"Always" was the fourth and final single released from the band's fifth album, the eponymous Blink-182.
The single was released in November 2004. The song was the lowest charting single from the album, but the song’s music video received extensive play on music video channels. Like much of the album, the song shows the band's 1980s influences, with the multiple-layered, heavily effected guitars and new wave synthesizers. The song can be found on the band’s Greatest Hits.
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Background[]
All three of the band members associated the song with the music of the 1980s. The band recorded the song "super dry" with a New Wave influence – drummer Travis Barker credits Missing Persons as an influence for the song. Tom DeLonge, in an interview with MTV News, described the song as a "love song."
In another interview with MTV News, DeLonge explained the song and addressed the lyrics of the choruses:
The song is about wanting to hold a chick all night long and kiss her and touch her and taste her and feel her and all these great adjectives. Verbs actually, there's some adjectives in there, but mostly verbs and nouns. Some pronouns too, but not too many of those.
Chart success and live history[]
"Always" was announced as the fourth and final single from Blink-182 in August 2004. "It’s gonna change people’s lives and might actually change the world forever," guitarist Tom DeLonge jokingly predicted. This was the band's currently latest single and was taken before the "indefinite hiatus" the band went on up until 2009. It didn't fare well on the radio, only peaking at #39 on the Billboard Modern Rock Charts, though it received extensive play on music video channels such as Fuse and MTV. Despite its lukewarm radio play, it remains a fan favorite and is now considered to be a live show staple for the band. This was the first song Blink-182 played together after their hiatus
Music video[]
After deciding on the video concept, the clip was recorded and released in November 2004. The music video for the song features Australian pop singer Sophie Monk. The video is displayed as three horizontal panels in which Monk flirts with DeLonge, Hoppus and Barker. However, the panels sever the onscreen participants in three. Monk appears as a fractured whole, while parts of the band members combine to make one character. It is reminiscent of Weezer's 1997 video for "The Good Life". The apartment the video is shot in is number 182. The video was directed by Joseph Kahn. In reference to the video, DeLonge said "It's like doing an algebraic formulation on paper when you watch it. It's the same kind of feeling [...] but it's rad."
Track listing[]
All songs written and composed by Blink-182.
| Always Single | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length | ||||||||
| 1. | "Always" | 4:11 | ||||||||
| 2. | "I Miss You" (Live in Minneapolis) | 3:58 | ||||||||
| 3. | "The Rock Show" (Live in Minneapolis) | 3:37 | ||||||||
- The two live tracks were originally broadcast live on The WB’s Pepsi Smash concert series.