"Always" is a synthpop ballad by British group Erasure. It was released in 1994 as the first single from their sixth studio albumI Say I Say I Say. Mute Records issued the single in the United Kingdom, and Elektra Records released it in the United States. "Always" was written by Erasure members Vince Clarke and Andy Bell, and produced by Martyn Ware. 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-twenty hit on the BillboardHot 100, peaking at number 20—six years after their last major US pop hit. On the BillboardHot 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 the synthesized harmony of Clarke and Bell's subdued vocals and lyrics, and its pre-chorus melody is the same as in Roy Orbison's 1989 song "You Got It". The song's chorus is in 17/4 time signature.
Critical reception
editor Ned Raggett described the song 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." Larry Flick from Billboard wrote 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." 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." 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." John Hamilton from Idolator described it as "a bleep-bloopy disco ballad featuring some of Andy Bell’s most delicate vocals to-date." John Kilgo from The Network Forty noted the song as "an interesting techno pop number". People Magazine said that Bell's "quasi-operatic vocals continue to lend color and depth to Clarke's effete synthetic grooves". Dardy Chang from Stanford Daily described "Always" as "cheesy yet pretty", adding that it "begs you to sing along".
Music video
The music video features Bell in a Chinese scroll painting-inspired backdrop; it was directed by the Dutch-French filmmaker Jan Kounen. It premiered in 1994 with the song, and had been viewed more than 28 million times on YouTube by May 2020.
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.
