Forever (Charli XCX song)

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"Forever"
Designed by Regards Coupables
Single by Charli XCX
from the album How I'm Feeling Now
Released9 April 2020 (2020-04-09)
Recorded6–8 April 2020[1]
Genre
Length4:03
LabelAtlantic
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Charli XCX singles chronology
"Ringtone (remix)"
(2020) 		"Forever"
(2020) 		"Claws"
(2020)
Audio video
"Forever" on YouTube

"Forever" is a song written and recorded by British singer Charli XCX from her fourth album, How I'm Feeling Now (2020). Charli XCX produced the song with A. G. Cook and BJ Burton, and it was released on 9 April 2020, by Atlantic as the lead single from the album. "Forever" is a pop, synth-pop, and psychedelic song that features dark wave and electronic influences.

Background and release[edit]

On 7 April 2020, Charli XCX shared snippets of "Forever" on social media.[2] On 8 April 2020, Charli XCX uploaded three photos of herself, shot by her boyfriend, to her Instagram and Twitter account and asked fans to vote for one photo to be the cover. On 9 April 2020, Charli XCX announced that "Forever" would be released at 07:30 PM BST / 11:30 AM PST and premiere on BBC Radio 1 as Annie Mac's Hottest Record in the World.[3] She also announced three official artworks for the single were commissioned.[4] One version was created by American artist Seth Bogart and used on Spotify; one version by French artist Regards Coupables, used on YouTube, Amazon Music[5] and Deezer;[6] and one version by American singer-songwriter Caroline Polachek, used on Apple Music. The official music video for "Forever", featuring clips sent in from fans, was released on 17 April 2020.[7]

Composition[edit]

"Forever" was written by Charli XCX and produced by A. G. Cook and BJ Burton. It runs for four minutes and three seconds.[8] Musically, it is a pop,[9] psychedelic,[10] and synth-pop[11] song that features dark wave[12] and electronic[13] influences. The song also features "lo-fi beats and luminous synths" with Charli singing about "an everlasting love that will remain even if the relationship fades away or if they're not physically together".[14][15]

Critical reception[edit]

Trey Alston from MTV called the song a "robotic ballad" that was about "sheer adoration, to the most mechanical degree", in addition to writing that "if toasters listened to songs when they made love, [this song] would be on their playlist. Alston described the opening of the song as a "harsh opening of boiling synths [transitioning] into a slightly smoother sore throat of a cyborg who's doing its best impression of a lovestruck human". Alston also felt that the sound was a "Terminator-like landscape".[16] Justin Curto from Vulture called the song "muted" and "somewhat dissonant", that "would sound right at home tacked on the end of Charli".[17] Lake Schatz of Consequence of Sound described the song as an "emotional number" that "[wrestles] with intimacy issues — especially during this time of social distancing".[18] Variety’s Jem Aswad felt that the song "bears many of the hallmarks of the prolific artist’s work over the past couple of year", including Charli’s two mixtapes. Calling the melody "indelible", Aswad mentions Cook’s trademark "echoing synthesizers" and how Charli uses auto tune as an "instrument in itself rather than as pitch correction".[19] Michael Love Michael of Paper, felt that the message of the song was about " reminiscing about the good times with an ex", and while Charli was "singing about the future, the production and overall feel of 'Forever' couldn't sound more relevant".[20] James from Stereogum described the song as "perfectly goofy and giddy", "something that sounds ephemeral but feels like it will last forever". James also felt that there was "nothing slapdash" about the track, writing that the lyrics talked about a "part of the compressed reality we’re all experiencing: being trapped in close to someone that you care about" as the single "switches between abrasive and elated", "[choosing] to embrace happiness in the moment".[21] On their year-end list, Pitchfork named "forever" as one of the best songs of 2020.[22]

Credits and personnel[edit]

Credits adapted from Tidal.[23]

  • Charli XCX – vocals, songwriting, backing vocals
  • A. G. Cook – production, songwriting, drum programming, programming, synthesizer, vocal production, xylophone
  • BJ Burton – production, songwriting, drum programming, programming, synthesizer, vocal production
  • Geoff Swan – mixing
  • Stuart Hawkes – mastering
  • Niko Battistini – assistant mix engineer

Charts[edit]

Chart (2020) Peak
position
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[24] 38

Release history[edit]

Region Date Format Label Ref.
Various 9 April 2020
Atlantic [25]
Australia 13 April 2020 Contemporary hit radio Warner [26]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Listen to Charli XCX's New Song "forever"". Pitchfork. 9 April 2020. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
  2. ^ Tom Skinner (7 April 2020). "Listen to a clip of Charli XCX's new song 'Forever' from upcoming quarantine album". NME. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  3. ^ @charli_xcx (9 April 2020). "💓 FOREVER DROPS AT 7.30PM BST/11:30AM PST PREMIERING AS HOTTEST RECORD ON @ANNIEMAC ON @BBCR1!!!!! ARTWORK BY @SETHBOGARTOK!!! 2 MORE OFFICIAL ARTWORKS TO COME LATER IN THE DAY 💓 THANK YOU FOR HELPING ME CREATE THE FIRST SONG FROM "HOW I'M FEELING NOW" 💓" (Tweet). Retrieved 9 April 2020 – via Twitter.
  4. ^ @charli_xcx (9 April 2020). "fyi i am making multiple official artworks for every song I release before the album, maybe even multiple album covers too. the "forever" artwork will be based of the photo we selected together and will be visually interpreted by @SethBogartOK @carolineplz and @regardscoupable 💓" (Tweet). Retrieved 9 April 2020 – via Twitter.
  5. ^ "forever - Single by Charli XCX on Amazon Music". Amazon Music. Retrieved 10 April 2020.,
  6. ^ "forever - Charli XCX - Deezer". Deezer. 9 April 2020. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  7. ^ Shaffer, Claire (17 April 2020). "Charli XCX's 'Forever' Video Is a Shining Document of Quarantine Life". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
  8. ^ "forever - Single by Charli XCX on Spotify". Spotify. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
  9. ^ "Charli XCX Shares 'Forever' From Upcoming Quarantine Album". Spin. 9 April 2020.
  10. ^ Pollard, Alexandra (15 May 2020). "Charli XCX review, How I'm Feeling Now: A brash, adventurous lockdown album". The Independent. Archived from the original on 18 May 2020. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
  11. ^ "Listen to Charli XCX's new self-isolation single 'Forever'". NME. 9 April 2020.
  12. ^ "Charli XCX Returns to the Raves on "Forever," The First Track From how i'm feeling now". pastemagazine.com. 9 April 2020.
  13. ^ "Charli XCX - Forever". 9 April 2020.
  14. ^ Leung, Gabrielle (9 April 2020). "Charli XCX Drops Lovestruck "Forever" Single Recorded in Quarantine". Hyperbeast. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
  15. ^ Cooper, Marcus (9 April 2020). "Charli XCX Loves You 'Forever' (Even While Social Distancing) in New Single". Billboard. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
  16. ^ Alston, Trey. "Charli XCX's First Song She Made In Quarantine Is Here — And It's Wild". MTV News. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
  17. ^ Curto, Justin (9 April 2020). "And on the Third Day, Charli XCX Dropped Her Quarantine Single". Vulture. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
  18. ^ Schatz, Lake (9 April 2020). "Charli XCX delivers new song "Forever" from quarantine: Stream". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
  19. ^ Aswad, Jem (9 April 2020). "Charli XCX Drops New Song, 'Forever,' From Forthcoming Quarantine Album (Listen)". Variety. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
  20. ^ Michael, Michael Love (10 April 2020). "Bops Only: 10 Songs You Need to Start Your Weekend Right". PAPER. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
  21. ^ James (10 April 2020). "The 5 Best Songs Of The Week". Stereogum. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
  22. ^ "The 100 Best Songs of 2020". Pitchfork. 7 December 2020. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
  23. ^ "Credits / forever / Charli XCX – TIDAL". Tidal (service). Retrieved 10 April 2020.
  24. ^ "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 20 April 2020. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
  25. ^ "forever - Single by Charli XCX on Apple Music". Apple Music. Archived from the original on 10 April 2020. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
  26. ^ "Singles to Radio". The Music Network. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
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