Forever

Single by HAIM

## *Days Are Gone* Chronology

"**Forever**" is the debut single by American pop rock band HAIM. It was released on October 12th 2012 through Polydor Records as the lead single to their debut extended play of the same name as well as their debut studio album, *Days Are Gone*. It serves as the first track on their extended play and it serves as the second track on their debut album. The song is a pop rock track, with clattering percussion and tight harmonies.

Lyrically, the track talks about a relationship's do-or-die moment, while its sound was compared to many '80s and '90s tracks, including Fleetwood Mac and its member, Stevie Nicks, Donna Lewis and even Michael Jackson's "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'". Acclaimed by music critics, "Forever" was named a "killer single", with a dazzling chorus, and some even called one of the best singles of the year. The song draws heavily from the themes of the 1979 cult classic film *The Warriors*.

## Background

Haim was formed in 2006, in San Fernando Valley, California, after spending their childhood as part of family cover band Rockinhaim. The group toured during the years, until they broke into the scene after a successful show at Texas music festival South by Southwest. It landed them a record deal with Polydor in the UK and subsequently released an EP titled *Forever* on October 12th, 2012.

Elsewhere, the song was also released as the lead-single from their debut album, *Days Are Gone*, released in 2013. On September 7th 2013, the EP was released on cassette for Cassette Store Day. The song impacted alternative radio on January 21st, 2014, and released to mainstream radio on April 4th, 2014.

If you would like to view the *Genius* interview on "Forever", click *here*.

## Composition

"Forever" was written by Danielle, Este, and Alana Haim, with production handled by Ludwig Göransson, whom they produced the track alongside. Lyrically, "Forever" talks about a relationship hurtling towards disintegration. Originally, "Forever" was supposed to be a slow and serious song, but Danielle saw fit for it to be a party jam.

Musically, "Forever" is a pop rock song, featuring staccato melodies and bear-trap drums snap, which were considered similar to some echo of a Jam & Lewis production under ripples of synths lifted from a Teena Marie or Suzi Quatro record by *Spin*'s Mike Powell. Andy Gill of *The Independent* claimed that the track "brings to mind the likes of The Bangles and The Go-Go's. Laura Studarus of *Under the Radar* wrote that the song "owes a debt of gratitude to Donna Lewis' 'I Love You Always Forever'." Greg Kot of *Chicago Tribune* perceived a "nick of Stevie Nicks' 'Stand Back'," while Kevin Harley of *The Independent on Sunday* saw influences of Fleetwood Mac's *Tango in the Night*-era.

Musically, the song is set in the key of C Major with a tempo of 118 BPM and a Camelot of 8B.

## Critical reception

"Forever" received mostly positive reviews from music critics and music publications. Matt James of PopMatters described the song as an "all teasing 'stop-start', Prince percussive crunch and 'Wanna Be Startin' Something' shakin' guitar licks." Brendan Frank of Beats Per Minute called it "an electrifying R&B wiggle", while Michael Roffman of Consequence of Sound praised "the whimsy of spacey reggae anthem". Marc Burrows of *The Quietus* named it a "killer single", along with "Falling" and "The Wire". Embling of Tiny Mix Tapes shared the same thought, calling them "essentially perfect, every single second engineered within an inch of their lives, to the point where resistance becomes either impossible or unconscionable." In agreement with both critics, Cam Lindsay of *Exclaim!* acclaimed the singles, writing that they are "the best singles by any one artist on a single release this year."

Larry Fitzmaurice of Pitchfork Media praised the track, writing that it has a "sparkly charm about it, its palm-muted guitars and soaring vocals creating a fizzy effervescence." Laura Studarus of *Under the Radar* noted that "the sisters' unflinching bombast elevates the percussive hook into a league of its own." El Hunt of *DIY Magazine* went on to praise the band for "conjur[ing] glimmering pop foundations on ‘Forever’ that spiral upwards in strange geometric structures, built upon gasping, fragmented delivery and plunking bass." Forrest Cardamenis of No Ripcord praised the track, writing an extense article about it, claiming:

> "Guitars jangle a bit more, as this one is more rock than R&B, and the lovelorn lyrics, for all their cheesiness, are incredibly endearing. 'Forever' also contains the most memorable chorus on the album, a sprightly contrast to the desperate, bass-heavy verses. The bridge is equally memorable, beginning with a short guitar solo that quickly transitions into a break into a bass/vocal break that quickly gets back to another glorious minute of the care-free, dazzling chorus. Not only does 'Forever' not wear out its welcome, but no single section of it does; it’s a perfect pop song, and a large part of what caused hype for 'Days Are Gone' in the first place."
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## Lyrics

**[Verse 1]**

Hey you!

Remember me? Remember love?

Remember trying to stay together?

My time, you took it all

You tried to see

You tried to bring yourself up without involving me

It isn't fair, to have your way

To try and get up and go

And na-na-na-na now, can't you see

It isn't fair, to have your way?

But I'm trying to get your attention

I need you to know that

**[Pre-Chorus]**

Hey you! Hey you!

Can't you make this sane?

I know, I know, I know

You ain't the one to play the game

Now I know I'm never gonna go your way

If you go, well, now I know

I know, know, know

**[Chorus]**

Forever we tried to make it right

Together we saw the end in sight

I'm tired of fighting the good fight

If you say the word, then I'll say goodbye

Forever I see you and me

Forever I'll try for you and I

No, I never believed in their insight

Just another good reason to get it right

**[Verse 2]**

I don't want to turn around

So come on, baby

Come on and try to let it out

Let go

We're still the same

So come on, baby

Trigger the sound, let's figure it out

Let's get back to where we started out

**[Pre-Chorus]**

Hey you! Hey you!

Can't you make this sane?

I know, I know, I know

You ain't the one to play the game

Now I know I'm never gonna go your way

If you go, well, now I know

I know, know, know

**[Chorus]**

Forever we tried to make it right

Together we saw the end in sight

I'm tired of fighting the good fight

If you say the word, then I'll say goodbye

Forever I see you and me

Forever I'll try for you and I

No, I never believed in their insight

Just another good reason to get it right

**[Bridge]**

Go, go, go, go, get out, get out of my memory

No, no, no, not tonight, I don't have the energy

Go, go, go, go, get out, get out of my memory

No, no, no, not tonight, oh, not tonight, oh, not tonight

**[Chorus]**

Forever we tried to make it right

Together we saw the end in sight

I'm tired of fighting the good fight

If you say the word, then I'll say goodbye

Forever I see you and me

Forever I'll try for you and I

No, I never believed in their insight

Just another good reason to get it right

Forever we tried to make it right

But together we saw the end in sight

I'm tired of fighting the good fight

If you say the word, then I'll say goodbye

Forever I see you and me

Forever I'll try for you and I

No, I never believed in their insight

Just another good reason to get it right

**[Outro]**

Forever we tried, forever we tried, yeah

Forever we tried, forever we tried, yeah

Forever we tried, forever we, forever we tried, yeah

Forever we tried, forever we tried, yeah

## Music video

### Background

The music video for the song, directed by Austin Peters, was first released on British daily newspaper *The Guardian's* website. It was later uploaded to YouTube on June 7th, 2012. Este spoke about the video, saying:

> "A lot of that video consists of our personal home videos, so there definitely is a strong nostalgic childhood vibe there."
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### Credits

Executive Director - *Austin Peters*
Producer(s) - *Austin Peters and Stefan Weinberger*
Editor - *Taylor Ward*
Director of Photography - *Martim Vian*
AC - *Nadia Baptista*
Art Director - *Natalie Ziering*
Make Up - *Dina Gregg*
Hair - *Candice Birns*
Graphic - *Seth Brau*
PA - *Skye Optican*

## Other videos

If you would like to view the video gallery for "Forever", click *here*.

## References

1. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJn45pGRk\_A
2. ↑ https://tunebat.com/Search?q=haim%20forever
3. ↑ https://www.timeout.com/music
4. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEwM6ERq0gc
5. ↑ https://soundcloud.com/haimtime/haim-forever-giorgio-moroder