Forever Young (Alphaville song)

Background and video

Originally released by Alphaville as a single in 1984, "Forever Young" was available in both its original mix and also in a dance version titled the "Special Dance Mix". Over the years the band has released several remixes and demo versions of the song.

The single reached the number 65 spot on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and the top 40 on the U.S. Hot Dance Music/ Club Play Singles.

The song's music video shows the band performing in one of the halls at Holloway Sanatorium in Virginia Water, Surrey, England. A number of ragged people ranging from children to the elderly awake to observe the band, then walk through a diamond-shaped glowing portal.

Influence

"Forever Young" has been performed by numerous musical groups and in different versions and has appeared in television series, movies, and advertisements. The song plays during scenes in the television series Passions, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (episode 3: "Underage Drinking: A National Concern"), the North American version of Queer as Folk (season 1, episode 18), One Tree Hill (season 4, episode 16), 30 Rock (season 4, episode 10), Greek, Regular Show (season 5, episodes 24–25: "Skips' Story") and Big Love. It also plays in the movie Listen to Me and during the school dance scene of the 2004 film Napoleon Dynamite. In 2006 and 2007, the song was used in advertisements for the Scandinavian banks SEB in Estonia and Sweden, and Nordea in Denmark. It also appeared in prom-themed advertisements for Saturn Ion automobiles. In Argentina, it was used in advertisements for Consolidar AFJP, a pension retirement fund. It was also sung by one of the characters in the "Soulmates" episode (2011) of the American television program, Parks and Recreation. It has become a signature tune for the Vietnamese channel YanTV, whose slogan is accordingly 'Forever Yan'. In 2015, the song is also used for the commercial for Centrum brand of multivitamins in the Philippines.

Track listings

1. "Forever Young" — 3:45
2. "Welcome to the Sun" — 3:09

1. "Forever Young" (Special Dance Version) — 6:06
2. "Forever Young" — 3:45
3. "Welcome to the Sun" — 3:09

Other releases

The original album version has also appeared on the following official Alphaville releases:

The "Special Dance Version" and the B-side "Welcome to the Sun" were both included on 2014's so80s presents Alphaville.

Other versions

This song has been released several times in various forms, including remixes and demos, on:

Forever Young 2001

In 2001, Alphaville released a new set of remixes in a "limited fan edition" called "Forever Young 2001". This single contained three music tracks, one spoken word track, and a PC-only track.

This CD was released to fans for free, only postage needed to be paid. The names of every fan who had requested a copy were printed on the inside cover. Copies were hand-signed by the band. The remixes that appear on the single have not appeared on other releases.

The cover is a still image from the video, which was created by The Cartoon Saloon.

Track listings

1. "Forever Young (F.A.F's Diamonds in the Sun Mix)" — 3:56
2. Remixed by: F.A.F
3. "Forever Young (Factory Mix)" — 4:21
4. Remixed by: José Alvarez-Brill
5. "Forever Young (Original Demo 1983)" — 4:43
6. "Thank You (Spoken Version)" — 3:44
7. "Forever Young (Magix PlayR)" (PC only)

1. "Forever Young (F.A.F's Diamonds in the Sun Mix)" — 3:56

Forever Young the Remix

Released in 2006, this CD contains two new remixes by notable remix artist Bill Hamel. It also includes a digitally remastered version of the original album version of the song. The remix hit number 31 on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart.

1. "Forever Young (Hamel Album Mix)" — 4:58
2. "Forever Young (Bill Hamel Club Mix)" — 7:39
3. "Forever Young (Remastered Original Version)" — 3:47

Youth Group version

In 2005 Australian rock band Youth Group were asked by the producers of the hit American television series The O.C. to record a cover version of "Forever Young" for use in an episode of the show, after their single "Shadowland" had appeared in a previous episode and received a positive response. Their version of "Forever Young" not only played during an episode, but was used as theme music during Australian advertisements for the show's third season and was included on the soundtrack album Music from the OC: Mix 5. The song became a hit in Australia, receiving radio play on rock station Triple J and soon being picked up by other stations. A single released in the country debuted at number 2 on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart, peaked at number one, was also ranked number one in digital downloads (the first year digital downloads were tallied in Australia), and was certified platinum in sales. The song was included on the band's album Casino Twilight Dogs released internationally later that year. A music video was released consisting of footage from the early 1970s Australian youth television program GTK, showing Australia's first skateboarding contest being held at the Coca-Cola factory in Frenchs Forest, New South Wales in 1975. Additionally, the song was included on the Australian compilation album Now Winter 2006.

1. "Forever Young" – 4:33
2. "Someone Else's Dream" – 2:36
3. "Forever Young" (Edit) – 3:26

Cover versions and samples