Always (Bon Jovi song)

"Always"
Single by Bon Jovi
from the album Cross Road
B-side	Edge of a Broken Heart
Released	September 20, 1994
Format	CD single, cassette
Recorded	1994
Genre	Rock
Length	5:54 (Album Version) 4:55 (Single Edit) 4:37 (Radio Edit)
Label	Mercury
Writer(s)	Jon Bon Jovi
Producer(s)	Peter Collins
Certification	Platinum (U.S.)
Bon Jovi singles chronology
"Dry County" (1994) "Always" (1994) "Someday I'll Be Saturday Night" (1994)
Music sample Always Music video "Always" on YouTube Music video "Always" (Alternate Version) on YouTube

"Always" is a power ballad by Bon Jovi. It was released as a single from their 1994 album Cross Road and went on to become their best-selling single, with a million copies sold in the U.S. and more than 3 million worldwide.^[1] The song reached #4 in the U.S. Billboard charts, #2 on the Mainstream Top 40^[2] and was also an international hit (#1 in Australia,^[3] #2 in the United Kingdom and #4 in Germany). It marks Alec John Such's final single with the band before he left the band in late 1994.

Song origin

The song was originally written for the soundtrack to the 1993 film Romeo Is Bleeding. After disliking the movie, the band decided not to lend "Always" to the producers; upon its release, the film was a critical and box office disaster. Jon Bon Jovi left the track on his shelf and forgot about it, until a friend found the track and convinced him to re-record and release it on the band's Cross Road compilation album.

Music video

The music video featured Jack Noseworthy, Carla Gugino, Jason Wiles and Keri Russell.

Live performances

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. Hence, when it is performed it is done so in a lower key. 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. Recently the band has performed the original version on their Lost Highway Tour, particularly in the UK leg. A live version from the song, performed on the final night of the Lost Highway Tour has been included on the concert DVD from the band: Live at Madison Square Garden. Since then the song in its original version has been occasionally performed during every tour.

Track listing

UK CD single

1. "Always" (Edit) (Jon Bon Jovi) 4:52
2. "Always" (Jon Bon Jovi) 5:52
3. "Edge of a Broken Heart" (Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, Desmond Child) 4:33

German CD single

1. "Always" (Edit) (Jon Bon Jovi) 4:52
2. "Always" (Jon Bon Jovi) 5:52
3. "Edge of a Broken Heart" (Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, Desmond Child) 4:33
4. "Prayer 94" (Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, Desmond Child) 5:20

US Cassette Single

1. "Always (Edit)"
2. "Never Say Goodbye"
3. "Edge Of a Broken Heart"

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1994–95) Peak position Australia (ARIA)[4] 2 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[5] 3 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[6] 1 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[7] 22 Canada Top Singles (RPM)[8] 1 Canada Adult Contemporary Tracks (RPM)[9] 6 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100) 1 Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[10] 3 France (SNEP)[11] 2 Germany (Official German Charts)[12] 4 Ireland (IRMA)[13] 1 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[14] 2 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[15] 4 Norway (VG-lista)[16] 2 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[17] 2 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[18] 1 UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[19] 2 US Billboard Hot 100[20] 4 US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[21] 4 US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[22] 2

Year-end charts Chart (1994) Peak position Australia (ARIA)[23] 3 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[24] 19 Canada Top Singles (RPM)[25] 33 Germany (Official German Charts)[26] 44 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[27] 10 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[28] 37 UK Singles (Gallup)[29] 7 US Billboard Hot 100[30] 91 Chart (1995) Peak position Australia (ARIA)[31] 55 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[32] 37 Canada Top Singles (RPM)[33] 53 Germany (Official German Charts)[34] 87 US Billboard Hot 100[35] 17

Certifications

Region	Certification	Sales/shipments
Australia (ARIA)[36]	2× Platinum	140,000
Austria (IFPI Austria)[37]	Gold	25,000
Italy (FIMI)[38]	Gold	25,000
Netherlands (NVPI)[39]	Gold	50,000
New Zealand (RMNZ)[40]	Gold	7,500
Sweden (GLF)[41]	Gold	25,000
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[42]	Gold	25,000
United Kingdom (BPI)[43]	Platinum	600,000
United States (RIAA)[44] Physical single	Platinum	1,000,000
United States (RIAA)[44] Digital single	Gold	500,000
^*sales figures based on certification alone ^^shipments figures based on certification alone ^xunspecified figures based on certification alone

References

1. "Bon Jovi". Fantasy Music League. Archived from the original on 2013-10-29. Retrieved 2012-11-14.
2. "Allmusic (Bon Jovi charts & awards) Billboard singles".
3. 1994-11-12 Top 40 Official Singles Chart UK Archive | Official Charts Archived January 13, 2014, at the Wayback Machine.
4. "Australian-charts.com – Bon Jovi – Always". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved November 3, 2012.
5. "Austriancharts.at – Bon Jovi – Always" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved November 3, 2012.
6. "Ultratop.be – Bon Jovi – Always" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved November 3, 2012.
7. "Ultratop.be – Bon Jovi – Always" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved November 3, 2012.
8. Canadian Top Singles peak
9. Canadian Adult Contemporary peak
10. Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin - levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
11. "Lescharts.com – Bon Jovi – Always" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved November 3, 2012.
12. "Musicline.de – Bon Jovi Single-Chartverfolgung" (in German). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH. Retrieved November 3, 2012.
13. "Search the Charts - Always". Irish Recorded Music Association. Fireball Media. Archived from the original on 2013-10-04.
14. "Nederlandse Top 40 – Bon Jovi search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40. Retrieved November 3, 2012.
15. "Charts.org.nz – Bon Jovi – Always". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved November 3, 2012.
16. "Topp 20 Single uke 48, 1994 – VG-lista. Offisielle hitlister fra og med 1958" (in Norwegian). VG-lista. Retrieved November 3, 2012.
17. "Swedishcharts.com – Bon Jovi – Always". Singles Top 100. Retrieved November 3, 2012.
18. "Swisscharts.com – Bon Jovi – Always". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved November 3, 2012.
19. "Archive Chart: 1994-10-08" UK Singles Chart. Retrieved November 3, 2012.
20. "Bon Jovi – Chart history" Billboard Hot 100 for Bon Jovi. Retrieved November 3, 2012.
21. "Bon Jovi – Chart history" Billboard Adult Contemporary for Bon Jovi. Retrieved November 3, 2012.
22. "Bon Jovi – Chart history" Billboard Pop Songs for Bon Jovi. Retrieved November 3, 2012.
23. "ARIA Charts - End Of Year Charts - Top 50 Singles 1994". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved July 29, 2011.
24. "Jaaroverzichten 1994" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved October 30, 2015.
25. "RPM Top 100 Hit Tracks of 1994". RPM. 1994-12-12. Retrieved October 30, 2015.
26. "Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved October 30, 2015.
27. "Årslista Singlar - År 1994" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Swedish Recording Industry Association. Retrieved October 30, 2015.
28. "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1994". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved October 30, 2015.
29. "Top 100 Singles". Music Week (London, England: Spotlight Publications): 24. 24 January 1987.
30. "Top 100 Hits for 1994". longboardsurfer.com. Retrieved October 30, 2015.
31. "Forum - ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts - Top 100 End of Year ARIA Charts - 1990s". Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved December 23, 2015.
32. "Jahreshitparade Singles 1995" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved October 30, 2015.
33. "RPM Top 100 Hit Tracks of 1995". RPM. 1995-12-18. Retrieved October 30, 2015.
34. "Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved October 30, 2015.
35. "Top 100 Hits for 1995". longboardsurfer.com. Retrieved October 30, 2015.
36. "Accreditation Awards". Australian Fun Countdowns. 2011-04-07. Archived from the original on 2013-10-23. Retrieved 2012-05-11.
37. "Austrian single certifications – Jon Bon Jovi – Always" (in German). IFPI Austria. Enter Jon Bon Jovi in the field Interpret. Enter Always in the field Titel. Select single in the field Format. Click Suchen
38. "Italian single certifications – Bon Jovi – Always" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Select Online in the field Sezione. Enter Bon Jovi in the field Filtra. The certification will load automatically
39. "Rabo Top 40 - 28 januari 1995" (PDF) (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 January 2015.
40. "New Zealand single certifications – Bon Jovi – Always". Recorded Music NZ.
41. "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1987−1998" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden.
42. "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Bon Jovi; 'Always')". Hung Medien.
43. "British single certifications – Bon Jovi – Always". British Phonographic Industry. Enter Always in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select single in the field By Format. Select Platinum in the field By Award. Click Search
44. "American single certifications – Bon Jovi – Always". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH

External links

• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics