"Always" is a popular song written by Irving Berlin in 1925, as a wedding gift for his wife Ellin Mackay, whom he married in 1926, and to whom he presented the substantial royalties.
Background
Although legend (and Groucho Marx) claimed Berlin wrote the song "Always" for The Cocoanuts, he never meant the song to be included in that musical, and it was not.[2] Thematically, it serves as a sequel to Berlin's earlier song "When I Lost You," which pertained to the death of his first wife Dorothy.
The song entered into the public domain on January 1, 2021.[3]
Everything went wrong,
And the whole day long
I'd feel so blue.
For the longest while
I'd forget to smile,
Then I met you.
Now that my blue days have passed,
Now that I've found you at last -
I'll be loving you Always
With a love that's true Always.
When the things you've planned
Need a helping hand,
I will understand
Always.
Always.
Days may not be fair Always,
That's when I'll be there Always.
Not for just an hour,
Not for just a day,
Not for just a year,
But Always.
An instrumental version of the song is used as a frequent background theme for episodes of Jackie Gleason's TV series, The Honeymooners (1955-56).
In the 1980 "Father and Daughter Night" episode of Archie Bunker's Place, Stephanie, Archie, and Murray perform the song.[6]
References
^Stanley, Bob (2022). "Doing What Comes Naturally: Irving Berlin". Let's Do It - The Birth of Pop Music: A History. New York: Pegasus Books. p. 47.
^Bader, Robert S. (2016). Four of the Three Musketeers: The Marx Brothers on Stage. Evanston, IL: Northwestern University Press. p. 309. ISBN9780810134164.
^Martin, Dick (1980-02-17), Father and Daughter Night, Archie Bunker's Place, Carroll O'Connor, Martin Balsam, Danielle Brisebois, retrieved 2023-12-14
