is a 1986 song by the English

electronic Electronic may refer to: *Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductors * ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal *Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device *Electronic c ...

band

Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) are an English electronic music, electronic band formed in Meols, Merseyside in 1978 by Andy McCluskey (vocals, bass guitar) and Paul Humphreys (keyboards, vocals). Regarded as pioneers of electronic musi ...

(OMD), released as the first single from their seventh studio album, ''

The Pacific Age ''The Pacific Age'' is the seventh studio album by the English electronic band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), released on 29 September 1986 by Virgin Records. It was the last of two OMD studio albums produced by Stephen Hague, after ...

''.

Paul Humphreys Paul David Humphreys (born 27 February 1960) is an English singer, songwriter and musician. He is best known as the keyboardist and secondary vocalist of the Electronic music, electronic band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), which he f ...

sings lead vocals on the track. The single peaked at No. 11 on the UK Singles Chart. It was a top 10 hit in Canada and several European territories, and a top 20 hit in the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and Ireland.

Critical reception and legacy

Lynden Barber of ''

The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published in Sydney, Australia, and owned by Nine Entertainment. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuous ...

'' wrote that "(Forever) Live and Die" is "almost worthy of prime period

ABBA ABBA ( ) were a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. They are one of the most popular and successful musical groups of all time, and are one of the List ...

, its ethereal Euro synthetics melting around a chorus that ascends towards heaven." ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' selected the single as one of their "pop picks" for the week of 20 September, adding that it "achieves he Beatles'''

Magical Mystery Tour ''Magical Mystery Tour'' is a record by the English rock band the Beatles that was released as a double EP in the United Kingdom and an LP in the United States. It includes the soundtrack to the 1967 television film of the same title. The E ...

'' spirit with '80s tech". ''

Record Mirror ''Record Mirror'' was a British weekly music newspaper published between 1954 and 1991, aimed at pop fans and record collectors. Launched two years after ''New Musical Express'', it never attained the circulation of its rival. The first UK Album ...

''s Andy Strickland referred to "an infectious little beast" with "some nice brass touches". Conversely, Simon Mills of ''

Smash Hits ''Smash Hits'' was a British music magazine aimed at young adults, originally published by EMAP. It ran from 1978 to 2006, and, after initially appearing monthly, was issued fortnightly during most of that time. The name survived as a brand ...

'' portrayed the song as "limp, languid, wimpy and totally inoffensive". In April 1987, English

disc jockey A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include Radio personality, radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at nightclubs or music fes ...

(DJ)

Gary Crowley Gary Crowley (born 8 October 1961), is an English broadcaster, TV presenter and DJ.Burrell, Ian (2009), ''The Independent'', 9 November 2009, retrieved 2 November 2010 While still at Rutherford School, Paddington, in the late 1970s Gary Crowley ...

identified "(Forever) Live and Die" as a "great single" and "one of isfavourite records of the last twelve months". In a later article, ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spin (physics) or particle spin, a fundamental property of elementary particles * Spin quantum number, a number which defines the value of a particle's spin * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thr ...

''s James Hunter observed "the kind of emotionally transcendent dancepop et Shop Boys'

Neil Tennant Neil Francis Tennant (born 10 July 1954) is an English singer, songwriter and music journalist, and co-founder of the synth-pop duo the Pet Shop Boys, which he formed with Chris Lowe in 1981. He was a journalist for '' Smash Hits'', and assist ...

always strove for, an unqualified masterpiece of tears and aural compression, carnivalesque synth figures and Wednesday afternoon blues." Stewart Mason of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

wrote that it "sounds oddly unfinished, albeit pleasant enough".

Barenaked Ladies Barenaked Ladies (BNL) is a Canadian Rock music, rock band which was formed in 1988 in the Toronto suburb of Scarborough, Ontario. The band developed a following in Canada, with their Barenaked Ladies (EP), self-titled 1991 cassette becoming th ...

drummer

Tyler Stewart Tyler Joseph Stewart (born September 21, 1967) is the drummer for the Canadian music group Barenaked Ladies. Early life Stewart was born in Toronto, but was raised in Newmarket, Ontario. He is the son of Sandra Stewart and stepson of Robert Stew ...

named the track as his favourite of OMD's, saying, "I really love '(Forever) Live and Die'. That's a great song." "(Forever) Live and Die" has been listed among the best tracks of 1986. ''

The Pueblo Chieftain ''The Pueblo Chieftain'' is an American daily newspaper published in Pueblo, Colorado. Subsidiary papers include ''Pueblo Events'' and ''The Pueblo West View''. History The ''Chieftain'' was established in 1868 by Dr. Michael Beshoar, the fi ...

''s Jon Pompia named the "wonderful" song as one of the 10 greatest of the 1980s; it has also appeared in "all-time" lists compiled by

CFNY-FM CFNY-FM (102.1 Hertz, MHz, "102.1 The Edge") is a radio station city of license, licensed to Brampton, Ontario. Owned by Corus Entertainment, the station broadcasts a modern rock format serving the Greater Toronto Area. Its studios are in Downtow ...

and

Q101 Q101 may refer to: * Archive Series No. 2: Live in Chicago Q101, a live broadcast 'studio' album released by Violent Femmes in 2006 * CKMQ-FM, Merritt, British Columbia, Canada * KQDJ-FM, Valley City, North Dakota * WKQX (FM), an alternative roc ...

Track listing

7" and 7" picture disc # "(Forever) Live and Die" – 3:36 # "This Town" – 3:44 First 12" # "(Forever) Live and Die" (John "Tokes" Potoker - Extended Mix) – 5:45 # "(Forever) Live and Die" (7" version) – 3:36 # "This Town" – 3:44 Second 12" # "(Forever) Live and Die" (

Tom Lord-Alge Tom Lord-Alge (born January 17, 1962) is an American music engineer and mixer. He began his career at Unique Recording in New York. Subsequently, he was the resident mixer at what used to be known as "South Beach Studios", located on the ground ...

– Extended Remix) – 5:50 # "(Forever) Live and Die" (7" version) – 3:36 # "This Town" – 3:44

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Forever Live And Die 1986 songs 1986 singles Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark songs Songs written by Paul Humphreys Virgin Records singles