Always (Blink-182 song)

All three of the band members associated the song with the music of the 1980s. 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 sarcastically addressed the lyrics of the choruses: ==Composition==

"Always" was written by bassist Mark Hoppus, drummer Travis Barker, and guitarist Tom DeLonge, while sung by DeLonge and Hoppus and produced by Jerry Finn. Referred to as "the '80s song" during production, "Always" features an uptempo backbeat combined with a New Romantic-era keyboard, and pulls from new wave influences. Andrew Sacher of BrooklynVegan felt that "Always" was the most "Cure-sounding song" on the album, rather than "All of This" which featured Robert Smith. Sacher noted the track as a "a truly sweet post-punk love song". The song's outro features four separate bass guitars being played; Hoppus uses a Fender Bass VI, a Fender Precision Bass "doing two different things," and a Roland Synth Bass. Journalist Joe Shooman pointed out that the song's central guitar riff is remescient of The Only Ones' "Another Girl, Another Planet" (1979). ==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. It was first serviced to radio in mid-November 2004. The song was only performed twice in its original release, prior to the band's "indefinite hiatus." It has nonetheless been performed regularly since the band's return. ==Reception==

A.D. Amorosi of The Philadelphia Inquirer, in his 2003 review of Blink-182, called the song "contagious." Consequence of Sound, in a 2015 top 10 of the band's best songs, ranked it as number four, calling it "far and away the best track on the album." Stereogum and Kerrang both named "Always" as Blink-182's eighth-best song. ==Music video==

technique, seen here. The music video for "Always" was directed by Joseph Kahn. The group shot it while on tour in Australia in mid-2004, at the same studio space used by the Wiggles. It features Australian pop singer Sophie Monk. The video is displayed as three horizontal panels, 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==

• The two live tracks were originally broadcast live on The WB's Pepsi Smash concert series. ==Personnel==

Per the Blink-182 liner notes. Blink-182 • Tom DeLonge – guitars, vocals • Mark Hoppus – bass guitar, Fender Bass VI, bass synthesizer, vocals • Travis Barker – drums, cabasa, tambourine Additional personnel • Roger Joseph Manning, Jr. – keyboards ==Charts==