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"Forever" is a song by American recording artist
Chris Brown Christopher Maurice Brown (born May 5, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. According to ''Billboard'', Brown is one of the most successful R&B singers of his generation, having often been referred to by many contempor ...
. Brown co-wrote the song with Andre Merritt, Rob Allen, Brian Kennedy, and Jamal "Polow da Don" Jones; the latter two are also the producers. Initially created to be used for a
Doublemint Doublemint is a variety of chewing gum made by the Wrigley Company; according to early advertisements, it is "double strength" peppermint flavored. It was launched in the United States in 1914, and has had variable market share since then. Th ...
commercial, "Forever" was selected to be released as the lead single from the reissue version of Brown's second studio album '' Exclusive'', titled the ''Forever Edition'', and the fifth single overall from the album. It was first released for digital download on November 2, 2007, in a few countries, followed the next April with a retail single CD released in Europe. The song reached number one in Ireland and New Zealand as well as peaking within the top ten in Australia, Canada, United Kingdom and United States. It also reached the top forty in Denmark, Germany and Switzerland. The accompanying music video features Brown in several scenes pursuing his love interest. The video features many dancers and digital effects. The official remix features
Lil Wayne Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September 27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. His career began in 1995, at the age of 12, when he was signed by rapper Birdman, joining ...
and
Lupe Fiasco Wasalu Muhammad Jaco (born February 16, 1982), better known by his stage name Lupe Fiasco ( ), is an American rapper, singer, record producer, and entrepreneur. He rose to fame in 2006 following the success of his debut album, '' Lupe Fiasco's ...
.


Background

The song was written by Brown and his songwriting team, the Graffiti Artists (Rob Allen and Andre Merritt). He stated that after entering the studio, Polow da Don created a beat that Brown wrote along to. Because the producer's style was "more of a European, techno, house-type feel,"Shaheem Reid,
Jasmine Dotiwala Jasmine Dotiwala is a British broadcaster, producer, and columnist. Dotiwala has worked with television and radio news platforms such as MTV, Channel 4 and BBC Radio London. Early life Jasmine Dotiwala grew up in Southall, West London, where ...
(March 25, 2008)
Chris Brown readies deluxe Edition Of Exclusive
''MTV''. Accessed March 25, 2008.
the group "wanted to give it that other side of crossover, and go a little bit to that pop realm". "Forever" is one of four new songs Brown recorded for the re-release of his second studio album '' Exclusive''. He recorded the song using an
autotune Auto-Tune (or autotune) is an audio processor introduced in 1996 by American company Antares Audio Technologies. Auto-Tune uses a proprietary device to measure and alter pitch in vocal and instrumental music recording and performances. Auto-Tu ...
effect, as he did in one of his previous singles, "
Kiss Kiss Kiss Kiss may refer to: Books * ''Kiss Kiss'' (book), a collection of short stories by Roald Dahl Music * Kiss Kiss (band), an American indie rock band * "Kiss Kiss" (Chris Brown song) * "Kiss Kiss" (Kim Hyun-joong song) * "Kiss Kiss" (Ladies' ...
". The song was first intended to be on Brown's following album, but decided he "wasn't ready to release a new album yet". "Forever" is actually an extended version of a commercial jingle for
Doublemint Doublemint is a variety of chewing gum made by the Wrigley Company; according to early advertisements, it is "double strength" peppermint flavored. It was launched in the United States in 1914, and has had variable market share since then. Th ...
gum, commissioned by an advertising company working for Wrigley. Brown first created the short version for the commercial, then extended and expanded it into a full song during a recording session in February 2007, which was paid for by the gum company. Originally, the plan was to follow up his third single, " With You," with the Kanye West-featuring "Down," but the new material won out. Although the label initially was reluctant to release "Forever" as a single, the song was so "potent and strong" that it overruled any hesitations regarding its commercial connections.Ethan Smith, Julie Jargon (July 28, 2008)
Chew on This: Hit Song Is a Gum Jingle
''The Wall Street Journal''. Accessed July 29, 2008.


Release

The song was first released for digital download on November 2, 2007, in Denmark, Belgium, and New Zealand, and on November 6 in France. The next year, it was released on April 22, 2008, in Australia, Canada, and Japan, then on August 12, 2008, in the United States and Germany. An EP featuring three remixes was released in Ireland on June 13, 2008, in Australia, Austria and the Netherlands on June 16, 2008, and in Japan on August 13, 2008.


Composition

"Forever" is a
dance-pop Dance-pop is a popular music subgenre that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit radio. Developing from a ...
song that runs for 4 minutes and 38 seconds. It contains influences of Timbaland's production style, with synthesized voices over a drum machine pattern. According to the digital sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by
EMI Music Publishing EMI Music Publishing Ltd. is a British multinational music publishing company headquartered in London, owned by parent company Sony Corporation of America. In May 2018, Sony Music Publishing agreed to increase its stake in EMI to 90%, pendi ...
, it is written in the key of
B major B major (or the key of B) is a major scale based on B. The pitches B, C, D, E, F, G, and A are all part of the B major scale. Its key signature has five sharps. Its relative minor is G-sharp minor, its parallel minor is B minor, and its ...
, with a simple chord progression of E-B-F♯-C♯m. The song maintains a tempo of 120 beats per minute in common time. Brown's vocal range spans nearly an octave and a half from B3 to G♯5.


Music video


Background and synopsis

The two-day shoot took place in Los Angeles, California, at the beginning of March 2008. It was directed by
Joseph Kahn Joseph Kahn may refer to: *Joseph Kahn (director) (born 1972), a film and music video director * Joseph Kahn (journalist) (born 1964), American journalist * Joseph Kahn (shipping executive) (1916–1979), American businessman See also *Joseph Hahn ...
. The video premiered on '' TRL'' on April 30, 2008, and on BET's ''
106 & Park ''106 & Park'' is an American hip hop and R&B music video show, set up in a countdown format, that was broadcast on weekdays at 6:00 pm ET/5:00 pm CT on BET; it aired on a one-day delay on BET International. It was the network's highest- rate ...
'' on May 5, 2008. The video reached number one on the MTV Online Chart. BET placed the song at number 55 on their ''Notarized: Top 100 Videos'' countdown. Brown's main love interest in the video is played by model Megan Abrigo. The music video starts off with Brown driving up to a nightclub, unwrapping a fresh stick of Doublemint gum, and walking inside. People are seen dancing while Brown starts to sing the first verse. Brown is also seen singing with light effects circling him. During the choruses, Brown and his background dancers start to
house dance House dance is a freestyle street dance and social dance that has roots in the underground house music scene of Chicago and New York.
on the empty dance floor. Among the dancers are Marie Courchinoux and
Rino Nakasone Razalan is a Japanese dancer, choreographer, artistic director and actor. Nakasone and her dance crew, Beat Freaks, participated in the third season of ''America's Best Dance Crew'', where they finished in second place. Nakasone has worked as a choreog ...
from
Beat Freaks Beat Freaks is an all-female breaking dance crew from Los Angeles, California. Each of its ten members have achieved individual success dancing before taking part of the group, which was created in 2003. The Beat Freaks were featured on MTV ...
. In the second verse, Brown is walking outside the club following his love interest. Later he is seen performing a 540 crescent kick in front of a water fountain. During the bridge, Brown is seen in the top roof with his love interest; the girl falls off the roof and Brown jumps to catch her. The two land safely, and after the final chorus, Brown drives away from the club.


Reception

According to the ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'', the song's video is "digital dream about sharing with one who makes your world stop." The video was popular in American television. The video for "Forever" debuted on BET's ''106 & Park'' at number 10 on July 21, 2008, before finally reach number 2 and has stayed in the countdown for nine days. The video also has reached number 2 on for 8 days
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 ...
'' TRL'', behind
Katy Perry Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984), known professionally as Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. Known for her influence on modern pop music and her campy style, she has been referred to ...
's "
I Kissed a Girl "I Kissed a Girl" is the debut single of American singer Katy Perry from her second studio album, ''One of the Boys'' (2008). It was released on April 28, 2008, by Capitol Records as the lead single from the record. Perry co-wrote the song with ...
", and has stayed in the countdown for 29 days. The video for "Forever" was also popular enough across Asia, by debuting at number 13 on
MTV Asia MTV was a pan-Asian music pay-television channel which launched on 3 May 1995 as a standalone pay television channel. It was owned by Paramount Networks EMEAA. History MTV Asia was officially launched on 3 May 1995 as a 24-hour English-langua ...
program, "Chart Attack", which count 20 most popular video in
Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...
and so far has peaked at number 1 replacing
Mariah Carey Mariah Carey (; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. Referred to as the " Songbird Supreme", she is noted for her five-octave vocal range, melismatic singing style and signature use of the wh ...
's " Bye Bye". "Forever" also debuted at number 7 on MTV Hip Hop Countdown; MTV Asian program which count 10 most popular
urban Urban means "related to a city". In that sense, the term may refer to: * Urban area, geographical area distinct from rural areas * Urban culture, the culture of towns and cities Urban may also refer to: General * Urban (name), a list of people ...
video in the region and has reached number 1 for six consecutive weeks. In UK, it has reached number 1 on MTV Base. It also has peaked at number 1 on the MTV Online Chart for several weeks. The video was nominated in the "Best Dancing in a Video", "Best Choreography" and "Video of the Year" categories
2008 MTV Video Music Awards The 2008 MTV Video Music Awards took place on September 7, 2008, live from Paramount Pictures Studios (which, like MTV, is owned by Viacom), honoring the best music videos from the previous year. Nominations for a majority of the categories were ...
.


Critical reception

Bill Lamb of
About.com Dotdash Meredith (formerly About.com) is an American digital media company based in New York City. The company publishes online articles and videos about various subjects across categories including health, home, food, finance, tech, beauty, l ...
gave the song four and a half stars, and said it was one of Brown's best to date.Chris Brown - "Forever"
About.com. Accessed June 19, 2008.
''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' stated that the single "is really a love song but bangs with electrified production from Polow Da Don to ignite dancefloors."Menachem, Michael
Single Reviews: Forever
''Billboard''. Retrieved August 13, 2008.
Alex Fletcher of
Digital Spy Digital Spy (DS) is a British-based entertainment, television and film website and brand and is the largest digital property at Hearst UK. Since its launch in 1999, Digital Spy has focused on entertainment news related to television programmes ...
gave the song two out of five stars, saying "Listening to 'Forever' is a pleasant enough experience, but this track never truly sparks into life or finds its own identity." He went on to say that, "His style is a bit hard to distinguish from Usher, Ne-Yo and the rest of the current crop of American male solo artists."


Chart performance

"Forever" has reached number one in Ireland and New Zealand, and the top ten in Australia, Canada, the United States and the UK. The song debuted at number six on the ''Billboard''
Hot Digital Songs The Digital Songs or Digital Song Sales chart (previously named Hot Digital Songs) ranks the best-selling digital songs in the United States, as compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published by ''Billboard'' magazine. Although it originally start ...
on May 10, 2008, selling 113,072 digital downloads on its first week. Due to its high digital sales, "Forever" debuted at number nine on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, making it the highest debut of that week along with Jesse McCartney's " Leavin'" which debuted at number fourteen; it became Brown's ninth top-ten single. The song also debuted at number nine on the
Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music industry record chart in Canada for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. The Canadian Hot 100 was launched on the issue dated March 31, 2007, and is currently the standard record chart in Canada; a ...
based only on digital sales and has peaked there for 3 non-consecutive weeks, before finally jumped to number two. Has peaked at number two on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for two weeks behind "
I Kissed a Girl "I Kissed a Girl" is the debut single of American singer Katy Perry from her second studio album, ''One of the Boys'' (2008). It was released on April 28, 2008, by Capitol Records as the lead single from the record. Perry co-wrote the song with ...
" by
Katy Perry Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984), known professionally as Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. Known for her influence on modern pop music and her campy style, she has been referred to ...
and Rihanna's " Disturbia". Coincidentally, “Disturbia” was written by Brown and originally intended to be the lead single for ''Exclusive: Forever Edition'', however “Forever” was ultimately chosen instead. In 2021 it has been certified sextuple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It also stayed in the top ten for 15 weeks. It has sold over 3,830,000 copies as of April 2014. "Forever" began receiving airplay on pop and rhythmic radio stations across the US while urban radio stations still playing his previous single, "
Take You Down "Take You Down" is a song recorded by American recording artist Chris Brown for his second studio album, '' Exclusive'' (2007). The song was written by Brown, Harvey Mason, Jr., Damon Thomas, Steve Russell, James Fauntleroy and Lamar Edwards, wh ...
". The song has finally been added to urban radio stations in the week of July 7, 2008, and made a debut at number ninety-five on the ''Billboard'' Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, peaking at number seventy-two. "Forever" debuted at number sixty-three on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 Airplay, and has peaked at number-one on the Hot 100 Airplay, staying there for three weeks. "Forever" has entered various ''Billboard'' charts including number one on the Hot 100 Airplay,
Mainstream Top 40 Pop Airplay (also called Mainstream Top 40, Pop Songs, and Top 40/ CHR) is a 40-song music chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' Magazine that ranks the most popular songs of pop music being played on a panel of Top 40 radio stations in the Un ...
, Pop 100,
Pop 100 Airplay The Pop 100 was a songs chart that debuted in February 2005 and was released weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States until its discontinuation in 2009. It ranked songs based on airplay on Mainstream Top 40 radio stations, singles sa ...
, Hot Digital Songs,
Hot Digital Tracks The Hot Digital Tracks chart is a song popularity chart that ranks the best selling digital tracks in the United States according to ''Billboard'' magazine. It is not to be confused with the Hot Digital Songs chart, which combines different vers ...
, and Hot RingMasters. "Forever" also became a hit across Oceania. "Forever" debuted at number-forty on the New Zealand
RIANZ Recorded Music NZ (formerly the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ)) is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell recorded music in New Zealand. Membership of Recorded M ...
Singles Chart, and in its second week ascended to number-five before reaching its peak at number-one, due to high digital sales. "Forever" has officially become Brown's eighth top ten hit in the country. It sat at number-one on the official RIANZ Singles Chart for eight weeks keeping Rihanna's "Take a Bow" from taking the top spot for five weeks. It became his fifth number one single in New Zealand, after " Run It!", "
Kiss Kiss Kiss Kiss may refer to: Books * ''Kiss Kiss'' (book), a collection of short stories by Roald Dahl Music * Kiss Kiss (band), an American indie rock band * "Kiss Kiss" (Chris Brown song) * "Kiss Kiss" (Kim Hyun-joong song) * "Kiss Kiss" (Ladies' ...
", " With You" and "No Air". It has been certified Platinum by RIANZ for sales in excess of 15,000, and was the third biggest selling single of 2008 in New Zealand. "Forever" debuted at number twenty-nine on the Australian
ARIA Singles Chart The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...
, and the following week rose to number-sixteen following its physical release. "Forever" has since peaked at number seven. "Forever" has not only become the third consecutive top ten hit from '' Exclusive'', but has also surpassed the success of "Kiss Kiss" to become the album's second most successful single. The song also became successful across Europe. In the UK, the song charted on June 1, 2008, at number 17 on downloads alone. The following week it moved up to number 11, and a week later, to number 8 (still on downloads alone). "Forever" was physically released on June 16, 2008, and on the chart dated June 29, 2008, it reached its peak position at number 4, becoming Chris Brown's second highest charting solo single in the UK at the time, behind " Run It!" which peaked at number two. It has sold 209,275 copies and stayed in the top ten for six weeks, becoming his third highest-selling single there after " With You" (221,750 copies) and "
No Air "No Air" is a song by American singers Jordin Sparks and Chris Brown. The song was written by James Fauntleroy II, Harvey Mason Jr., Steve Russell, Erik Griggs and Damon Thomas. It was released in the United States on February 11, 2008, and se ...
" (316,630 copies). In Ireland, "Forever" debuted at number nine, and two weeks later peaked at number six. In the next week, for the issue dated June 22, "Forever" knocked Rihanna's "Take A Bow" off the top spot on the Irish Singles Chart, becoming his first number-one single in that country, and stayed at number one for two non-consecutive weeks. The song also reached number 12 on European Hot 100 Singles, becoming his third highest-charting single there.


In other media

* On July 16, 2008, Comfort Fedoke and Stephen "Twitch" Boss from the US television
reality program Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...
and dance competition '' So You Think You Can Dance'' danced to "Forever" as the part of the competition.
Quest Crew Quest Crew is an American hip-hop dance crew from Los Angeles, California who were declared winners of the third season of ''America's Best Dance Crew''. They made their first few appearances individually on shows like ''So You Think You Can D ...
and SoReal Cru danced to this song on ''
America's Best Dance Crew ''America's Best Dance Crew'', often abbreviated as ''ABDC'', was an American competitive dance reality television series that features both national and international dance crews. The show was produced by singer, record producer, and former ''Am ...
''. * In 2009 American parody comedy movie ''
Dance Flick ''Dance Flick'' is a 2009 American musical comedy film directed by Damien Dante Wayans in his directorial debut and written by and starring many members of the Wayans family. The film was set for release in the United States on February 6, 2009, a ...
'', the song was used in a scene where the protagonist is in a club, and when ''Forever'' comes up he screams "This is my song!" and he starts dancing. * On July 19, 2009, a video was uploaded on YouTube that received significant media attention, using "Forever" as the song to a
wedding march Music is often played at wedding celebrations, including during the ceremony and at festivities before or after the event. The music can be performed live by instrumentalists or vocalists or may use pre-recorded songs, depending on the format o ...
. The video, known as the JK Wedding Entrance Dance video, received over 1.7 million views in its first seven days. The popularity of the video caused a resurgence of the song, landing it back into the top ten singles on
iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mu ...
. By July 7, 2012, the video had received 81,511,082 hits. Due to the circumstances surrounding the song in their wedding video (the Chris Brown/Rihanna incident), on their website, the couple in the video asked that donations be made to a
domestic violence Domestic violence (also known as domestic abuse or family violence) is violence or other abuse that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. ''Domestic violence'' is often used as a synonym for ''intimate partner v ...
charity. * On October 8, 2009, "Forever" was used in the American version of ''
The Office ''The Office'' is a mockumentary sitcom created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, first made in the United Kingdom, then Germany, and subsequently the United States. It has since been remade in ten other countries. The original ser ...
'' at Jim and Pam's wedding as part of an homage of the aforementioned JK Wedding. Again, it caused the song to move back into the top twenty singles on
iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mu ...
. * On March 30, 2010,
Andrew Garcia Andrew Adrian Garcia (born October 18, 1985) is an American singer from Moreno Valley, California who was the ninth place finalist on the ninth season of ''American Idol''. Garcia has released two EPs and numerous standalone singles. He has ...
performed an acoustic cover of the song on the top 10 performance night of ''American Idol''. He chose this as his R&B song selection. His non-acoustic full-length recording of the song was released on the iTunes Store as "Forever (American Idol Studio Version) – Single" during the season's run and was later included as part of the ''American Idol Season 9'' album that featured the top 10 finalists. * On January 13, 2012, this song, along with "
I Want to Take You Higher "I Want to Take You Higher" is a song by the soul/ rock/funk band Sly and the Family Stone, the B-side to their Top 30 hit " Stand!". Unlike most of the other tracks on the '' Stand!'' album, "I Want to Take You Higher" is not a message song; ins ...
" by Sly & the Family Stone, "Yeah!" by Usher and "Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I'm Yours" by Stevie Wonder, was featured in the film '' Joyful Noise'' with Dolly Parton, Angela Grovey, and
DeQuina Moore DeQuina Moore is an American actress, best known for her role as Pilar in the original Broadway cast of '' Legally Blonde: The Musical''. She is a native of Houston, Texas. Filmography *''Camp'' (2003) as DeQuina *'' The Warriors'' (2005) as Addit ...
singing a part of it in the "Higher Medley".


Track listing


US Promo CD

# "Forever" – 4:38 # "Forever" – 4:40


UK and Ireland CD single

# "Forever" # "Forever"


Australian CD single

# "Forever" # "Forever" # "Forever" # "Forever" # "Forever"


UK digital download

# "Forever" # "Forever" # "Forever" # "Forever"


Official versions

* "Forever" * "Forever" * "Forever" * "Forever" * "Forever"


Credits and personnel

* Vocals: Chris Brown, Keri Hilson *
Writers A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles and techniques to communicate ideas. Writers produce different forms of literary art and creative writing such as novels, short stories, books, poetry, travelogues, pla ...
: C. Brown, J. Jones, B. Kennedy, R. Allen, A. Merritt *
Producers Producer or producers may refer to: Occupations * Producer (agriculture), a farm operator *A stakeholder of economic production *Film producer, supervises the making of films **Executive producer, contributes to a film's budget and usually does n ...
: Polow da Don for Zone 4 Inc. and Brian Kennedy * Recording: Jason Scweitzer at Village Studios, Los Angeles, CA and Doug Fenske for Real Records, LLC at Westlake Audio, Los Angeles, CA * Mixing: Phil Tan for Riotproof Productions at Soapbox Studios,
Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
, GA * Assistant: Josh Houghkir * Mastered by: Chris Athens at Sterling Sound,
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * ...
,
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * ...


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Decade-end charts


Certifications


References


External links


JK Wedding Entrance Dance Official Site
{{authority control 2008 singles Chris Brown songs Irish Singles Chart number-one singles Number-one singles in New Zealand Music videos directed by Joseph Kahn Song recordings produced by Polow da Don Songs written by Polow da Don Songs written by Andre Merritt Songs written by Brian Kennedy (record producer) 2008 songs Jive Records singles