Always (Bon Jovi song)

The song was originally written by Jon Bon Jovi for the soundtrack to the 1993 film Romeo Is Bleeding, starring Gary Oldman as a corrupt cop and Mafia aide who is renounced by his wife. After being unimpressed by a preview screening of the movie – which was a critical and box office flop^[4] – he decided not to lend "Always" to the producers. Bon Jovi commented, "The script was great: the movie wasn't." He left the track on his shelf and forgot about it until John Kalodner, a friend and A&R executive, found it and convinced him to re-record and release the song.^[5]

Larry Flick from Billboard magazine described "Always" as "a charming new tune that banks on a crisp guitar breeze generated by Richie Sambora and Jon Bon Jovi's familiar rasp." He added, "With lush orchestration by Michael Kamen and gradual shifts in tempo, grand track is easily one of the band's most interesting efforts to date. Prepare for deservedly active airplay well into the fall season."^[6] In his weekly UK chart commentary, James Masterton wrote, that it "is an epic ballad of the type they are so fond of penning and a bit of judicious promotion smashes it straight into the Top 5."^[7]

Alan Jones from Music Week gave the song a score of four out of five and named it Pick of the Week, writing, "An intense rock ballad, with strings and piano filling out the group's sound, and Jon Bon Jovi delivering a strong, stylish lead. Shame about the weak bridge. Even so, this is sure to soar with a TOTP appearance already in the bag."^[8] Tommy Udo from NME declared it as "softy rock", commenting, "It's really between Jon Bon Jovi and Bryan Adams for the title as king of that genre which involves straining for the high notes in a big, emotional, best-a-man-can-get ballad. Bon Jovi wins because every track sounds like the theme for a crap epic starring Kevin Costner."^[1] Another NME editor, Paul Moody, said the song "is so Bryan Adams it turns up on his doorstep whenever it gets lost."^[9] Jonathan Bernstein from Spin viewed it as "karaoke Bryan Adams".^[10]

The music video for "Always" was directed by American television director Marty Callner. It features Jack Noseworthy, Carla Gugino, Jason Wiles and Keri Russell. There is also an alternate version of the video that is just the band performing the song. The original version of the video reached one billion views on YouTube (the band's third song to do so) in March 2024.^[11]

The song's powerful lyrics and power ballad sound made "Always" an instant hit at live concerts, but the high demand on Jon Bon Jovi's vocals have seen it rarely performed in concert following the band's 1995–1996 These Days Tour. The song is featured on the band's Live From London video. During the 2005–2006 Have a Nice Day Tour it was occasionally performed in the acoustic style heard on the band's 2003 This Left Feels Right album. The band performed the original version on their Lost Highway Tour, particularly in the UK leg. A live version performed on the final night of the Lost Highway Tour was included on the concert DVD Live at Madison Square Garden. Since then, the song in its original version has been occasionally performed during every tour.

Done as a second encore in their Forever Tour at Madison Square Garden on 7/12/26.

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