The single is one of the band's signature songs and has been covered by numerous artists. It also formed the basis of Jay-Z's song "Young Forever". "Forever Young" is written in the key of C major.[1]
In a 2022 interview, Alphaville lead singer Marian Gold said that it is "a great privilege" to have "Forever Young", as well as "Big in Japan", in "their luggage" when touring, and that he is grateful to be able to perform these songs.[2]
Alphaville versions
Original 1984 version
Background and video
Intended to be an upbeat dance song, producer Andreas Budde recommended paring the song down to a sparse synth-pop ballad.[3]: 48:37
Marian Gold originally wrote the third verse to evoke a "fascistic feeling" of the adoration of the crowd:[3]: 51:28
Can you imagine how we won the war?
Little fascist lady she loves you so
Following her leader, she's getting in tune
The music's played by the madmen
However, for the final recording, record executives pushed for a change, resulting in:[3]: 51:49
Can you imagine when this race is won
Turn our golden faces into the sun
Praising our leaders we're getting in tune
The music's played by the madmen
Gold calls the replacement "turn our golden faces into the sun" the worst lyric in the song.[3]: 52:01
Not a native English speaker, Gold received pronunciation instruction from producer Colin Pearson.[3]: 52:55 The band had decided that the word "dance" in the first line should be pronounced /dɑːns/ in order for the song to sound British, but Gold would forget and sing the American pronunciation /dæns/.[3]: 54:20
Originally released by Alphaville as a single in 1984, "Forever Young" was available in both its original mix and in a dance version, entitled the "Special Dance Mix". Over the years, the band has released several remixes and demo versions of the song.
In the US, the song debuted on the BillboardHot 100 at number 95 in the week of 23 March 1985, peaking at number 93 the following week, before dropping off the chart following a four-week run; it also peaked at number 32 on the Hot Dance/DiscoClub Play chart on 30 March.[4][5][6] When re-released in 1988, the song was more successful in the US, peaking at number 65 on the Billboard Hot 100 in a total run of 14 weeks.
The song's music video, directed by Brian Ward, shows the band performing in one of the halls at Holloway Sanatorium in Virginia Water, England. A number of people from children to the elderly, dressed in ragged finery, awake to watch the band, then walk through a diamond-shaped glowing portal.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
Forever Young 2001
In 2001, Alphaville released a new set of remixes in a "limited fan edition" called "Forever Young 2001". This single contained three music tracks, one spoken word track, and a PC-only track.
This CD was released to fans for free, only postage needed to be paid. The names of every fan who had requested a copy were printed on the inside cover. Copies were hand-signed by the band. The remixes that appear on the single have not appeared on other releases.
The cover is a still image from the video, which was created by the Cartoon Saloon.
Track listings
CD single
"Forever Young" (F.A.F's Diamonds in the Sun mix) – 3:56
Remixed by: F.A.F
"Forever Young" (Factory mix) – 4:21
Remixed by: José Alvarez-Brill
"Forever Young" (original demo 1983) – 4:43
"Thank You" (spoken version) – 3:44
"Forever Young" (Magix PlayR) (PC only)
The track "Thank You" consisted of then-member Bernard Lloyd thanking the fans, while speaking over one of his "favorite tracks", which was a remix of "Lassie Come Home", as it was to appear on the 2001 remix album Forever Pop.
The Magix PlayR track was a PC-only application that allowed fans to customize the FAF remix to their liking.
CD promo single
"Forever Young" (F.A.F's Diamonds in the Sun mix) — 3:56
This promotional CD was produced in a strictly limited run of 500 copies and not sold commercially.[35]
Forever Young the Remix
Released in 2006, this CD contains two new remixes by notable remix artist Bill Hamel. It also includes a digitally remastered version of the original album version of the song. The remix reached number 31 on the Australian ARIA singles chart, peaking higher than the original version in 1986, which only charted at number 47.[36]
Track listing
CD single
"Forever Young" (Hamel album mix) – 4:58
"Forever Young" (Bill Hamel club mix) – 7:39
"Forever Young" (remastered original version) – 3:47
In 1994, German electronic group Interactive released a cover of "Forever Young" which reached number seven in Germany and number ten in both Denmark and the Netherlands. It also made the top 20 in five other countries and on the Eurochart Hot 100, the song reached number 34. This electronic dance version does not contain most of the song's lyrics and only includes a slightly modified chorus as the sole vocals. In 2002, German DJ and music producer Kosmonova remixed this version of "Forever Young". The remix peaked at number 21 in Germany and number 37 in the UK.
Music video
The music video for "Forever Young" was directed by Basil Schlegel.[37] It features kids attending and partying in a night club.
In 2005, Australian rock band Youth Group were asked by the producers of the American television series The O.C. to record a version of "Forever Young" for use in the show, following a positive response to the use of their single "Shadowland" in a previous episode. Their version of "Forever Young" was used in the show and the show's trailers and was included on the soundtrack album Music from the OC: Mix 5. Released as a single in Australia on 6 March 2006, the song reached number one on the ARIA singles chart for two weeks. The track was included on Youth Group's third studio album, Casino Twilight Dogs, released later that year.
In 2010, American electronic music group Cash Cash released a cover of the song. It was released on 8 March 2010 through Universal.[64][65] The song was serviced to radio in the United States on 12 May 2010.[66]
In 2020, British singer Becky Hill released a cover version of the song. It was released on 13 November 2020 by Polydor Records and Eko Records.[71] The song was selected as the soundtrack to the 2020 McDonald's Christmas advert in the UK.
Background
The song raised money for FareShare, in which McDonald's donated five million meals for charity. Hill also donated 10p from every download, going to food charity FareShare.[72] She said on her Twitter account, "'forever young' is bigger than just a nice christmas advert & song. @mcdonaldsuk has committed to funding @fareshareuk to redistribute over 5 million meals by April 2021 to families in need. at least 10p of every download goes towards a great cause. no child should be hungry".[73]
In October 2024, a version with French DJ and producer David Guetta and American singer Ava Max was released, featuring new verses.
Background
The original version of "Forever Young" went viral on the video-sharing platform TikTok in September 2024, sending the song to the top of the TikTok Billboard Top 50 chart on October 5, 2024.[78] On October 7, 2024, Max performed the extended version of Guetta's version of the song in Ibiza, Spain alongside Guetta. On October 14, she released the official announcement for its release. The track inspired over 3 million TikTok creations.
Guetta's version of "Forever Young" adds his signature EDM twist, together with Ava Max's vocals for the new verses. Throughout mid-2024, it became a staple at Guetta's F* Me I'm Famous! residency at Ushuaïa Ibiza, with Max joining Guetta onstage for a sold-out and end-of-season performance in September.[79][80]
In 2009, American rapper Jay-Z sampled a reworked 1992 version of the Wayne Wonder cover (which now featured Buju Banton and Stone Love) for his album The Blueprint 3. Retitled "Young Forever", Jay-Z's rap version featured Mr Hudson and reached number 10 on the UK Singles Chart.[115]
In 2019, Undressd released a cover that charted in Sweden peaking at number 40 on Sverigetopplistan, the official Swedish singles chart.[116]
Also in 2019, Frederick Lloyd, under his "Ursine Vulpine" alias, recorded a cover of the song. His cover was featured in the trailer to the 2019 film Gemini Man[117] as well as the 2021 video game New World.[118]
At the end of 2019, a version of the song by American singer-songwriter Andrea von Kampen, was recorded for the Hafod Hardware Christmas advertisement.[119][120]
In 2023, American singer Anastacia covered "Forever Young" for her studio album Our Songs.[121]
In 2024, Tiktoker Joshua Block a.k.a. "World of T-Shirts" released a parody of the song called "Forever Drunk."
Notes
^The song peaked on the Hot 100 at number 93 in 1985 and number 65 in 1988.
References
^Marian, Gold; Frank, Mertens; Bernhard, Lloyd; Alphaville (9 November 2012). "Forever Young". Music Notes. Archived from the original on 3 June 2021. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
^"Top National Sellers"(PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 12, no. 12. 25 March 1995. p. 17. OCLC29800226. Archived(PDF) from the original on 1 May 2021. Retrieved 10 May 2022 – via World Radio History.
^"Eurochart Hot 100 Singles"(PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 12, no. 9. 4 March 1995. p. 22. OCLC29800226. Archived(PDF) from the original on 10 May 2022. Retrieved 10 May 2022 – via World Radio History.
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 49. týden 2024 in the date selector. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 50. týden 2024 in the date selector. Retrieved December 19, 2024.
