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Always (Bon Jovi song)

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"Always"
Single by Bon Jovi
from the album Cross Road
B-side"Edge of a Broken Heart"
ReleasedSeptember 12, 1994 (1994-09-12)
GenreRock
Length
  • 5:52 (album version)
  • 4:55 (single edit)
  • 4:37 (radio edit)
LabelMercury
Songwriter(s)Jon Bon Jovi
Producer(s)Peter Collins
Bon Jovi singles chronology
"Dry County"
(1994) 		"Always"
(1994) 		"Please Come Home for Christmas"
(1994)
Music video
"Always" on YouTube
"Always" (Alternate Version) on YouTube

"Always" is a song by American rock band Bon Jovi. The power ballad[1] was released in September 1994 by Mercury as a single from the band's first official greatest hits album, Cross Road (1994), and went on to become one of their best-selling singles, with a million copies sold in the US and more than three million worldwide.[2] The song reached number four on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming their 11th and last top 10 hit. It was an international hit, peaking at number one in Belgium, Canada, Ireland and Switzerland, number two in Australia and the United Kingdom, and number four in Germany. The music video for the song was directed by Marty Callner. "Always" was bass player Alec John Such's final single with the band before he left in late 1994.

Song origin

[edit]

The song was originally written by Jon Bon Jovi for the soundtrack to the 1993 film Romeo Is Bleeding, starring Gary Oldman as a corrupt cop and Mafia aide who is renounced by his wife. After being unimpressed by a preview screening of the movie – which was a critical and box office flop[3] – he decided not to lend "Always" to the producers. Bon Jovi commented, "The script was great: the movie wasn't." He left the track on his shelf and forgot about it until John Kalodner, a friend and A&R executive, found it and convinced him to re-record and release the song.[4]

Critical reception

[edit]

Larry Flick from Billboard described "Always" as "a charming new tune that banks on a crisp guitar breeze generated by Richie Sambora and Jon Bon Jovi's familiar rasp." He added, "With lush orchestration by Michael Kamen and gradual shifts in tempo, grand track is easily one of the band's most interesting efforts to date. Prepare for deservedly active airplay well into the fall season."[5] In his weekly UK chart commentary, James Masterton wrote, that it "is an epic ballad of the type they are so fond of penning and a bit of judicious promotion smashes it straight into the Top 5."[6]

Alan Jones from Music Week gave the song four out of five and named it Pick of the Week, writing, "An intense rock ballad, with strings and piano filling out the group's sound, and Jon Bon Jovi delivering a strong, stylish lead. Shame about the weak bridge. Even so, this is sure to soar with a TOTP appearance already in the bag."[7] Tommy Udo from NME declared it as "softy rock", commenting, "It's really between Jon Bon Jovi and Bryan Adams for the title as king of that genre which involves straining for the high notes in a big, emotional, best-a-man-can-get ballad. Bon Jovi wins because every track sounds like the theme for a crap epic starring Kevin Costner."[8] Another NME editor, Paul Moody, said the song "is so Bryan Adams it turns up on his doorstep whenever it gets lost."[9] Jonathan Bernstein from Spin viewed it as "karaoke Bryan Adams".[10]

Music video

[edit]

The accompanying music video for the song was directed by American television director Marty Callner.[11] It features Jack Noseworthy, Carla Gugino, Jason Wiles and Keri Russell. There is also an alternate version of the video that is just the band performing the song.

The original version of the video reached 1 billion views on YouTube (the band's third song to do so) in March 2024.[12]

Live performances

[edit]

The song's powerful lyrics and power ballad sound made "Always" an instant hit at live concerts, but the high demand on Jon Bon Jovi's vocals have seen it rarely performed in concert following the band's 1995–1996 These Days Tour. The song is featured on the band's Live From London video. During the 2005–2006 Have a Nice Day Tour it was occasionally performed in the acoustic style heard on the band's 2003 This Left Feels Right album. The band performed the original version on their Lost Highway Tour, particularly in the UK leg. A live version performed on the final night of the Lost Highway Tour was included on the concert DVD Live at Madison Square Garden. Since then, the song in its original version has been occasionally performed during every tour.

Track listings

[edit]

Charts

[edit]

Certifications

[edit]
Certifications and sales for "Always"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[77] 5× Platinum 350,000‡
Austria (IFPI Austria)[78] Gold 25,000*
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[79] Diamond 250,000‡
Italy (FIMI)[80] Platinum 100,000‡
Netherlands (NVPI)[81] Gold 50,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[82] Gold 5,000*
Russia (NFPF)[83]
Ringtone 		Gold 100,000*
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[84]
(since 2015) 		Platinum 60,000‡
Sweden (GLF)[85] Gold 25,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[86] Gold 25,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[87] Platinum 600,000^
United States (RIAA)[88]
Physical single 		Platinum 1,000,000^
United States (RIAA)[89]
Digital single 		Gold 500,000‡

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

Release history

[edit]
Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United Kingdom September 12, 1994
  • 12-inch vinyl
  • CD
  • cassette
 Mercury [90]
Japan October 7, 1994 Mini-CD [91]

References

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  4. ^ 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can't Be Wrong (DVD). 2004. 7 minutes in. Island Records.
  5. ^ Flick, Larry (October 1, 1994). "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. p. 59. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
  6. ^ Masterton, James (September 18, 1994). "Week Ending September 24th 1994". Chart Watch UK. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
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