I Love You Always Forever

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"I Love You Always Forever"
Single by Donna Lewis
from the album Now in a Minute
B-side
  • "Pink Chairs"
  • "Have You Ever Loved"
  • "Simone"
Released16 April 1996 (1996-04-16)
GenrePop
Length
  • 3:59 (album version)
  • 3:24 (radio edit)
LabelAtlantic
Songwriter(s)Donna Lewis
Producer(s)
  • Donna Lewis
  • Kevin Killen
Donna Lewis singles chronology
"I Love You Always Forever"
(1996) 		"Fool's Paradise"
(1996)
Music video
"I Love You Always Forever" on YouTube

"I Love You Always Forever" is the debut single by Welsh singer Donna Lewis 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 in the United States on 16 April 1996[1] and in the United Kingdom on 26 August 1996. The song is inspired by H. E. Bates' novel Love for Lydia, from which the chorus is taken.[2]

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, where it remained for nine weeks, behind Los del Río's "Macarena". It was certified 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.[3] In 2023, Billboard ranked "I Love You Always Forever" among the "500 Best Pop Songs of All Time".[4]

In 2016, a cover version of the song by Australian pop singer Betty Who peaked at number six on the ARIA Singles Chart and topped the US Billboard Dance Club Songs chart.[5]

Background[edit]

Inspired by the novel Love for Lydia by English author 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.[2]

Composition[edit]

"I Love You Always Forever" is written in the key of C major in common time with a tempo of 104 beats per minute.[6][verification needed] Lewis' vocals span from F3 to G4 in the song.[7]

Reception[edit]

The success of "I Love You Always Forever" earned Lewis a nomination for Best British Female Artist at the 1997 Brit Awards.[3] In the US, Andrea Ganis, executive VP of Lewis' record label, Atlantic, 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."[2] 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.[8]

AllMusic 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."[9] Larry Flick from Billboard 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."[10] Tracey Pepper from Entertainment Weekly 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's, knows the value of building tension and mood, even in a pop song."[11] Eamon Joyce from Miscellany News commented that "upon hearing the song, it's embedded in your head for weeks."[12] Bob Waliszewski of Plugged In stated that Lewis "pledges lifelong commitment" on the song.[13]

Music video[edit]

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.[citation needed]

Impact and legacy[edit]

Billboard magazine ranked "I Love You Always Forever" number 408 in their list of "500 Best Pop Songs of All Time" in October 2023,[4] 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 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".[14] 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".[15]

Track listings[edit]

Charts[edit]

Certifications[edit]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[54] Platinum 70,000^
France (SNEP)[77] Gold 250,000*
Germany (BVMI)[78] Gold 250,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[79] Gold 5,000*
Norway (IFPI Norway)[80] Gold  
United Kingdom (BPI)[81] Platinum 600,000‡
United States (RIAA)[83] Gold 800,000[82]

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

Release history[edit]

Region Release date Format(s) Label(s) Ref(s).
United States 16 April 1996 Contemporary hit radio Atlantic [1]
7 May 1996
  • CD
  • cassette
 [84][85]
United Kingdom 26 August 1996 [86]
Japan 11 November 1996 CD [87]

Other releases[edit]

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.[88] Matt Collar of AllMusic felt that the new version was a "ruminative reworking" of the original.[89]

Betty Who version[edit]

"I Love You Always Forever"
Single by Betty Who
from the album The Valley
Released3 June 2016 (2016-06-03)
Genre
Length3:43
LabelRCA
Songwriter(s)Donna Lewis
Producer(s)Peter Thomas
Betty Who singles chronology
"All of You"
(2015) 		"I Love You Always Forever"
(2016) 		"Heaven"
(2016)
Music video
"I Love You Always Forever" on YouTube

Australian pop singer Betty Who released a version of the song on 3 June 2016, with remixes released on 29 July 2016.[91] It was released as the lead single from her second studio album, The Valley.

Music video[edit]

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

Chart performance[edit]

The song is Who's first to reach the ARIA Charts, 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 Dance Club Songs chart, where it peaked at number one, becoming her third number one on the chart.

Track listings[edit]

Digital download

  1. "I Love You Always Forever" – 3:43

Remixes EP

  1. "I Love You Always Forever" (Viceroy Remix) – 4:08
  2. "I Love You Always Forever" (Instant Karma Remix) – 3:39
  3. "I Love You Always Forever" (Pink Panda Remix) – 4:24
  4. "I Love You Always Forever" (Mighty Mike & Teesa Remix) – 3:26
  5. "I Love You Always Forever" (Hector Fonseca & Eduardo Lujan Radio Edit) – 3:33

Weekly charts[edit]

Chart (2016) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[92] 6
Australia (AirCheck National Radio Airplay)[93] 1
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[94] 33
US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)[95] 1

Year-end charts[edit]

Chart (2016) Position
Australia (ARIA)[96] 67
US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)[97] 37

Certifications[edit]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[98] Platinum 70,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Other uses[edit]

  • The chorus is interpolated in Lennon Stella'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 chart.[99][100]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Selected New Releases" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1141. 12 April 1996. p. 44. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
  2. ^ a b c Crowe, Jerry. "Runner Up Donna Lewis' 'I Love You Always Forever' Is Stuck at No. 2 on Billboard Chart Behind A Certain Dance Song". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
  3. ^ a b Donna Lewis BRITS Profile Archived 16 February 2013 at the Wayback Machine. BRIT Awards Ltd. Retrieved 26 January 2013
  4. ^ a b "The 500 Best Pop Songs: Staff List". Billboard. 19 October 2023. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  5. ^ BettyWhoVEVO (3 June 2016). "Betty Who - I Love You Always Forever (Audio)". Archived from the original on 13 December 2021 – via YouTube.
  6. ^ "Donna Lewis - I Love You Always Forever". songbpm.com. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  7. ^ Lewis, Donna. "Donna Lewis "I Love You Always Forever" Sheet Music in C Major (transposable) - Download & Print". Musicnotes.com. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
  8. ^ "Donna Lewis". hiponlline.com. 14 February 2008. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
  9. ^ "Donna Lewis - Now in a Minute". AllMusic. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  10. ^ Flick, Larry (18 May 1996). "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. p. 70. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
  11. ^ "I Love You Always Forever". Entertainment Weekly. 9 August 1996. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
  12. ^ Joyce, Eamon (8 November 1996). "QUICK CLIPS". Miscellany News. p. 13. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
  13. ^ Waliszewski, Bob. "Now in a Minute". Plugged In. Focus on the Family. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
  14. ^ Renfro, Kim (16 May 2018). "RANKED: The 51 best love songs of all time". Insider. Retrieved 7 April 2019.
  15. ^ Osborn, Jacob (29 August 2018). "Best pop songs of the last 25 years". Stacker. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
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  17. ^ I Love You Always Forever (UK cassette single sleeve). Donna Lewis. Atlantic Records. 1996. A5495C, 7567-87067-4.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  18. ^ I Love You Always Forever (European CD single liner notes). Donna Lewis. Atlantic Records. 1996. 7567 85477-9.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  19. ^ I Love You Always Forever (US maxi-CD single liner notes). Donna Lewis. Atlantic Records. 1996. 85507-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
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  84. ^ "I Love You Always Forever / Simone". Amazon. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
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  90. ^ Lipshutz, Jason (12 December 2016). "Betty Who Returning With 'Self-Assured' Sophomore Album in 2017". Billboard. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
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  99. ^ Switch Disco - 'Everything' British iTunes Chart Performance
  100. ^ Switch Disco - Everything (Lyric Video)
  • Feldman, Christopher G. The Billboard Book of Number 2 Singles.
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