"Always" is a song by American rock band

Saliva Saliva (commonly referred to as spit) is an extracellular fluid produced and secreted by salivary glands in the mouth. In humans, saliva is around 99% water, plus electrolytes, mucus, white blood cells, epithelial cells (from which DNA can be ...

. It was released in October 2002 as the first single off their third studio album ''

Back into Your System ''Back into Your System'' is the third studio album by American rock band Saliva. It reached number 19 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) since its release. ''Back into Your ...

'' (2002). The song reached number one on the ''Billboard''

Modern Rock Tracks Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks (1988–2009) and Alternative Songs (2009–2020)) is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in ''Billboard'' magazine since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-played ...

(now called

Alternative Songs Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks (1988–2009) and Alternative Songs (2009–2020)) is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in ''Billboard'' magazine since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-played ...

) chart for one week in February 2003, making this Saliva's only number-one hit in their career. "Always" also peaked at number 51 on the

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

, the band's highest-charted single on that chart. It also reached the top 50 in countries like Ireland and the UK. The accompanying music video for the song, directed by Charles Infante, features a man roaming around the city being haunted by a woman.

Critical reception

Brian O'Neill of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

gave the song a "Track Pick" tag, describing it as "histrionic" and encapsulating the melodrama from

Kiss A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...

' '' Animalize''.

Chart performance

"Always" reached number one on the ''Billboard''

(now called

) chart for the week of February 1, 2003, ending the nine-week reign of " All My Life" by the

Foo Fighters Foo Fighters are an American rock band formed in Seattle in 1994. Foo Fighters was initially formed as a one-man project by former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl. Following the success of the eponymous debut album, Grohl (lead vocals, guitar) re ...

. This remains Saliva's only number-one hit in their career. On the week of December 14, 2002, the song debuted at number 70 on the ''Billboard''

. Ten weeks later, it reached number 51 the week of February 15, 2003. To date, it is the band's highest-charted single on that chart. The song also charted in the UK and Ireland, debuting at numbers 47 and 48 for the weeks of March 6 and 9, 2003 respectively before leaving the next week. It fared less better in Australia, only charting at number 62 on the week of March 10, 2003.

Music video

Directed by Charles Infante, the video focuses on a young man, played by Southies Own Steven Kozlowski, who appears to be haunted by a woman of his past, sporadically appearing throughout the empty city. The video ends with the man, frustrated, destroying a

telephone booth A telephone booth, telephone kiosk, telephone call box, telephone box or public call box is a tiny structure furnished with a payphone and designed for a telephone user's convenience; usually the user steps into the booth and closes the booth ...

before sitting on the ground, crying.

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

requested an edit of the lyrics in the final verse. The line "the pistol shaking in my hand, and all I can hear is the sound" was edited to replace the word "pistol" with "anger" in the video version.

Uses in media

"Always" was the theme song for

WWE World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...

's Survivor Series Pay-per-view in November 2002. It was also featured in the music video game '' Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock'' as a downloadable content song.

Track listing

* Always (Radio edit) bears no difference to the album version, but Always (Video) is censored; the word "pistol" is replaced with the word "anger".

Charts

References

{{authority control 2003 singles 2002 songs Saliva (band) songs Songs about domestic violence Song recordings produced by Bob Marlette Songs written by Bob Marlette Songs written by Josey Scott