Forever and Ever, Amen

For The Drums song, see The Drums (album).
"Forever and Ever, Amen"
Single cover
Single by Randy Travis
from the album Always & Forever
B-side"Promises"
ReleasedMarch 1987
RecordedJanuary 1987
GenreCountry
Length3:31
LabelWarner Bros. Nashville 28384
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Kyle Lehning
Randy Travis singles chronology
"No Place Like Home"
(1987) 		"Forever and Ever, Amen"
(1987) 		"I Won't Need You Anymore (Always and Forever)"
(1987)
Official video
"Forever and Ever, Amen" on YouTube

"Forever and Ever, Amen" is a song written by Paul Overstreet and Don Schlitz, and recorded by American country music artist Randy Travis. It was released in March 1987 as the first single from the album Always & Forever and became Travis's third No. 1 single on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles charts.[1]

Since 2017, Travis, whose singing has been severely limited since a 2013 stroke, has on several occasions contributed the final "Amen" to live performances by other artists when he is in attendance.[2][3]

In August 2020, Josh Turner recorded a cover version of "Forever and Ever, Amen" featuring Travis on his album Country State of Mind. This was Travis' first recording since his stroke.

In February 2021, Ronan Keating and Shania Twain released a version as the fifth and final single from Keating's eleventh studio album, Twenty Twenty.[4][5]

Background

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"Forever and Ever, Amen" was penned by songwriters Paul Overstreet and Don Schlitz, both Nashville luminaries with a long pedigree of domestic country hits, including songs by Alabama, Keith Whitley, Kenny Rogers, and the Judds in the 1980s. The idea for the song's title stemmed from Schlitz's son, who, after saying his nightly prayers, would often remark to his mother, "Mommy, I love you forever and ever, amen." Schlitz relayed the sentimental message to Overstreet, and the two wrote the song in a couple of hours. They recorded the demo version of the song the next day, and pitched it to Warner Bros. executive Martha Sharp. Sharp suggested the material would be best for Travis, for whom Overstreet had previously written "On the Other Hand".

Travis was fond of the song immediately, and abridged its message for the title of his second album, Always and Forever.

Critical reception

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The single was first released in March 1987. It debuted on Billboard's country charts on April 25, 1987. The song peaked at number one for three weeks on June 13, 1987, the first single to do so on the country charts since Johnny Lee's "Lookin' for Love" seven years prior.

"Forever and Ever, Amen" was heavily lauded in the country community, as well as on a mainstream level. It won a Grammy for Best Country & Western Song at the 30th Annual Grammy Awards in 1988. It also claimed Song of the Year honors from the Academy of Country Music[6] and the Country Music Association. Nearly three decades past its release, it was certified Gold by the RIAA,[7] making it Travis' first solo single to earn an RIAA certification. Its digital sales were estimated at over 966,000 downloads as of 2016.[8]

In 2024, Rolling Stone ranked the song at #48 on its 200 Greatest Country Songs of All Time ranking.[9]

Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[7] 2× Platinum 966,000[8]

References

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  1. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 351.
  2. ^ Kruh, Nancy (June 10, 2017). "Without Words, Randy Travis Makes Fans' Dreams Come True". People Country. Retrieved January 26, 2019.
  3. ^ Hermanson, Wendy (May 5, 2019). "Randy Travis Celebrates 60th Birthday at Grand Ole Opry". Tasteofcountry.com. Retrieved September 29, 2019.
  4. ^ "Forever and Ever, Amen by Ronan Keating and Shania Twain". Apple Music. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
  5. ^ Sexton, Paul (February 12, 2021). "Ronan Keating Releases "Forever And Ever, Amen" with Shania Twain". udiscovermusic. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
  6. ^ "ACMs - Previous Winners - Song of the Year". Archived from the original on 2011-07-16. Retrieved 2007-09-07.
  7. ^ a b "American single certifications – Randy Travis – Forever and Ever, Amen". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
  8. ^ a b Bjorke, Matt (November 8, 2016). "Top 30 Digital Singles Sales Report: November 8, 2016". Roughstock.
  9. ^ "The 200 Greatest Country Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. May 24, 2014.
  10. ^ "Randy Travis Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
  11. ^ "Randy Travis Chart History (Canadian Digital Song Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
  12. ^ "Hot Country Songs – Year-End 1987". Billboard. Retrieved June 29, 2021.
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