"Always" is a synthpop

Synthpop

Synthpop is a genre of popular music that first became prominent in the 1980s, in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic art rock, disco and particularly the "Kraut rock" of...

 ballad

Ballad

A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...

 by British duo Erasure

Erasure

Erasure are an English synthpop duo, consisting of songwriter and keyboardist Vince Clarke and singer Andy Bell. Erasure entered the music scene in 1985 with their debut single "Who Needs Love Like That"...

. It was released in 1994

1994 in music

This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1994.-January–February:*January 25 – Alice in Chains release their Jar of Flies album which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, becoming the first ever EP to do so....

 as the first single from their sixth studio album I Say I Say I Say

I Say I Say I Say

I Say I Say I Say is the sixth studio album from synth pop duo Erasure, released in 1994 by Mute Records in the UK and Elektra Records in the U.S...

. Mute Records

Mute Records

Mute is an independent record label based in the UK. It was founded in 1978 by Daniel Miller and featured several prominent musical acts on its roster such as Goldfrapp, Depeche Mode, Yazoo, Erasure and Fad Gadget.-Beginnings:...

 issued the single in the UK, while Elektra Records

Elektra Records

Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009....

 released it in the U.S. "Always" was written by Erasure members Vince Clarke

Vince Clarke

Vince Clarke is an English synthpop musician and songwriter. Clarke has been involved with a number of successful groups, including Depeche Mode, Yazoo, The Assembly and Erasure....

 and Andy Bell

Andy Bell (singer)

Andrew Ivan "Andy" Bell is the lead singer of the English synthpop duo Erasure. He also has a solo career, with the albums Non-Stop and Electric Blue.-Early life:Andy Bell originates from the Dogsthorpe area in Peterborough...

, and is produced by Martyn Ware

Martyn Ware

Martyn "Teddy Bear" Ware is a British musician and music producer. He is the chairman of a local football team: PPA. As a founder member of both The Human League and Heaven 17, he was partly responsible for hit records such as "Being Boiled" and "Temptation"...

.

The song is based around synthesized

Synthesizer

A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...

 harmony by Clarke and Bell's subdued vocals and lyrics. The music video features Bell in a Chinese scroll painting

Chinese painting

Chinese painting is one of the oldest continuous artistic traditions in the world. The earliest paintings were not representational but ornamental; they consisted of patterns or designs rather than pictures. Early pottery was painted with spirals, zigzags, dots, or animals...

-inspired backdrop.

The song quickly became Erasure's 13th Top 10 on the UK Singles Chart

UK Singles Chart

The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...

, peaking at number four. In the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, the single became Erasure's third Top 20 hit on the Billboard Hot 100

Billboard Hot 100

The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

, peaking at number 20, six years after their last major U.S. pop hit. On the U.S. Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart, "Always" climbed to number six.

Appearances

The 2009 mix of the song (found on Total Pop! The First 40 Hits) is featured in the "Robot Unicorn Attack

Robot Unicorn Attack

Robot Unicorn Attack is an online video game featured on the Adult Swim and Flashline Games website. The game was produced by Spiritonin Media Games and was released in February 4, 2010...

" Flash game on Adult Swim

Adult Swim

Adult Swim is an adult-oriented Cable network that shares channel space with Cartoon Network from 9:00 pm until 6:00 am ET/PT in the United States, and broadcasts in countries such as Australia and New Zealand...

's website, the iPhone

IPhone

The iPhone is a line of Internet and multimedia-enabled smartphones marketed by Apple Inc. The first iPhone was unveiled by Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, on January 9, 2007, and released on June 29, 2007...

 and the Android Market

Android Market

Android Market is an online software store developed by Google for Android OS devices. Its gateway is an application program called "Market", preinstalled on most Android devices, allows users to browse and download mobile apps published by third-party developers...

. It is a simple side-scrolling platform game where the player controls a robot unicorn and helps it jump across platforms, collecting fairies and smashing through stars to earn extra points. The environment is a fantasy landscape consisting of purple grass, rainbow effects and flying sparkling dolphins. Numerous reviewers have noted how perfectly the song fits in the general theme of the game. The game has over 40 million plays as of November 2011 on adultswim.com.

The song has been covered live as an intro piece by synthpop musician MNDR

MNDR

MNDR is an American electronic music duo, formed in 2009 in New York City, consisting of Amanda Warner and Peter Wade.-2009: Formation:Warner moved from Oakland, California to New York City in 2008 to work as a songwriter for hire. It was only after meeting Wade that she began to consider fronting...

.

12" single (12MUTE152)

1. "Always"
2. "Tragic"
3. "Always" (Cappella
   Cappella
   Cappella was an Italian Eurodance act formed in 1987 by producer Gianfranco Bortolotti. The act went through a number of line-up changes over the years but was most successful in the early 1990s when it was fronted by British performers Kelly Overett and Rodney Bishop...
   
   Club Mix)
4. "Always" (Microbots Trance Dance Mix)

CD Single #2 (LCDMUTE152)

1. "Always" (Cappella Club Mix)
2. "Always" (Microbots Trance Dance Mix)
3. "Always" (Microbots In Your Brain Mix)
4. "Always" (Hey Mix)

U.S. maxi-single (66225-2)

1. "Always" (7" Mix)
2. "Always" (Cappella Club Mix)
3. "Always" (Hey Mix)
4. "Tragic"

Chart performance

Chart (1994)	Peak position	Total weeks
Austrian Singles Chart	2	14
Canadian Singles Chart	19	12
German Singles Chart	5	26
Irish Singles Chart	1	20
Italian Singles Chart	25	?
Swedish Singles Chart	2	16
Swiss Singles Chart	23	15
UK Singles Chart	4	9
US Billboard Hot 100	20	23
US Dance/Club Play Singles	6	12
US Hot Dance Music Sales	21
US Top 40 Mainstream Chart	8	20