Forever Young (Alphaville song)


"Forever Young" is a song by West German synth-pop band Alphaville, released in September 1984, by WEA, as the third single from their debut album of the same name. The single was successful in Scandinavia and in the European German-speaking countries in the same year. It peaked at number 93 on the Billboard Hot 100 the following year in the United States, and number 63 in 1988. The accompanying music video was directed by Brian Ward and filmed in the United Kingdom. As of November 2025, "Forever Young" has over 1.1 billion streams on Spotify.
The single has been covered by numerous artists. It also formed the basis of Jay-Z's song "Young Forever". "Forever Young" is written in the key of C major.
In a 2022 interview, Alphaville lead singer Marian Gold said that it is "a great privilege" to have "Forever Young", as well as "Big in Japan", in "their luggage" when touring, and that he is grateful to be able to perform these songs.
Fandom music:Forever_Young

Alphaville versions

Original 1984 version

Background and video

Originally intended to be an upbeat dance song, producer Andreas Budde recommended paring the song down to a sparse synth-pop ballad. The band spent two days attempting to record the dance version, but were unsatisfied with the results. Budde then told them to strip away most of the tracks, leaving only the vocals and synth pads, and upon playing it back said, "This is the song."
Marian Gold originally wrote the third verse to evoke a "fascistic feeling" of the adoration of the crowd:


However, for the final recording, record executives pushed for a change, resulting in:


Gold calls the replacement "turn our golden faces into the sun" the worst lyric in the song.
Not a native English speaker, Gold received pronunciation instruction from producer Colin Pearson. The band had decided that the word "dance" in the first line should be pronounced in order for the song to sound British. Subsequently, the track uses the English pronunciation but sometimes Gold would forget this and sing the American pronunciation instead.
Originally released by Alphaville as a single in 1984, "Forever Young" was available in both its original mix and in a dance version, entitled the "Special Dance Mix". Over the years, the band has released several remixes and demo versions of the song.
In the US, the song debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 95 in the week of 23 March 1985, peaking at number 93 the following week, before dropping off the chart following a four-week run; it also peaked at number 32 on the Hot Dance/Disco Club Play chart on 30 March. When re-released in 1988, the song was more successful in the US, peaking at number 65 on the Billboard Hot 100 in a total run of 14 weeks.

Music video

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

Reception

In 1987, the song topped yearly retrospective lists in San Francisco's KITS "Live 105" and New Jersey's WPST 94.5 radio stations, with Billboard calling it "the modern rock equivalent of 'Stairway to Heaven'". "Forever Young" was top on both lists, beating out songs like U2's "Pride (In the Name of Love)", New Order's "Blue Monday" and the Smiths' "How Soon Is Now?".
In 2024, "Forever Young" gained wide popularity on the social media app TikTok, 40 years after the song's release. The song reached No. 1 on the Billboard charts in the United States, and stayed there for 10 weeks.

Track listings

7-inch single
  1. "Forever Young" – 3:45
  2. "Welcome to the Sun" – 3:0912-inch maxi single
  3. "Forever Young" – 6:06
  4. "Forever Young" – 3:45
  5. "Welcome to the Sun" – 3:09
Note: "Welcome to the Sun" also appeared on 1999's Dreamscapes.

Other releases

The original album version has also appeared on the following official Alphaville releases:Alphaville Amiga Compilation, 1988Alphaville: The Singles Collection, 1988First Harvest 1984–92, 1992
The "Special Dance Version" and the B-side "Welcome to the Sun" were both included on so80s presents Alphaville.

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

CD single
  1. "Forever Young" – 3:56
  2. * Remixed by: F.A.F
  3. "Forever Young" – 4:21
  4. * Remixed by: José Alvarez-Brill
  5. "Forever Young" – 4:43
  6. "Thank You" – 3:44
  7. "Forever Young"
  • The track "Thank You" consisted of then-member Bernard Lloyd thanking the fans, while speaking over one of his "favorite tracks", which was a remix of "Lassie Come Home", as it was to appear on the 2001 remix album Forever Pop.
  • The Magix PlayR track was a PC-only application that allowed fans to customize the FAF remix to their liking.
CD promo single
  1. "Forever Young" — 3:56
  • This promotional CD was produced in a strictly limited run of 500 copies and not sold commercially.

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 reached number 31 on the Australian ARIA singles chart, peaking higher than the original version in 1986, which only charted at number 47.

Track listing

CD single
  1. "Forever Young" – 4:58
  2. "Forever Young" – 7:39
  3. "Forever Young" – 3:47

Charts

Chart Peak
position
Global 200 105
Greece International Streaming 96
Lithuania 99

Laura Branigan version

In 1985, American singer Laura Branigan covered "Forever Young" for her fourth album, Hold Me.
She then went on to sing it as either the encore or the final track of her live performances for years.

Interactive version

In 1994, German electronic group Interactive released a cover of "Forever Young" which reached number seven in Germany and number ten in both Denmark and the Netherlands. It also made the top 20 in five other countries and on the Eurochart Hot 100, the song reached number 34. This electronic dance version does not contain most of the song's lyrics and only includes a slightly modified chorus as the sole vocals. In 2002, German DJ and music producer Kosmonova remixed this version of "Forever Young". The remix peaked at number 21 in Germany and number 37 in the UK.

Music video

The music video for "Forever Young" was directed by Basil Schlegel and features kids attending and partying in a night club. It was A-listed on German music television channel VIVA in February 1995.

Track listing

CD maxi
  1. "Forever Young" – 3:40
  2. "Forever Young" – 5:59
  3. "Mobilé" – 5:04
  4. "Waves of Balah" – 5:44

Charts

Chart Peak
position
Denmark 10
Europe 34
Finland 15

Chart Position
Australia 71
Germany 61
Netherlands 96

Youth Group version

In 2005, Australian rock band Youth Group were asked by the producers of the American television series The O.C. to record a version of "Forever Young" for use in the show, following a positive response to the use of their single "Shadowland" in a previous episode. Their version of "Forever Young" was used in the show and the show's trailers and was included on the soundtrack album Music from the OC: Mix 5.
Released as a single on 6 March 2006, the song reached number one on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart for two nonconsecutive weeks and also entered the top 10 in New Zealand, reaching number seven on the RIANZ Singles Chart. In the United States, the song appeared on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart, peaking at number 10. The track was included on Youth Group's third studio album, Casino Twilight Dogs, released later that year.

Track listing

Australian CD single
  1. "Forever Young" – 4:33
  2. "Someone Else's Dream" – 2:36
  3. "Forever Young" – 3:26

Charts

Chart Position
Australia 7

Cash Cash version

In 2010, American electronic music group Cash Cash released a cover of the song. It was released on 8 March 2010 through Universal. The song was serviced to radio in the United States on 12 May 2010.

Background

Jean Paul Makhlouf stated that group chose to cover the song because "the idea of being forever young is just awesome," which was the reason why the group first formed. They were also inspired to cover the song due to the "many amazing memories" the band has made, such as recording a their debut studio album, hearing their song on the radio, touring the US and meeting fans across the world. Makhlouf also added:
I'll always be a teenager at heart. Of course there's a time for work, but you can't forget about the play. I always make sure I keep a good balance of the two.

Personnel

Credits adapted from AllMusic.

Music video

A music video for the song was released via YouTube on 29 June 2010. As of 2014, the video has since been removed.

Becky Hill version

In 2020, British singer Becky Hill released a cover version of the song. It was released on 13 November 2020 by Polydor Records and Eko Records. The song was selected as the soundtrack to the 2020 McDonald's Christmas advert in the UK.

Background

The song raised money for FareShare, in which McDonald's donated five million meals for charity. Hill also donated 10p from every download, going to food charity FareShare. She said on her Twitter account, "'forever young' is bigger than just a nice christmas advert & song. @mcdonaldsuk has committed to funding @fareshareuk to redistribute over 5 million meals by April 2021 to families in need. at least 10p of every download goes towards a great cause. no child should be hungry".

Personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.

David Guetta and Ava Max version

In October 2024, a version with French DJ and producer David Guetta and American singer Ava Max was released, featuring new verses.

Background

The original version of "Forever Young" went viral on the video-sharing platform TikTok in September 2024, sending the song to the top of the TikTok Billboard Top 50 chart on 5 October 2024. On 7 October 2024, Max performed the extended version of Guetta's version of the song in Ibiza, Spain alongside Guetta. On October 14, she released the official announcement for its release. The track inspired over 3 million TikTok creations.
Guetta's EDM version of "Forever Young" adds Ava Max's vocals for the new verses. Throughout mid-2024, it became a staple at Guetta's F* Me I'm Famous! residency at Ushuaïa Ibiza, with Max joining Guetta onstage for a sold-out and end-of-season performance in September.

Credits and personnel

  • David Guetta – producer, programming
  • Alphaville – vocals
  • Marian Gold – vocals, songwriter
  • Bernhard Lloyd – songwriter
  • Frank Mertens – songwriter
  • Shawn Carter – songwriter
  • Ava Max – vocals
  • Jakke Erixon – producer, programming
  • Timofey Reznikov – producer, mixing engineering, mastering engineering, programming

Charts

Year-end charts

Chart Position
Argentina Anglo Airplay 73
Belgium 72
Canada AC 31
Canada CHR/Top 40 57
Canada Hot AC 35
CIS Airplay 37
Estonia Airplay 96
France 154
Germany 71
Hungary 7
Lithuania Airplay 30
Moldova Airplay 103
Netherlands 60
Romania Airplay 5
Russia Airplay 198
US Adult Contemporary 31
US Adult Pop Airplay 25
US Hot Dance/Electronic Songs 4
US Pop Airplay 45

Samples and covers

  • In 2008, Czech singer Karel Gott and German rapper Bushido performed a duet called "Für immer jung", released on Bushiso's album "Heavy Metal Payback".
  • In 2009, American rapper Jay-Z sampled a reworked 1992 version of the Wayne Wonder cover for his album The Blueprint 3. Retitled "Young Forever", Jay-Z's rap version featured Mr Hudson and reached number 10 on the UK Singles Chart.
  • In 2010, One Direction recorded a cover that was set to be released as their winner's single had they taken first place on Series 7 of The X-Factor. However, since they placed third, the cover was never officially released and only became available to the public after it leaked online.
  • In 2019, Undressd released a cover that charted in Sweden peaking at number 40 on Sverigetopplistan, the official Swedish singles chart.
  • Also in 2019, Frederick Lloyd, under his "Ursine Vulpine" alias, recorded a cover of the song. His cover was featured in the trailer to the 2019 film Gemini Man as well as the 2021 video game New World.
  • At the end of 2019, a version of the song by American singer-songwriter Andrea von Kampen, was recorded for the Hafod Hardware Christmas advertisement.
  • In 2023, American singer Anastacia covered "Forever Young" for her studio album Our Songs.
  • In January 2026, American band Boyce Avenue released a piano, vocal and strings cover of "Forever Young"