"I Love You Always Forever" is a song by Welsh singer

Donna Lewis Donna Lewis is a British singer from Cardiff, Wales. She is best known for the 1996 pop hit single " I Love You Always Forever". Lewis teamed up with Richard Marx on the 1997 adult contemporary hit " At the Beginning" for the ''Anastasia'' so ...

from her debut album, '' Now in a Minute'' (1996). Written by Lewis and produced by Lewis and Kevin Killen, it was released as the album's

lead single A lead single (or first single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. A similar term, "debut ...

. In the United States, it was serviced to

contemporary hit radio Contemporary hit radio (CHR, also known as contemporary hits, hit list, current hits, hit music, top 40, or pop radio) is a radio format common in many countries that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top ...

on 16 April 1996 and was issued commercially on 7 May, while in the United Kingdom, it was released on 26 August. The song is inspired by

H. E. Bates Herbert Ernest Bates (16 May 1905 – 29 January 1974) was a British writer known for his gritty, realistic short stories (he wrote more than 25 collections) and novels set predominantly in early- to mid-20th century England. His rural u ...

' novel '' Love for Lydia'', from which the chorus is taken. The song was a commercial hit, peaking at number five on the UK Singles Chart and reaching the top 10 in more than 15 countries, including Australia, Austria, Canada, France, Ireland, and Norway. In the US, the song rose to number two on the ''Billboard''

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100, also known as simply the Hot 100, is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), o ...

, where it remained for nine weeks, behind

Los del Río Los del Río (, "those from the river"), also known as the Del Rios, are a Spanish Latin pop and dance duo formed in Dos Hermanas, Andalusia, in 1962. Consisting of Antonio Romero Monge (born 17 February 1940) and Rafael Ruiz Perdigones (born ...

's "

Macarena "Macarena" is a song by Spanish pop duo Los del Río, originally recorded for their 1993 album '' A mí me gusta''. A dance remix by the electropop group Fangoria was a success in Spain, and a soundalike cover version by Los del Mar became ...

". It was

certified Certification is part of testing, inspection and certification and the provision by an independent body of written assurance (a certificate) that the product, service or system in question meets specific requirements. It is the formal attestatio ...

platinum in Australia and the UK and gold in France, Germany, New Zealand, Norway, and the US. The success of the song saw Lewis nominated for the Brit Award for Best British Female Artist in 1997.Donna Lewis BRITS Profile
. BRIT Awards Ltd. Retrieved 26 January 2013 In 2023, ''Billboard'' ranked "I Love You Always Forever" among the "500 Best Pop Songs of All Time". In 2016, a cover version of the song by Australian pop singer

Betty Who Jessica Anne Newham (born 5 October 1991), known by her stage name Betty Who, is an Australian musician and singer. After independently releasing her debut single, "Somebody Loves You (Betty Who song), Somebody Loves You" (2012), and her debut ...

peaked at number six on the

ARIA Singles Chart The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...

and topped the US ''Billboard''

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chart.

Background

Inspired by the novel '' Love for Lydia'' by H. E. Bates, "I Love You Always Forever" is a pop song in which the singer declares her endless love for her significant other. The song was originally titled "Lydia", but was later changed because there was no mention of anyone with that name in the song. The chorus, "I love you always forever, near and far closer together", is a quote taken directly from the book.

Composition

"I Love You Always Forever" is written in the key of

C major C major is a major scale based on C, consisting of the pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. C major is one of the most common keys used in music. Its key signature has no flats or sharps. Its relative minor is A minor and its parallel min ...

common time A time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, and measure signature) is an indication in music notation that specifies how many note values of a particular type fit into each measure ( bar). The time signature indicates the ...

with a

tempo In musical terminology, tempo (Italian for 'time'; plural 'tempos', or from the Italian plural), measured in beats per minute, is the speed or pace of a given musical composition, composition, and is often also an indication of the composition ...

of 104 beats per minute. Lewis' vocals span from F₃ to G₄ in the song.

Reception

The success of "I Love You Always Forever" earned Lewis a nomination for Best British Female Artist at the

1997 Brit Awards Brit Awards 1997 was the 17th edition of the Brit Awards, an annual pop music awards ceremony in the United Kingdom. It was organised by the British Phonographic Industry and took place on 24 February 1997 at Earls Court Exhibition Centre in Lo ...

. In the US, Andrea Ganis, executive VP of Lewis' record label,

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...

, said: "Radio stations across the country keep telling us the same thing over and over", Ganis says. "They play it and, almost overnight, it's their most requested song. Maybe it's because things have been so dark lately in pop and then along comes a record that everybody can sing along to. It's almost like a catharsis for a lot of people." It became a "runaway hit" without any extra marketing boost from high-profile events of the time such as a hit movie or the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, and was the first single to achieve over one million airplay detections in the US.

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 ...

editor Tom Demalon called the song "compelling" in his review of '' Now in a Minute''. He noted that Lewis "has a girlish voice that sounds like a less quirky

Kate Bush Catherine Bush (born 30 July 1958) is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, and dancer. Bush began writing songs at age 11. She was signed to EMI Records after David Gilmour of Pink Floyd helped produce a demo tape. In 1978, at the ...

Larry Flick Larry Flick is an American journalist, former dance music columnist, single reviewer, and Senior Talent Editor for ''Billboard'' magazine, where he worked for 14 years. Now he produces and hosts Sirius XM radio shows. Flick started in the musi ...

from ''

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 ...

'' described it as a "quietly percussive pop chugger", complimenting Lewis' voice as a "delicate, girlish voice that gives the song a winsome quality, which adds to its already considerable charm." Tracey Pepper from ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...

'' noted that it is "more sophisticated than a first listen might reveal. "I Love You Always Forever"'s chanted chorus, chugging rhythm, and bright melody make it obvious that the newcomer Donna Lewis, whose girlish voice often sounds like

Cyndi Lauper Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper ( ; born June 22, 1953) is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Known for her distinctive image, featuring a variety of hair colors and eccentric clothing, and for her powerful four-octave vocal range;Jerome, ...

's, knows the value of building tension and mood, even in a pop song." Eamon Joyce from '' Miscellany News'' commented that "upon hearing the song, it's embedded in your head for weeks." Bob Waliszewski of ''

Plugged In ''Plugged In'' is a 1994 album by Welsh rock musician Dave Edmunds. The album is the last completely new studio album released by Edmunds to feature vocals. On ''Plugged In'', Edmunds returned to the "one man band" approach of his early solo ...

'' stated that Lewis "pledges lifelong commitment" on the song.

Music video

The song's accompanying music video was directed by Randee St. Nicholas. It is very simple, showing Lewis performing the song dressed in all white in a beige rotating room. Other scenes feature her against a black background, with snow boots on her hands against a wall, and playing a piano.

Impact and legacy

'' magazine ranked "I Love You Always Forever" number 408 in their list of "500 Best Pop Songs of All Time" in October 2023, writing, "The gauziest pop smash of the mid-’90s, as soft and billowing and comforting as the fuzzy curtains Donna Lewis surrounds herself with in the song’s music video."

Insider Insider(s) or The Insider(s) may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Comics * ''Insiders'', a comic series by Mark Millar and Paul Grist, published in ''Crisis'' * The Insiders, a team of DC Comics characters in the Brainiac stories * ''I ...

featured the song in their "The 51 Best Love Songs of All Time" in 2018. Kim Renfro added that it is a "true bop" that is reminiscent of Cyndi Lauper's music of 10 years earlier, but with "slightly more pizazz". Same year, ''Stacker'' ranked it number ten in their list of "Best Pop Songs of the Last 25 years", noting Lewis' "ethereal voice over a heavenly backdrop of synthesizers and understated drum beats".

Track listings

* UK CD single # "I Love You Always Forever" (LP version) – 3:59 # "Pink Chairs" – 3:26 # "Have You Ever Loved" – 3:31 # "I Love You Always Forever" (Philly remix) – 4:00 * UK cassette single # "I Love You Always Forever" (LP version) – 3:59 # "I Love You Always Forever" (Philly remix) – 4:00 * European CD single # "I Love You Always Forever" (radio edit) – 3:21 # "I Love You Always Forever" (Philly mix) – 4:00 # "I Love You Always Forever" (Sylk 130 remix) – 9:00 * US maxi-CD and Australian CD single # "I Love You Always Forever" (album version) – 3:58 # "I Love You Always Forever" (Sylk 130 edit) – 4:38 # "I Love You Always Forever" (Sylk 130 remix) – 9:00 # "I Love You Always Forever" (Sylk 130 instrumental) – 4:59 # "I Love You Always Forever" (drumapella) – 5:11 * US CD single # "I Love You Always Forever" (radio edit) – 3:21 # "Simone" (album version) – 4:26 * US 12-inch single :A1. "I Love You Always Forever" (Sylk 130 remix) – 9:00 :B1. "I Love You Always Forever" (Sylk 130 instrumental) – 4:59 :B2. "I Love You Always Forever" (album version) – 3:58 :B3. "I Love You Always Forever" (a cappella) – 4:10 * US cassette single # "I Love You Always Forever" (album version) – 3:58 # "Simone" (album version) – 4:26 # "I Love You Always Forever" (Sylk 130 edit) – 4:38 * Japanese CD single # "I Love You Always Forever" (LP version) # "Without Love" (LP version) # "Pink Chairs" # "Have You Ever Loved" # "I Love You Always Forever" (Philly remix)

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

Certifications

Release history

Other releases

Lewis has re-recorded the song at least twice. A re-recording with slightly modified instrumentation appears as a bonus track of her 2008 album '' In the Pink''. In 2015, Lewis released the song again on her jazz-influenced covers album, '' Brand New Day''. She was reluctant to include the song at all; but the track that appears on the album has a "completely different arrangement", and Lewis says she now likes it. Matt Collar of

felt that the new version was a "ruminative reworking" of the original.

Betty Who version

Australian pop singer

released a version of the song on 3 June 2016, with remixes released on 29 July 2016. It was released as the

from her second studio album, '' The Valley.''

Music video

The music video, directed by Ben Cope and Daniel Gomes, was released on 14 July 2016.

Chart performance

The song is Who's first to reach the

ARIA Charts The ARIA Charts are the main Australian record chart, music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA beca ...

, peaking at number six while also earning a number one on AirCheck's National Radio Airplay Chart. The song has also had minor success in New Zealand, peaking at number 33. The song was successful on the US

chart, where it peaked at number one, becoming her third number one on the chart.

Track listings

Digital download # "I Love You Always Forever" – 3:43 Remixes EP # "I Love You Always Forever" (Viceroy Remix) – 4:08 # "I Love You Always Forever" (Instant Karma Remix) – 3:39 # "I Love You Always Forever" (Pink Panda Remix) – 4:24 # "I Love You Always Forever" (Mighty Mike & Teesa Remix) – 3:26 # "I Love You Always Forever" (Hector Fonseca & Eduardo Lujan Radio Edit) – 3:33

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Other uses

* The chorus is interpolated in

Lennon Stella Lennon Ray Louise Stella is a Canadian singer and actress. She portrayed Maddie Conrad on the musical-drama series ''Nashville'' (2012–2018). Before going solo in 2018, Stella performed with her sister as the duo Lennon & Maisy. Stella rele ...

's song "Save Us", from her debut album '' Three. Two. One.'' (2020). * The song was heavily sampled in Switch Disco's dance song "Everything", which was released on 25 June 2021. The song peaked at No. 8 on the UK

iTunes iTunes is a media player, media library, and mobile device management (MDM) utility developed by Apple. It is used to purchase, play, download and organize digital multimedia on personal computers running the macOS and Windows operating s ...

chart.Switch Disco - 'Everything' British iTunes Chart Performance
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References

* Feldman, Christopher G. ''The Billboard Book of Number 2 Singles''. {{Authority control 1996 songs 1996 debut singles 2016 singles Atlantic Records singles Donna Lewis songs Betty Who songs Music based on novels Music videos directed by Randee St. Nicholas RCA Records singles Pop ballads 1990s ballads

Background

Composition

Reception

Music video

Impact and legacy

Track listings

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

Certifications

Release history

Other releases

Betty Who version

Music video

Chart performance

Track listings

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Other uses

See also

References