Always is a 1925 popular song written and composed by Irving Berlin as a wedding gift to his wife Ellin Mackay. It was published as sheet music in 1925 and became a hit in 1926 in recordings by George Olsen and by Vincent Lopez. Berlin noted that the song was not written for The Cocoanuts, though it is often linked to that show; it also works as a thematic sequel to When I Lost You. The lyrics express lifelong devotion, including the famous lines not for just an hour, not for just a day, not for just a year, but Always. The piece is a pop standard in a gentle waltz-like ballad style and runs about 2 minutes and 31 seconds in most recordings. There was no single original album at release, but it has appeared on many artists’ albums and film soundtracks over the years. Always entered the public domain on January 1, 2021. It has appeared in films such as Lonesome (1928) and The Pride of the Yankees (1942), as well as in Noël Coward’s Blithe Spirit, and has been used as a recurring theme on The Honeymooners. It has been covered by artists including Deanna Durbin in Christmas Holiday and Phil Collins in his 1990 live performances.
