Together Forever

When you dive into *Together Forever*, you encounter an energy that invites you to move. It's a song that, although it shares roots with the sound that defined Rick Astley in the late eighties, has its own spark. The melodic structure and chords evoke that familiarity of tracks like *Never Gonna Give You Up*, but the chorus of *Together Forever* unfolds with its own identity, designed to resonate on the dance floor. In fact, the formula that Stock Aitken Waterman used for this track and others from the era repeats here, but it feels fresh, capable of keeping people connected. It has even become an alternative for that internet phenomenon we all know.

This track saw the light of day in February 1988, as the fourth single from Rick Astley's debut album, *Whenever You Need Somebody*, released in 1987. The production and composition were handled by the trio Stock Aitken Waterman. In the United Kingdom, it reached the second spot, just behind *I Should Be So Lucky* by Kylie Minogue, another SAW artist. But *Together Forever*'s reach was global: it hit number one in the United States, on the Billboard Hot 100, on June 18, 1988, marking Astley's second number one in that country. It also topped the charts in Canada, Ireland, and Spain, and ranked among the top ten in numerous European countries. In 1991, the song was recognized with one of the BMI Pop Awards, celebrating its creators. In 2019, Astley revisited the song for his album *The Best of Me*, giving it a new feel with a piano arrangement.