"Everlasting Love" is a song written by Buzz Cason and Mac Gayden, originally a 1967 hit for Robert Knight and since remade numerous times, most successfully by Love Affair, as well as Town Criers, Carl Carlton,

Sandra Cretu Sandra Ann Lauer (born 18 May 1962), commonly known under her stage name Sandra and Sandra Cretu (), is a Franco-German pop singer who enjoyed mainstream popularity in the 1980s and early 1990s with a string of European hit singles, produced b ...

, and Gloria Estefan. The original version of "Everlasting Love" was recorded by Knight in Nashville, with Cason and Gayden aiming to produce it in a

Motown Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''moto ...

style reminiscent of the

Four Tops The Four Tops are an American vocal quartet from Detroit who helped to define the city's Motown sound of the 1960s. The group's repertoire has included soul music, R&B, disco, adult contemporary, doo-wop, jazz, and show tunes. Founded as the ...

and

the Temptations The Temptations are an American vocal group from Detroit, Michigan, who released a series of successful singles and albums with Motown Records during the 1960s and 1970s. The group's work with producer Norman Whitfield, beginning with the Top ...

. When released as a single, the song reached No. 13 on the US chart in 1967. Subsequently, the song has reached the US

Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or "cont ...

three times, most successfully as performed by Carl Carlton, peaking at No. 6 in 1974, with more moderate success by the duo Rex Smith and Rachel Sweet (No. 32 in 1981) and Gloria Estefan (No. 27 in 1995). In the UK, "Everlasting Love" was

covered Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of copy ...

by the Love Affair: it achieved No. 1 status in January 1968, eclipsing the Robert Knight original. Also in 1968, a cover by the Australian group Town Criers reached No. 2 in the Australian charts. In the 1990s "Everlasting Love" reached the UK Top 20 three times via remakes by Worlds Apart (No. 20 in 1993), Gloria Estefan (No. 19 in 1995) and, most successfully, a charity single by the cast from '' Casualty'' that reached No. 5 in 1998. In 2004, Jamie Cullum's version peaked at No. 20. Thus, "Everlasting Love" is one of two songs to become a ''Billboard'' Hot 100 Top 40 hit in the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s (the other being " The Way You Do the Things You Do") and the only song to become a UK Top 40 hit in the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s.

Robert Knight version

The original version of "Everlasting Love" was recorded at Fred Foster Sound Studio in

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and th ...

. According to Cason, the track "had some different sounds on it that, for the time period, were kind of innovative. The string sound is actually a Farfisa organ that Mac came up with, and we used a lot of echo." Robert Knight recalls: "Buzz was into country usicbut Mac was R&B... so we made it more of an R&B song like the rhythm and melody Mac had. I practiced and practiced on with Mac, as he had written the song for my voice and made it mine. Mac used his bandmates:

rummer A rummer (also known as a Römer or Roemer, among other variations) was a type of large drinking glass studded with prunts to ensure a safe grip, popular mainly in the Rhineland and the Netherlands from the 15th through the 17th century. Rummers ...

Kenny Buttrey Aaron Kenneth Buttrey (April 1, 1945 – September 12, 2004) was an American drummer and arranger. According to CMT, he was "one of the most influential session musicians in Nashville history". Buttrey was born in Nashville, Tennessee, became ...

, assist Norbert Putnam, Charlie McCoy and himself on guitar." The background vocals on the song were performed by Buzz Cason and Carol Montgomery. Robert Knight recalls that he heard "Everlasting Love" for the first time at the actual recording session: "I didn't sing it the swritten I made some changes to fit my voice, and I didn't do it note for note. They had the melody going too fast, and it was jamming, it wasn't doing right, it wasn't sounding right. So I started what you call a steady step. I start singing a beat and a half: 'hearts-go-a-stray' – like that. It wasn't like that in the beginning, and I think that's what got 'Everlasting Love' off the ground." Debuting on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 dated September 30, 1967, "Everlasting Love" had already reached No. 1 in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

and

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

by the time of its

debut on October 21, 1967. Cason admitted that the single "drove ... the promotion guys nuts since it hit in one market then several weeks later pop up somewhere else." The track spent its second week at its Hot 100 peak of No. 13 on the chart dated November 25, 1967 then dropped off the Hot 100 over the next three weeks. The R&B chart peak of "Everlasting Love" was No. 14. In its original release, Knight's "Everlasting Love" lost out in the UK to a cover by Love Affair, although Knight's version did spend two weeks at No. 40 UK in January 1968. In the spring of 1974, Knight's "Everlasting Love" had a second UK release to follow up the Top Ten success of the reissue of Knight's " Love on a Mountain Top"; this time the first-named track reached No. 19. An airplay staple on American

oldies Oldies is a term for musical genres such as pop music, rock and roll, doo-wop, surf music (broadly characterized as classic rock and pop rock) from the second half of the 20th century, specifically from around the mid-1950s to the 1980s, as w ...

radio stations (though less so than the 1974 Carl Carlton version), Knight's "Everlasting Love" has become a "cult favorite" of the

beach music Beach music, also known as Carolina beach music, and to a lesser extent, Beach pop, is a regional genre of music in the United States which developed from rock/ R&B and pop music of the 1950s and 1960s. Beach music is most closely associate ...

scene. In a 2011 interview, Buzz Cason stated that the Robert Knight original of "Everlasting Love" remained Cason's favorite version of the song: "I just think Robert's was the one ersionthat had the magic in it."

Charts

The Love Affair version

"Everlasting Love" was recorded by Love Affair in 1967. According to the band's lead vocalist Steve Ellis: "We had two managers, David Wedgebury and John Cokell, who both worked at

Decca Decca may refer to: Music * Decca Records or Decca Music Group, a record label * Decca Gold, a classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group * Decca Broadway, a musical theater record label * Decca Studios, a recording facility in We ...

ndhad access to all the imports on the Monument label. We rehearsed in a factory in Walthamstow and one night they turned up with 'Everlasting Love' by Robert Knight. I loved it and so we set about putting it down on tape." Muff Winwood produced the original Love Affair version of "Everlasting Love" which was recorded at Island Studios and featured the group's actual members: Island Records passed on releasing the track but CBS in-house producer Mike Smith - after failing to interest his regular clients Marmalade in recording the song (which Marmalade deemed "too poppy") - cut a new Love Affair version of "Everlasting Love". The second Love Affair recording of "Everlasting Love" in fact featured only one member of the group: lead vocalist Steve Ellis who fronted a session ensemble comprising arranger/conductor Keith Mansfield's 40-piece orchestra plus a rhythm section, the session musicians including Peter Ahern (triangle percussion), Clem Cattini (drums), Alan Parker (guitar), Russ Stableford (bass), and a chorale comprising Madeline Bell, Kiki Dee, Lesley Duncan, and Kay Garner: the track was recorded in two takes. Mike Smith would eventually attribute the non-utilization of the actual musicians in Love Affair to the need for expediency, arguing that "there just wasn't time for the group to learn the arrangement in time, so we used session musicians", a UK release for the Robert Knight original version being imminent. Debuting on the UK Top 50 dated January 2, 1968, "Everlasting Love" by the Love Affair rose to No. 1 in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

for a two-week stay that February. The track was also a Top 20 hit in a number of other European countries in 1968. When the Love Affair appeared on the ITV programme ''Good Evening I'm Jonathan King'' host Jonathan King asked group bassist Mick Jackson if the band had actually played on their hit recording of "Everlasting Love" and Jackson admitted the track had featured Ellis backed by session musicians. Steve Ellis has stated that Jonathan King was aware of the background of the Love Affair hit and ambushed Mick Jackson to invoke controversy, although Jackson would state: "We announced it ourselves because there were rumours about it in the business and we heard a Sunday newspaper was going to blow the story". Jackson also stated: "At first we didn’t worry that much when the story about us not playing came out... Then the thing escalated and people all over the place started slagging us. We got to regard it as a terrible nuisance, every time we opened a paper there was someone having a go at the Love Affair." The bad press had little if any negative impact on the band's popularity: their follow-up to "Everlasting Love", "

Rainbow Valley ''Rainbow Valley'' (1919) is the seventh book in the chronology of the ''Anne of Green Gables'' series by Lucy Maud Montgomery, although it was the fifth book published. While Anne Shirley was the main protagonist of the previous books, this n ...

" – another Cason/Gayden composition introduced by Robert Knight – reached number 5 in the UK and the additional success of " A Day Without Love" (number 6) made Love Affair the UK's top group in singles sales for 1968, apart from

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

. (The Love Affair singles continued to feature Ellis fronting a session ensemble with no other group members participating.) All of these singles were released by CBS in the label's native United States on its

Date Records Date Records was a sub-label of Columbia Records which had two different incarnations. The first incarnation was a short-lived rockabilly label in 1958 which included a release by Billy "Crash" Craddock. The more significant incarnation was relau ...

subsidiary. However, despite their popularity in Europe, none of the Love Affair's singles charted in the US.

Charts

Certifications

Carl Carlton version

Carl Carlton recorded "Everlasting Love" in October 1973 at the Berry Hill (Tenn) studio Creative Workshop, which was owned by Buzz Cason; however, Cason was not involved in the recording of Carlton's version - the singer had himself chosen to record "Everlasting Love", which he knew via the version on David Ruffin's 1969 album ''My Whole World Ended''. Produced by

Papa Don Schroeder Gerald Don Schroeder (December 29, 1940 – November 15, 2019), known professionally as Papa Don Schroeder, was an American radio station owner and former record producer, radio personality, and singer-songwriter, who was responsible for producin ...

and Tommy Cogbill, Carlton's cover features Hayward Bishop on drums and percussion, Cogbill on bass, and

Reggie Young Reggie Grimes Young Jr. (December 12, 1936 – January 17, 2019) was an American musician who was lead guitarist in the American Sound Studio house band, The Memphis Boys, and was a leading session musician. He played on various recordings with a ...

on guitar. The recording was engineered by Travis Turk. The track features a distinctive

countermelody In music, a counter-melody (often countermelody) is a sequence of notes, perceived as a melody, written to be played simultaneously with a more prominent lead melody. In other words, it is a secondary melody played in counterpoint with the prima ...

running through most of the song consisting of background vocal harmonies.

Brenda Russell Brenda Russell (née Gordon; born April 8, 1949) is an American singer-songwriter, producer, and keyboardist. Russell has a diverse musical range which encompasses R&B, pop, soul, dance, and jazz. She has received five Grammy nominations. Lif ...

is among the background vocalists. Carlton's original recording of "Everlasting Love" was issued as the B-side of the 1973 single "I Wanna Be Your Main Squeeze"; the track (i.e. "Everlasting Love") was then issued in July 1974 as an A-side after having been given a

disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric p ...

style remix, and became a discothèque favorite before breaking 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 ...

in September 1974 to proceed to a No. 6 peak that November, almost reaching the R&B Top 10 at No. 11. Carlton's version of "Everlasting Love" is the most successful US release of the song. It remains an airplay favorite on American

radio stations. According to Broadcast Music Incorporated (BMI), the 1974 Carl Carlton version has been played more than 4 million times. One of the earliest pop hits to

crossover Crossover may refer to: Entertainment Albums and songs * ''Cross Over'' (Dan Peek album) * ''Crossover'' (Dirty Rotten Imbeciles album), 1987 * ''Crossover'' (Intrigue album) * ''Crossover'' (Hitomi Shimatani album) * ''Crossover'' (Yoshino ...

from disco airplay, Carlton's "Everlasting Love" is a staple of disco compilations, including the second installment of the '' Pure Disco'' CD compilation series.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Rex Smith and Rachel Sweet version

"Everlasting Love" was recorded as a duet by Rex Smith and Rachel Sweet. This version features revised lyrics including an additional verse of uncredited authorship which was approved by the song's composers and which would be retained by Sandra for her 1987 remake. Recorded at the Record Plant (NYC) and featured on both Smith's ''Everlasting Love'' album and Sweet's ''...And Then He Kissed Me'', "Everlasting Love" as a single featured a two-track

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

featuring Smith's "Still Thinking of You" and Sweet's "Billy and the Gun", respectively taken from each singer's album cited above. Both Rex Smith and Rachel Sweet were on the roster of

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. It was founded on January 15, 1889, evolving from the A ...

with the album ''...And Then He Kissed Me'' marking Sweet's label debut subsequent to two album releases on the new wave oriented Stiff label: according to Sweet, upon submitting the tracks intended to comprise her first album for Columbia - all original songs produced by Pete Solley - she'd been told: "we'd like you to cut some more songs. And we'd like it if they weren't yours." (Sweet would typify the "outside material" which would eventually appear on ''...And Then He Kissed Me'' as "lighter and more overtly commercial than her own songs".) Smith meanwhile had recorded a solo remake of "Everlasting Love" intended for his album produced by Rick Chertoff - then best known for his work with Air Supply - and after Rachel Sweet's manager (and father) Dick Sweet learned of Smith's recording of the song, arrangements were made for "Everlasting Love" to be recorded as a duet: Chertoff remained as producer of this version which was the first "outside" track recorded for ''...And Then He Kissed Me'', and on the basis of his work on the Smith/Sweet version of "Everlasting Love", Chertoff was invited by Dick Sweet to record four additional tracks with Sweet which, with "Everlasting Love" and four of the tracks from the

Peter Solley Peter Solley (born 19 October 1948, London) is an English musician and record producer. He has recorded with Eric Clapton, Al Stewart and Whitesnake as well as producing records for Ted Nugent, Oingo Boingo, Motörhead, The Romantics, Jo Jo Ze ...

sessions, would eventually comprise the ''...And Then He Kissed Me'' album. The single was released in June 1981 in the US, July in the UK, and August in Australia. With neither Smith nor Sweet being a strong

force - Smith's solitary ''Billboard'' Hot 100 single had been " You Take My Breath Away" (No. 10 in 1979) while Sweet had yet to rank on the Hot 100 - their collaboration on "Everlasting Love" would only generate qualified chart impact: the single peaked at No. 32 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in August 1981, affording Sweet her only Top 40 showing and Smith his second and last. It also appeared on '' Billboard''s

Hot Adult Contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quiet ...

chart peaking at No. 31. The single was also a mid-chart item in the UK at No. 35; in Australia it reached No. 41 mainly due to its being a local Top 10 hit in

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

at No. 9. In 1982, the Smith/Sweet version of "Everlasting Love" became a Top 10 hit in Switzerland and Denmark. The song received a positive review from the ''

Austin American-Statesman The ''Austin American-Statesman'' is the major daily newspaper for Austin, the capital city of Texas. It is owned by Gannett. The paper prints Associated Press, ''New York Times'', ''The Washington Post'', and ''Los Angeles Times'' internationa ...

'' which described it as "one of the best ecent hitsspan style="font-size: 60%">... superbly produced with a crystalline intensity vokingPhil Spector lassics A fine arrangement & the vocal nputof the incomparable Rachel Sweet make hisa pure delight." A promotional

video Video is an electronic medium for the recording, copying, playback, broadcasting, and display of moving visual media. Video was first developed for mechanical television systems, which were quickly replaced by cathode-ray tube (CRT) sy ...

was shot for "Everlasting Love" with Smith and Sweet playing a couple getting married. The singers performed "Everlasting Love" live on the '' Solid Gold'' episode aired February 19, 1983: Smith was currently co-hosting the show on which Sweet guested to promote her current single "Voodoo".

Charts

Sandra version

German singer Sandra released a cover of "Everlasting Love" in 1987 as the lead single from her first greatest hits compilation '' Ten on One (The Singles)''. She was introduced to the song through the Love Affair version; she'd say of the song: "I have always loved it... Even as a little child I heard that song and I said that I would like to sing it sometime." However, for her remake of the song Sandra would use the lyrics of the 1981 Rex Smith/ Rachel Sweet duet version. Sandra's version was produced by her partner, Michael Cretu. The single was a hit in continental Europe in late 1987 and early 1988, reaching the Top 10 in her native Germany, as well as Switzerland, Austria, Greece, Denmark and South Afric

In Germany and Austria, it was also a top 5 airplay hit, and a No. 13 airplay hit in Switzerland. In the pan-European rankings, it reached No. 6 on the sales chart and No. 34 on the airplay chart. In the UK, the song originally only reached No. 88. The track was subsequently acquired by Pete Waterman, who had "Everlasting Love (the PWL mix)" - remixed by Pete Hammond - released in the UK in the summer of 1988 to barely improve on the original's UK chart performance with a No. 79 peak. However, "Everlasting Love (the PWL mix)" re-entered the UK chart in December 1988 to rise as high as No. 45 in January 1989, while in its Australian release, it reached the

hit parade at No. 21 and had a national chart showing of No. 72. In the US, "Everlasting Love (the PWL mix)" rose as high as No. 22 on the '' Billboard'' maxi single sales chart. The PWL mix of "Everlasting Love" was showcased on an '' Everlasting Love'' album, which was released in December 1988 only in the UK and the US. Besides "Everlasting Love (the PWL mix)", the album comprised the original versions of several of Sandra's European hits. The song remains one of Sandra's most successful singles and has reportedly sold in around three million units. The track was re-recorded as a ballad for Sandra's 2006 album '' Reflections''.

Music video

The

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing devic ...

for the song was directed by DoRo ( Rudi Dolezal and Hannes Rossacher). It pictures Sandra and Austrian model Rupert Weber as lovers in different periods of world history, beginning with Adam and Eve being tempted by a snake in the

Garden of Eden In Abrahamic religions, the Garden of Eden ( he, גַּן־עֵדֶן, ) or Garden of God (, and גַן־אֱלֹהִים ''gan- Elohim''), also called the Terrestrial Paradise, is the biblical paradise described in Genesis 2-3 and Ezekiel 28 ...

. They then impersonate

Cleopatra Cleopatra VII Philopator ( grc-gre, Κλεοπάτρα Φιλοπάτωρ}, "Cleopatra the father-beloved"; 69 BC10 August 30 BC) was Queen of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt from 51 to 30 BC, and its last active ruler.She was also a ...

and her lover, continuing with, among others, a

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

couple, a woman saying good-bye to her husband embarking on a war as a

Grande Armée ''La Grande Armée'' (; ) was the main military component of the French Imperial Army commanded by Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte during the Napoleonic Wars. From 1804 to 1808, it won a series of military victories that allowed the French Em ...

soldier in the early 19th century, interwar gangster couple, 1940s lovers celebrating the end of war, 1960s

hippie A hippie, also spelled hippy, especially in British English, is someone associated with the counterculture of the 1960s, originally a youth movement that began in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to different countries around ...

s and

flower child Flower child originated as a synonym for hippie, especially among the idealistic young people who gathered in San Francisco and the surrounding area during the Summer of Love in 1967. It was the custom of "flower children" to wear and distribut ...

ren, 1970s punks, and 1980s contemporaries. Apart from the regular video set to the 7" edit of the song, an extended version exists which uses the 12" mix and additional making-of video footage. The extended version of the clip was only available on Sandra's VHS video compilation ''Ten on One (The Singles)'', released in 1987. The regular version was released on the 1992 video collection ''18 Greatest Hits'' as well as the 2003 DVD ''The Complete History''. In 2016, the extended version was uploaded to Sandra's official

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...

channel.

Formats and track listings

* 7" single (1987) :A. "Everlasting Love" – 3:49 :B. "Change Your Mind" – 4:04 *

12" single The twelve-inch single (often written as 12-inch or 12″) is a type of vinyl ( polyvinyl chloride or PVC) gramophone record that has wider groove spacing and shorter playing time with a 'single' or a few related sound tracks on each surfac ...

(1987) :A. "Everlasting Love" (Extended Version) – 7:27 :B1. "Change Your Mind" – 4:04 :B2. "Everlasting Love" (Single Version) – 3:49 * 7" single (1988) :A. "Everlasting Love" (PWL 7") – 3:57 :B. " Stop for a Minute" – 3:49 *

(1988) :A1. "Everlasting Love" (PWL 12") – 7:46 :A2. "Everlasting Love" (PWL 7") – 3:57 :B1. "Everlasting Love" (PWL Dub) – 6:57 :B2. "Stop for a Minute" – 3:49 * CD maxi single #"Everlasting Love" – 3:57 #"Stop for a Minute" – 3:51 #"Everlasting Love" (Remix) – 7:40 #" (I'll Never Be) Maria Magdalena" – 3:58

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Gloria Estefan version

"Everlasting Love" was recorded by Cuban-American singer and songwriter Gloria Estefan for her 1994 album '' Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me'', which comprised remakes of well-known hits. "Everlasting Love" was the second US single following " Turn the Beat Around" (in some territories, including the UK, " Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me" was the album's second single precedent to "Everlasting Love"). The single was first released in the US on January 3, then in Japan on February 1, and worldwide on February 6, 1995. While "Everlasting Love" was not one of Estefan's highest ranking ''Billboard'' Hot 100 entrants, it still managed to peak at number 27 in March 1995. However, the single topped the US Hot Dance Club Play chart. In Europe, the single was more successful. In the UK, "Everlasting Love" peaked at number 19 in February 1995 buoyed by a performance by Estefan on February 19, 1995 broadcast of ''

Top of the Pops ''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British Record chart, music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show ...

''. The single also peaked at number 12 in Iceland and number 16 in Scotland.

Critical reception

Larry Flick Larry Flick is an American journalist, former dance music columnist, single reviewer, and Senior Talent Editor for ''Billboard'' magazine, where he worked for 14 years. Now he produces and hosts Sirius XM radio shows. Flick started in the music ...

from '' Billboard'' described the song as "another

dance Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoire ...

-charged bauble", noting that it "is given a festive hi-NRG treatment that has clearly inspired Estefan to deliver one of her most relaxed and playful performances to date." Steve Baltin from ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an onli ...

'' commented, "It’s a fool-proof hit, featuring basic love song lyrics and a very catchy hook. Arrangers Lawrence Dermer and Jorge Casas mix up the tune quite a bit, changing the tempos throughout. A hit once again, both for the song and Estefan." Josef Woodard from ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular ...

'' stated that the singer's "easygoing charms still do the trick" on "Everlasting Love". Australian music channel Max included the version in their list of "1000 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2011. Alan Jones from ''

Music Week ''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future. History Founded in 1959 as '' Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music W ...

'' said, "It is undoubtedly a great song and Gloria gives it her all, though the regular mix's uninspiring arrangement lets it down a little." John Kilgo from ''The Network Forty'' wrote that "it's hard to believe that it's been two decades since Carl Carlton bounced onto the Top 40 scene with this Top-10 tune. Now Estefan sprinkles her "Miami" spice on the classic, updating the dance number with a '90s sound." A reviewer from '' People Magazine'' described it as a "

techno Techno is a Music genre, genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally music production, produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempo often varying between 120 and 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central Drum beat, rhythm is typ ...

fied take". Phil Shanklin of ReviewsRevues stated that in fact she "reactivates the track into a

classic and it is so uplifting that I think her version is the best of all of them."

Music video

The

for "Everlasting Love" was shot at the Sunset Studios in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywoo ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. Estefan, pregnant with her second child at the time, could not appear in the

. The production team, which included co-directors Tony Minnelli and Paul Lynde (not related to the actor), along with Estefan, decided to give the video a twist. They selected some of the best drag talent from

West Hollywood, California West Hollywood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Incorporated in 1984, it is home to the Sunset Strip. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, its population was 35,757. It is considered one of the most prominent gay villages in ...

to star in the video. Five appeared as Gloria Estefan, each representing a different stage in Estefan's career. Some notable video cast members include female impersonator Julian Viva, Hollywood Super Club Kids,

The Fabulous Wonder Twins Louis Alberto Campos and Carlos Eduardo Campos (born October 28, 1967), known as The Fabulous Wonder Twins, are a pair of identical twin brothers who have perform together as drag queens. Early life Born in San Salvador, El Savador, in 1967, ...

, and drag performers

Venus D-Lite Adam Daniel Guerra (born June 30, 1984), known by his stage name Venus D-Lite, is an American drag performer, television personality and Madonna impersonator. He gained recognition for competing on the third season of ''RuPaul's Drag Race'', and ...

and Sutan Amrull aka Raja. The latter two later appeared in season 3 of

Logo A logo (abbreviation of logotype; ) is a graphic mark, emblem, or symbol used to aid and promote public identification and recognition. It may be of an abstract or figurative design or include the text of the name it represents as in a wo ...

's series '' RuPaul's Drag Race'', in which Sutan Amrull was crowned the winner. Cyndi Lauper has insinuated that the idea of featuring drag performers in the clip was inspired by her own video " Hey Now (Girls Just Want to Have Fun)" released a few months earlier. Gloria Estefan went on to receive an award for the Dance Clip of the Year at the ''Billboard'' Music Video Awards in November 1995. The video was so well received worldwide that Estefan decided to add cast members Julian Viva and Willie E. to her

Evolution World Tour Evolution is change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. These characteristics are the expressions of genes, which are passed on from parent to offspring during reproduction. Variation ...

Formats and track listings

* US CD maxi single #"Everlasting Love" (Single Version) – 4:01 #"Everlasting Love" (7" Remix) – 3:40 #"Everlasting Love" (Classic Paradise Radio Mix) – 4:00 #"Everlasting Love" (Alternate Mix) – 3:44 #"Everlasting Love" (Classic Paradise Mix) – 8:51 #"

Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" is a song written by English musician Elton John and his lyricist Bernie Taupin. It was originally recorded by John for his eighth studio album, ''Caribou'' (1974), and was released as a single that peaked at ...

" – 6:06 * US 12" single :A1. "Everlasting Love" (Classic Paradise Mix) – 8:51 :A2. "Everlasting Love" (Hacienda Mix) – 8:13 :B1. "Everlasting Love" (Deep Love Dub) – 7:08 :B2. "Everlasting Love" (Hacienda Dub) – 8:15 :B3. "Everlasting Love" (Single Version) – 4:01 * UK CD maxi single #"Everlasting Love" (Classic Paradise Mix) – 8:53 #"Everlasting Love" (Deep Love Mix) – 7:11 #"Everlasting Love" (Hacienda Mix) – 8:15 #"Everlasting Love" (Aphrodisiac Mix) – 7:16 * UK 12" single :A1. "Everlasting Love" (Classic Paradise Mix) – 8:05 :A2. "Everlasting Love" (Moran's Marathon Love Mix) – 9:49 :B1. "Everlasting Love" (Deep Love Mix) – 8:09 :B2. "Everlasting Love" (Deep Love Dub) – 7:08 :B3. "Everlasting Love" (Classic Paradise Dub) – 11:45

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Other notable cover versions

* In 1968, Australian band Town Criers recorded a

cover Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of copy ...

of "Everlasting Love" for their debut album of the same name. The single reached no. 17 in Australia. * Also in 1968, Joe Dassin recorded the song in French as "Plus Je Te Vois, Plus Je Te Veux" "(The More I See You, The More I Want You)" and reached no. 35 in the francophone region of Belgium. * "Everlasting Love" was covered by Australian singer Doug Parkinson in 1974 * In 1977,

Patricia Paay Patricia Anglaia Margareth Paaij (born 7 April 1949), best known as Patricia Paay, is a Dutch singer, radio host, glamour model and television personality. In the Netherlands, she is well known for her musical career, which spans over four decad ...

released a cover of the song on her album ''The Lady Is a Champ''. The single reached no. 25 in Belgium. * Narvel Felts recorded his version of the song in August 1978. It was released on his album ''One Run for the Roses'' and as a single in 1979, becoming a hit in country charts in the US and Canada. * Louise Mandrell released her version of "Everlasting Love" in 1979 which was a minor country hit in the US. * Irish rock band U2 recorded a cover and released it as the B-side to the 1989 single " All I Want Is You". It reached number 10 in the Netherlands and number 11 on the ''Billboard'' Modern Rock chart in the US. * UK

boy band A boy band is loosely defined as a vocal group consisting of young male singers, usually in their teenage years or in their twenties at the time of formation. Generally, boy bands perform love songs marketed towards girls and young women. Ma ...

Worlds Apart released a cover of "Everlasting Love" in September 1993, which reached no. 20 in the UK and no. 23 in Ireland. It was included on their 1994 debut album ''Together''. In September 1994, the single was issued in Germany where it peaked at no. 40. A new version of "Everlasting Love" with lead vocals by Nathan Moore was included on the French edition of the second Worlds Apart album ''Everybody''. * Cast from the

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...

TV series '' Casualty'' released a cover of "Everlasting Love" as a Children in Need charity single in 1998, with lead vocals performed by actress

Rebecca Wheatley Rebecca Catherine Anne Wheatley (born 25 April 1965) is a British actress and musician. Wheatley grew up in Teddington, Middlesex, where she went to St Catherine's convent school, before gaining her BA in English literature from the Universit ...

. The single reached no. 5 in the UK singles chart. * Jamie Cullum recorded his cover of "Everlasting Love" in 2004 for the

soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrac ...

to '' Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason'' and special edition of his album '' Twentysomething''. The single reached the top 20 in the UK, the Netherlands, and Denmark. *

Kerry Norton Kerry Norton (born 11 October 1972 in Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey, England) is a British actress and singer. Early life Kerry was born and brought up in her hometown of Sunbury-on-Thames. Education Kerry was educated at Sunbury Manor School, a s ...

recorded the song for her album ''Young Heart''. Her version charted at no. 97 in the Netherlands in October 2005. * Willy Sommers recorded the song with Dutch lyrics as "Liefde Voor Altijd" "(Love Forever)" for his 2011 album ''40 jaar hits'' ''(40 years of hits)''. The song peaked at no. 18 in the

Flemish Flemish (''Vlaams'') is a Low Franconian dialect cluster of the Dutch language. It is sometimes referred to as Flemish Dutch (), Belgian Dutch ( ), or Southern Dutch (). Flemish is native to Flanders, a historical region in northern Belgium; ...

region of Belgium.

In popular culture

* In a December 1994 storyline on '' The Bold and the Beautiful'' the characters

Macy Alexander Macy Alexander is a fictional character in the American soap opera ''The Bold and the Beautiful''. Bobbie Eakes played the role from April 1989 to July 2000, briefly in August 2001, and again from December 2002 to October 2003. Macy was introduced ...

and

Thorne Forrester Thorne Forrester is a fictional character on CBS soap opera ''The Bold and the Beautiful''. The character was played by Clayton Norcross from the show's premiere in 1987 until 1989, by Jeff Trachta from 1989 until 1996 and Winsor Harmon from 1 ...

gave a concert in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

which included a performance of "Everlasting Love": the performances featured on the TV show were culled from two concerts at the

Rotterdam Ahoy Rotterdam Ahoy (formerly known as Ahoy Rotterdam or simply as Ahoy) is a convention centre and multi-purpose indoor arena located in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Opened originally in 1950, the current complex consists of three main venues: a fair ...

headlined by

Bobbie Eakes Bobbie Diane Eakes (born July 25, 1961) is an American actress and singer. She is known for her role as Macy Alexander on ''The Bold and the Beautiful'' (1989–2000, 2001, 2002–2003) and for her role as Krystal Carey on ''All My Children'' ...

(Macy) and

Jeff Trachta Jeff Trachta (born October 6, 1960 in Staten Island, New York) is an American actor and singer, best known for portraying Thorne Forrester on the soap opera ''The Bold and the Beautiful'' from 1989 to 1996. He was the second of four actors to play ...

(Thorne) that October. * A portion of U2's cover of the song is played during the end credits of the 1999 film '' Forces of Nature''. * On the bonus track, "Out on the Town", from indie pop band

Fun Fun is defined by the ''Oxford English Dictionary'' as "Light-hearted pleasure, enjoyment, or amusement; boisterous joviality or merrymaking; entertainment". Etymology and usage The word ''fun'' is associated with sports, entertaining medi ...

's 2012 album, '' Some Nights'', singer Nate Ruess can be heard to quote the melody and phrasing from "Everlasting Love". Ruess even echoes the line, "Open up your heart", repeatedly prior to the final chorus of the song. * "Everlasting Love" was also used for Kmart commercials in Australia. * Towards the end of the 2021 Kenneth Branagh film ''Belfast'', Pa ( Jamie Dornan) sings the song to his wife (

Caitríona Balfe Caitríona Mary Balfe (; born 4 October 1979) is an Irish actress, producer, and former fashion model. She is best known for her starring role as Claire Fraser in the Starz historical drama series '' Outlander'' (2014–present), for which sh ...

) at a party. The song was prominently used in the advertising of the film.https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2022/01/jamie-dornan-on-filming-belfast-everlasting-love-scene-awards-insider Jamie Dornan on Filming Belfast’s “Everlasting Love” Scene

References

External links

* {{authority control 1967 singles 1967 songs 1968 singles 1974 singles 1981 singles 1987 singles 1995 singles ABC Records singles CBS Records singles Columbia Records singles Epic Records singles Gloria Estefan songs Louise Mandrell songs Monument Records singles Narvel Felts songs Pop ballads Rex Smith songs Robert Knight (musician) songs Sandra (singer) songs Songs written by Buzz Cason Songs written by Mac Gayden U2 songs UK Singles Chart number-one singles Virgin Records singles Worlds Apart (band) songs Love Affair (band) songs Song recordings produced by Mike Smith (British record producer)