Forever (Chris Brown song)
Encyclopedia
"Forever" is a song by American R&B
singer Chris Brown. It is produced by Polow da Don
. It is the first single from the repackaged Exclusive: Forever Edition, and is the fifth overall single by Brown from his second studio album
, Exclusive
with uncredited backing vocals from Keri Hilson
. Initially created to be used for Doublemint
gum, "Forever" was a top 10 hit in various countries. On November 25, 2008, the official remix leaked featuring Lil' Wayne and Lupe Fiasco
.
"Forever" is actually an extended version of a commercial jingle for Doublemint
gum, commissioned by an advertising company working for Wrigley
. Brown first created the short version for the commercial, then extended and amended it into a full song during a recording session in February 2008, which was paid for by the gum company.
"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 effect, as he did in one of his previous singles, "Kiss Kiss
". The song was first intended to be on Brown's following album, but decided he "wasn't ready to release a new album yet".
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.
A remix was released on November 25. It features guest verses from Lil' Wayne and Lupe Fiasco
as well as a new verse from Chris Brown himself.
The song is composed in B major
and is set to 120 BPM.
gave the song four and a half stars, and said it was one of Brown's best to date. Billboard
stated that the single "is really a love song but bangs with electrified production from Polow Da Don to ignite dancefloors." Alex Fletcher of Digital Spy
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."
, April 4, 2008. It was directed by Joseph Kahn
. The video premiered on TRL
on April 30, 2008 and on BET
's 106 & Park
on May 5, 2008. The video reached number one on the MTV Online Chart. BET placed the song at #55 on their Notarized: Top 100 Videos countdown.
The music video
starts off with Brown driving into a club
(where he chews a fresh stick of Doublemint Gum), and 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 dance
rs start to house dance
on the empty dance floor. 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 out of the club.
According to the Billboard
, 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
TRL, behind Katy Perry
's "I Kissed a Girl", 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 program, "Chart Attack", which count 20 most popular video in Asia
and so far has peaked at number 1 replacing Mariah Carey
's "Bye Bye
". "Forever" also debuted at number 7 on MTV Hip Hop Countdown; MTV Asian program which count 10 most popular urban
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.
At the beginning of the video, Brown is seen unwrapping and chewing Doublemint gum then during the chorus he sings "Double your pleasure, Double your fun", part of the former Wrigley's slogan used in the aforementioned commercial jingle.
The video is up for three nominations in the "Best Dancing in a Video", "Best Choreography" and "Video of the Year" categories 2008 MTV Video Music Awards
.
Brown's main love interest in the video is played by model Megan Abrigo, comedian Daniel Tosh
's girlfriend.
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
based only on digital sales and has peaked there for 3 non-consecutive weeks, before finally jumped to number two. It has sold 3,461,000 digital copies in the US alone and has peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks behind "I Kissed a Girl" by Katy Perry
and Rihanna
's "Disturbia
". It has been certified double-platinum
by the RIAA. It also stayed in the top ten for 15 weeks.
"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
". 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 the Hot 100 Airplay, Mainstream Top 40, Pop 100
, Pop 100 Airplay
, Hot Digital Songs, Hot Digital Tracks
, and Hot RingMasters
.
"Forever" also became a hit across Oceania
. "Forever" debuted at number-forty on the New Zealand RIANZ 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 currently sits at number-one on the official RIANZ Singles Chart for eight weeks so far, 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
", "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
, 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, behind "Run It" (No. 2). 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
" (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.
"Forever" has reached number one in Ireland and New Zealand, and the top ten in Australia
, Canada
, the US and the UK.
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
singer Chris Brown. It is produced by Polow da Don
Polow Da Don
Polow-Freache Jamal Fincher Jones , better known by known by professional name Polow da Don or Awesome Jones, is an American record producer, songwriter, rapper, and singer. His cousin is Atlanta singer Monica. He has produced for a variety of artists including Usher, Nelly, Christina Aguilera, T.I...
. It is the first single from the repackaged Exclusive: Forever Edition, and is the fifth overall single by Brown from his second studio album
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
, Exclusive
Exclusive (album)
Exclusive is the second studio album by American recording artist Chris Brown. The album was originally scheduled to be released August 28, 2007, but was pushed back to October 30, 2007, then pushed back even further to its final release date of November 6, 2007.The album was both critically and...
with uncredited backing vocals from Keri Hilson
Keri Hilson
Keri Lynn Hilson is an American R&B singer-songwriter. Born and raised in Decatur, Georgia, Hilson began her music career as a songwriter, penning tracks for several artists in the mid-2000s as part of the five-person production and songwriting team, The Clutch...
. Initially created to be used for Doublemint
Doublemint
Doublemint is a flavor of chewing gum made by the Wrigley Company. It was launched in the United States in 1914, and has had variable market share since that time....
gum, "Forever" was a top 10 hit in various countries. On November 25, 2008, the official remix leaked featuring Lil' Wayne and Lupe Fiasco
Lupe Fiasco
Wasalu Muhammad Jaco , better known by his stage name Lupe Fiasco , is an American rapper, record producer, and entrepreneur. As an entrepreneur, Lupe is the CEO of 1st and 15th Entertainment. He rose to fame in 2006 following the success of his critically acclaimed debut album, Lupe Fiasco's Food...
.
Song information
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," the group "wanted to give it that other side of crossover, and go a little bit to that pop realm"."Forever" is actually an extended version of a commercial jingle for Doublemint
Doublemint
Doublemint is a flavor of chewing gum made by the Wrigley Company. It was launched in the United States in 1914, and has had variable market share since that time....
gum, commissioned by an advertising company working for Wrigley
Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company
The William Wrigley Jr. Company is a company headquartered in the Wrigley Building in Near North Side, Chicago, Illinois. The company was founded on April 1, 1891, originally selling products such as soap and baking powder. In 1892, William Wrigley, Jr., the company's founder, began packaging...
. Brown first created the short version for the commercial, then extended and amended it into a full song during a recording session in February 2008, which was paid for by the gum company.
"Forever" is one of four new songs Brown recorded for the re-release of his second studio album Exclusive
Exclusive (album)
Exclusive is the second studio album by American recording artist Chris Brown. The album was originally scheduled to be released August 28, 2007, but was pushed back to October 30, 2007, then pushed back even further to its final release date of November 6, 2007.The album was both critically and...
. He recorded the song using an autotune effect, as he did in one of his previous singles, "Kiss Kiss
Kiss Kiss (Chris Brown song)
"Kiss Kiss" is a song by Chris Brown, released as the second single from his second studio album Exclusive. The track features R&B Singer-Songwriter/rapper T-Pain and is also produced by him. Both Brown and T-Pain use Auto-Tune in the song...
". The song was first intended to be on Brown's following album, but decided he "wasn't ready to release a new album yet".
Originally, the plan was to follow up his third single, "With You
With You (Chris Brown song)
"With You" is a pop/R&B song by Chris Brown, nominated for 2008 MTV Video Music Awards and written by Johntá Austin, Tor Erik Hermansen, Mikkel Eriksen, Espen Lind, Amund Bjørklund, and produced by Stargate...
," with the Kanye West
Kanye West
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
-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.
A remix was released on November 25. It features guest verses from Lil' Wayne and Lupe Fiasco
Lupe Fiasco
Wasalu Muhammad Jaco , better known by his stage name Lupe Fiasco , is an American rapper, record producer, and entrepreneur. As an entrepreneur, Lupe is the CEO of 1st and 15th Entertainment. He rose to fame in 2006 following the success of his critically acclaimed debut album, Lupe Fiasco's Food...
as well as a new verse from Chris Brown himself.
The song is composed in B major
B major
In music theory, B major 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....
and is set to 120 BPM.
Critical reception
Bill Lamb of About.comAbout.com
About.com is an online source for original information and advice. It is written in English, and is aimed primarily at North Americans. It is owned by The New York Times Company....
gave the song four and a half stars, and said it was one of Brown's best to date. Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
stated that the single "is really a love song but bangs with electrified production from Polow Da Don to ignite dancefloors." Alex Fletcher of Digital Spy
Digital Spy
Digital Spy is a British entertainment and media news website. According to Alexa Internet traffic statistics, as of February 2011, Digital Spy is the 93rd most popular website in the United Kingdom, with an overall Alexa ranking of 2,088....
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
Usher (entertainer)
Usher Terry Raymond IV , who performs under the mononym Usher, is an American singer-songwriter, and actor. He is considered around the world to be the reigning King of R&B. Usher rose to fame in the late 1990s with the release of his second album My Way, which spawned his first Billboard Hot 100...
, Ne-Yo
Ne-Yo
Shaffer Chimere Smith, Jr. , better known by his stage name Ne-Yo, is an American pop and R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, dancer and actor. Beginning his career as a songwriter, Ne-Yo penned the hit "Let Me Love You" for singer Mario...
and the rest of the current crop of American male solo artists."
Music video
The two-days shoot took place in Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, April 4, 2008. It was directed by Joseph Kahn
Joseph Kahn
Joseph Kahn is an American music video, advertising, and feature film director.-Early life:Kahn was born in Jersey Village, Texas, a suburb of Houston. He is of Korean ancestry. He spent part of his childhood growing up in Livorno, Italy until his family moved to Texas...
. The video premiered on TRL
Total Request Live
Total Request Live is a television series on MTV that featured popular music videos. TRL was MTV's prime outlet for music videos as the network continues to concentrate on reality-based programming. In addition to music videos, TRL featured daily guests...
on April 30, 2008 and on BET
Black Entertainment Television
Black Entertainment Television is an American, Viacom-owned cable network based in Washington, D.C.. Currently viewed in more than 90 million homes worldwide, it is the most prominent television network targeting young Black-American audiences. The network was launched on January 25, 1980, by its...
's 106 & Park
106 & Park
106 & Park is a Top Ten Hip-Hop and R&B music video show, set up in a countdown format, that airs weekdays at 6:00 PM on BET . Since its inception, it was the network's #1 rated show...
on May 5, 2008. The video reached number one on the MTV Online Chart. BET placed the song at #55 on their Notarized: Top 100 Videos countdown.
The music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
starts off with Brown driving into a club
Club
A club is an association of two or more people united by a common interest or goal. A service club, for example, exists for voluntary or charitable activities; there are clubs devoted to hobbies and sports, social activities clubs, political and religious clubs, and so forth.- History...
(where he chews a fresh stick of Doublemint Gum), and 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 dance
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
rs start to house dance
House dance
House dance is a social dance primarily danced to house music that has roots in the clubs of Chicago and of New York. The main elements of House dance include Footwork, Jacking, and Lofting...
on the empty dance floor. In the second verse, Brown is walking outside the club following his love interest. Later he is seen performing a 540 crescent kick
540 kick
In martial arts and tricking, the 540 kick, also known as inside turning kick, jump inside kick, tornado kick and Xuanfengjiao , is a jump kick move...
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 out of the club.
According to the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
, 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
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
TRL, behind Katy Perry
Katy Perry
Katy Perry is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Born in Santa Barbara, California, and raised by Christian pastor parents, Perry grew up listening to only gospel music and sang in her local church as a child. After earning a GED during her first year of high school, she began to pursue a...
's "I Kissed a Girl", 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 program, "Chart Attack", which count 20 most popular video in Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
and so far has peaked at number 1 replacing Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. She made her recording debut with the release of her eponymous studio album in 1990, under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, whom she later married in 1993...
's "Bye Bye
Bye Bye (Mariah Carey song)
"Bye Bye" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey, taken from her eleventh studio album, E=MC² . It was written by Carey, Mikkel S. Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen and Johntá Austin, and produced by the former three. It was released as the album's second single on April 15, 2008, in the...
". "Forever" also debuted at number 7 on MTV Hip Hop Countdown; MTV Asian program which count 10 most popular urban
Urban contemporary
Urban contemporary is a music radio format. The term was coined by the late New York DJ Frankie Crocker in the mid 1970s. Urban contemporary radio stations feature a playlist made up entirely of hip hop/rap, contemporary R&B, pop, electronica such as dubstep and drum and bass and Caribbean music...
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.
At the beginning of the video, Brown is seen unwrapping and chewing Doublemint gum then during the chorus he sings "Double your pleasure, Double your fun", part of the former Wrigley's slogan used in the aforementioned commercial jingle.
The video is up for three nominations in the "Best Dancing in a Video", "Best Choreography" and "Video of the Year" categories 2008 MTV Video Music Awards
2008 MTV Video Music Awards
The 2008 MTV Video Music Awards took place on September 7, 2008 live from Paramount Pictures Studios , honoring the best music videos from the previous year. Nominations for a majority of the categories were announced on the MTV program FNMTV after being selected through viewer online voting at...
.
Brown's main love interest in the video is played by model Megan Abrigo, comedian Daniel Tosh
Daniel Tosh
Daniel Dwight Tosh is an American stand-up comedian and host of the Comedy Central television show, Tosh.0.-Personal life:...
's girlfriend.
Chart performance
The song debuted at number six on the Billboard Hot Digital SongsHot Digital Songs
The Hot Digital Songs chart ranks the best-selling digital singles in the United States, according to Billboard.Beginning in February 2005, digital sales have been incorporated into many of Billboards music single charts. It was decided to do so mainly because of the dramatic rise in popularity of...
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
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...
, making it the highest debut of that week along with Jesse McCartney
Jesse McCartney
Jesse McCartney is an American singer-songwriter, actor and voice actor. McCartney achieved fame in the late 1990s on the daytime drama All My Children as JR Chandler. He later joined boy band Dream Street, and eventually branched out into a solo musical career...
's "Leavin'
Leavin'
"Leavin" is a song written and produced by Tricky Stewart, and The-Dream, and recorded by American singer Jesse McCartney. It is the lead single from McCartney's third studio album Departure , and it was sent to the U.S. mainstream radios on March 10, 2008...
" 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
Canadian Hot 100
The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007...
based only on digital sales and has peaked there for 3 non-consecutive weeks, before finally jumped to number two. It has sold 3,461,000 digital copies in the US alone and has peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks behind "I Kissed a Girl" by Katy Perry
Katy Perry
Katy Perry is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Born in Santa Barbara, California, and raised by Christian pastor parents, Perry grew up listening to only gospel music and sang in her local church as a child. After earning a GED during her first year of high school, she began to pursue a...
and Rihanna
Rihanna
Robyn Rihanna Fenty , better known as simply Rihanna, is a Barbadian recording artist. Born in Saint Michael, Barbados, Rihanna moved to the United States at the age of 16 to pursue a recording career under the guidance of record producer Evan Rogers...
's "Disturbia
Disturbia (song)
"Disturbia" is a song by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna, taken from the re-release, Good Girl Gone Bad: Reloaded , of her third studio album Good Girl Gone Bad . The song was released as the third single from the reloaded edition of the album, and seventh overall...
". It has been certified double-platinum
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...
by the RIAA. It also stayed in the top ten for 15 weeks.
"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
"Take You Down" is the fourth single by Chris Brown from his second studio album Exclusive. It was released to urban radio stations only on April 1, 2008....
". 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
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
, peaking at number seventy-two. "Forever" debuted at number sixty-three on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay
Hot 100 Airplay
The Hot 100 Airplay chart is a chart released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States. It measures radio airplay, and is one of the three component charts, along with the Hot Singles Sales and the Hot Digital Songs charts, that determine the chart positions of singles on the Billboard...
, 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 the Hot 100 Airplay, Mainstream Top 40, Pop 100
Pop 100
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...
, Pop 100 Airplay
Pop 100 Airplay
The Pop 100 Airplay was a chart created in 2005 and released weekly by Billboard in the United States. It measured mainstream radio airplay, and was one of the three component charts, along with the Hot 100 Singles Sales and Hot Digital Songs charts, that determined the chart positions of singles...
, Hot Digital Songs, Hot Digital Tracks
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...
, and Hot RingMasters
Hot RingMasters
Hot RingMasters is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States. First published in the December 9, 2006 issue , it is compiled by Nielsen Mobile's RingScan service, which collects the amount of ringtones sold each week...
.
"Forever" also became a hit across Oceania
Oceania
Oceania is a region centered on the islands of the tropical Pacific Ocean. Conceptions of what constitutes Oceania range from the coral atolls and volcanic islands of the South Pacific to the entire insular region between Asia and the Americas, including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago...
. "Forever" debuted at number-forty on the New Zealand RIANZ 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 currently sits at number-one on the official RIANZ Singles Chart for eight weeks so far, 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!
Run It!
"Run It!" is the debut single by American R&B singer Chris Brown, featuring American rapper Juelz Santana. It was written by Santana, Sean Garrett and Scott Storch, and produced by the latter. It was released in 2005 and is Brown's first career single, off his debut album Chris Brown...
", "Kiss Kiss
Kiss Kiss (Chris Brown song)
"Kiss Kiss" is a song by Chris Brown, released as the second single from his second studio album Exclusive. The track features R&B Singer-Songwriter/rapper T-Pain and is also produced by him. Both Brown and T-Pain use Auto-Tune in the song...
", "With You
With You (Chris Brown song)
"With You" is a pop/R&B song by Chris Brown, nominated for 2008 MTV Video Music Awards and written by Johntá Austin, Tor Erik Hermansen, Mikkel Eriksen, Espen Lind, Amund Bjørklund, and produced by Stargate...
" 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
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. "Forever" debuted at number twenty-nine on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart
ARIA Charts
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 singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...
, 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
Exclusive (album)
Exclusive is the second studio album by American recording artist Chris Brown. The album was originally scheduled to be released August 28, 2007, but was pushed back to October 30, 2007, then pushed back even further to its final release date of November 6, 2007.The album was both critically and...
, 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, behind "Run It" (No. 2). 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
With You (Chris Brown song)
"With You" is a pop/R&B song by Chris Brown, nominated for 2008 MTV Video Music Awards and written by Johntá Austin, Tor Erik Hermansen, Mikkel Eriksen, Espen Lind, Amund Bjørklund, and produced by Stargate...
" (221,750 copies) and "No Air
No Air
"No Air" is a song by American recording artist Jordin Sparks featuring American R&B singer Chris Brown. The song was written by James Fauntleroy II, Eric Griggs, Michael Scala, Harvey Mason, Jr., Damon Thomas and Steve Russell...
" (316,630 copies). In Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, "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
Irish Singles Chart
The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured...
, 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.
"Forever" has reached number one in Ireland and New Zealand, and the top ten in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, the US and the UK.
In other media
- On July 16, 2008, Comfort Fedoke and Stephen "Twitch" Boss from the US television reality program and dance competition So You Think You Can DanceSo You Think You Can Dance (Season 4)So You Think You Can Dance is a United States television reality program and dance competition airing on the Fox Broadcasting Company network. Season four premiered on May 22, 2008, with Nigel Lythgoe and Mary Murphy returning as permanent judges and Cat Deeley returning to host...
, danced to "Forever" as the part of the competition. Quest CrewQuest CrewQuest 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...
and SoReal Cru danced to this song on ABDC.
- On July 19, 2009, a video was uploaded on YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
that received significant media attention, using "Forever" as the song to a wedding march. The video, known as the JK Wedding Entrance DanceJK Wedding Entrance DanceOn July 19, 2009 a viral video called JK Wedding Entrance Dance was uploaded to YouTube that received significant media attention, using "Forever" by Chris Brown as the song for the wedding march. The wedding was between Jill Peterson and Kevin Heinz.....
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 iTunesITunesiTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
. By March 11, 2011, the video had received 62,764,934 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 violenceDomestic violenceDomestic violence, also known as domestic abuse, spousal abuse, battering, family violence, and intimate partner violence , is broadly defined as a pattern of abusive behaviors by one or both partners in an intimate relationship such as marriage, dating, family, or cohabitation...
charity.
- In August 2009, "Forever" was played multiple times on the local Fort Dodge, Iowa, radio station and was deemed the first ever unofficial Sioux Central Cross Country Camp song of the year.
- On October 8, 2009, "Forever" was used in the American version of The Office at JimJim HalpertJames Duncan "Jim" Halpert is a fictional character in the United States version of the television sitcom The Office, played by John Krasinski. The character is based on Tim Canterbury from the original version of The Office...
and Pam's weddingNiagara (The Office)"Niagara" is an hour-long episode of the sixth season of the U.S. comedy series The Office. It is the 4th and 5th episodes in the season's episode count and the 104th and 105th episode of the series overall. The episode was written by executive producer Greg Daniels and Mindy Kaling, and was...
as part of a parody of the aforementioned JK Wedding. Again, it caused the song to move back into the top twenty singles on iTunesITunesiTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
.
- On March 30, 2010, Andrew GarciaAndrew GarciaAndrew Adrian Garcia is an American singer from Moreno Valley, California who was the ninth place finalist on the ninth season of American Idol.-Personal life:...
performed an acoustic cover of the song on the Top 10 performance night of American Idol. He chose this as his R&B/Soul 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.
Australian CD single
- "Forever" (Main)
- "Forever" (23 Deluxe Remix)
- "Forever" (Cahill Club Mix)
- "Forever" (Bobby Bass & J Remy Club Mix)
- "Forever" (video)
Official versions
- "Forever" (Main) / (Main Version)
- "Forever" (23 Deluxe Remix)
- "Forever" (Bobby Bass & J Remy Club Mix)
- "Forever" (Cahill Club Mix)
- "Forever" (Instrumental)
Credits and personnel
- VocalsHuman voiceThe human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal folds for talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, etc. Its frequency ranges from about 60 to 7000 Hz. The human voice is specifically that part of human sound production in which the vocal folds are the primary...
: Chris Brown, Keri HilsonKeri HilsonKeri Lynn Hilson is an American R&B singer-songwriter. Born and raised in Decatur, Georgia, Hilson began her music career as a songwriter, penning tracks for several artists in the mid-2000s as part of the five-person production and songwriting team, The Clutch...
(background) - WritersSongwriterA songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
: C. Brown, J. Jones, B. Kennedy, R. Allen, A. Merritt - Producers: Polow da DonPolow Da DonPolow-Freache Jamal Fincher Jones , better known by known by professional name Polow da Don or Awesome Jones, is an American record producer, songwriter, rapper, and singer. His cousin is Atlanta singer Monica. He has produced for a variety of artists including Usher, Nelly, Christina Aguilera, T.I...
for Zone 4 Inc. and Brian Kennedy - Recording: Jason Scweitzer at Village Studios, Los AngelesLos ÁngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, CACaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
& Doug FenskeDoug FenskeDoug Fenske is an American record producer, recording engineer, mix engineer, and remixer from suburban Chicago, IL. He has worked in Los Angeles, Calif. since 2005, and has been involved in several aspects of record production...
for Real Records, LLC at Westlake Audio, Los AngelesLos ÁngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, CACaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area... - MixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
: Phil Tan for Riotproof Productions at Soapbox Studios, Atlanta, GAGeorgia (U.S. state)Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788... - Assistant: Josh Houghkir
- Mastered by: Chris Athens at Sterling Sound, New YorkNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
Weekly charts
| Chart (2008) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Pop 100 Pop 100 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... (Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... ) |
1 |
Certifications
| Country | Certification |
|---|---|
| Australia Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956... |
2× Platinum |
| New Zealand New Zealand New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga... |
Platinum |
| United States Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States... |
Gold |
Year-end charts
| Chart (2008) | Position |
|---|---|
| Australia ARIA Singles Chart ARIA Charts 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 singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
20 |
| US 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... |
10 |
| Chart (2009) | Position |
|---|---|
| Hungarian Singles Chart | 164 |
Decade-end charts
| Chart (2000–2009) | Position |
|---|---|
| US 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... |
100 |