Forget Forever

"Forget Forever"
Song by Selena Gomez from the album Stars Dance
Recorded 2013
Genre
Length 4:11
Label Hollywood
Writer
  • Jason Evigan
  • Clarence Coffee Jr.
  • Alexander Izquierdo
  • Jordan Johnson
  • Stefan Johnson
  • Marcus Lomax
Producer
Stars Dance track listing

"Come & Get It"
(5)		 "Forget Forever"
(6)		 "Save the Day"
(7)

"Forget Forever" is a song recorded by American recording artist Selena Gomez for her debut solo album Stars Dance (2013). The song was written and produced by The Suspex (Mitch Allan and Jason Evigan), along with The Monsters and the Strangerz; a writing and production group composed of Clarence Coffee Jr., Alexander "Xplicit" Izquierdo, Jordan Johnson, Stefan Johnson, and Marcus "Marc Lo" Lomax. Additional vocal production was carried out by Dan Brook. In March 2013, the song, then known as "Rule the World", was leaked onto the Internet, and a video containing the audio of the song was later uploaded to Gomez's official YouTube account. Forget Forever is the only song from the standard edition of Stars Dance not to be performed during the Stars Dance Tour.

Musically, "Forget Forever" is a house music song that incorporates EDM and dance-pop stylings, and contains influences of synthpop. The song features a "bright and airy" production according to Nate Jones of Popdust, and has been compared to the works of Scottish electro house DJ Calvin Harris and Barbadian recording artist Rihanna. Lyrically, "Forget Forever" speaks of a breakdown in a relationship. Upon leaking, critics speculated that the song's lyrics were about Gomez's ex-boyfriend Justin Bieber. The song received generally positive reviews from music critics, who complimented the song's dance atmosphere, as well as Gomez's vocals, the critics added that the song have potential to be a single. Due to high digital downloads, "Forget Forever" debuted at number 118 on the South Korea Gaon International Chart.

Background and recording

Selena Gomez confirmed in October 2012 that work had begun on an upcoming album.[1] Gomez later confirmed that the album would be her solo debut album, rather than her band's fourth album.[2] On March 13, 2013, a song, known then as "Rule the World", was leaked onto the Internet, and was credited to Selena Gomez & the Scene.[3][4] The next day, Gomez responded to the leak by uploading a video with the song's audio to her official YouTube account. Gomez said: "Here's is one of my new songs 'Rule The World' that has been leaked yesterday. I've decided to share it with you guys. It might not be on my new album. I hope you enjoy!"[5] Later, the song was remixed, renamed as "Forget Forever" and was included on Stars Dance.[6] "Forget Forever" was written and produced by The Suspex (Mitch Allan and Jason Evigan), along with The Monsters & Strangerz; a writing and production group composed of Clarence Coffee Jr., Alexander "Xplicit" Izquierdo, Jordan Johnson, Stefan Johnson, and Marcus "Marc Lo" Lomax. Additional vocal production was carried out by Dan Brook.[6]

Composition

Critics speculated that the lyrics of "Forget Forever" speak of the relationship between Gomez and Canadian pop singer Justin Bieber (pictured).

"Forget Forever" has a length of four minutes and eleven seconds.[6] Musically, it is a house music, EDM, and dance-pop song that contains influences of synthpop.[3][7][8][9] The song encompasses a "bright and expansive" production, and has been described as a breakup ballad.[5] "Forget Forever" follows the standard ballad structure, and its first verse is accompanied by just a simple guitar riff and subtle synths.[10] The song then begins to slowly build until it reaches its climax, accompanied by house music breakdowns.[3] Sam Lansky of Idolator declared the song an "electrifying dance-pop banger with a monolithically great chorus and a storming, anthemic beat, plus a big house break."[3] While Jon O'Brien of Yahoo! Music said the song managed to "tiptoe into 'hands in the air' territory without succumbing to the usual Guetta-style bombast."[9] "Forget Forever" has been compared to the work of Scottish electro house DJ Calvin Harris, along with Barbadian recording artist Rihanna.[11]

On July 23, 2013, during an interview with MTV News, Gomez said that "Forget Forever" best represented her life at that moment, saying "'Forget Forever' is a great song on the album. I think that's definitely the place that I'm in, it's really beautiful song. It's very anthem-y, so I love it."[12] Jeff Benjamin of Fuse noted the song makes several Bieber allusions.[13] Jim Farber of New York Daily News echoed Benjamin's statements, saying the song was about a relationship that went wrong, while also noting that the lyrics sounded like they were about Bieber.[14] Speaking on the songs personal nature, Gomez said: "The way I record and I tell my stories and the way I want to tell my life, it's much different. So I never get really afraid, I always want to do it in a positive way, in a beautiful way, in a fun way. So anything I recorded or put out is just stuff that I know represents me tastefully."[12] On July 27, 2013, during an interview with The Los Angeles Times, Gomez said that "Forget Forever", along with "Love Will Remember" are the only songs on Stars Dance that "could be made into something big."[15]

Critical reception

"Forget Forever" has been compared to the works of Calvin Harris (left), Rihanna (center), and David Guetta (right).

Nate Jones of Popdust gave the song a positive review, saying "It’s bright and expansive, flying over an EDM beat that can’t help getting us ready for summer".[5] Sam Lansky of Idolator declared "Forget Forever" a standout on the album, and went on to say that it would make a good single choice.[3] Amy Sciaretto of Popcrush echoed Lansky's statements, calling it a standout track and saying it was "mall EDM". Sciaretto went on to say "She won’t team up with Deadmau5, but she might have David Guetta looking to employ her for a track!"[8] Bill Lamb of About.com said that "[t]he bitterness of romance gone bad is swirled into gorgeous, danceable synths" on the track, which he called an "epic breakup song".[16] Jeff Benjamin of Fuse noted a stylistic change for Gomez, and compared the song to the works of Rihanna while saying "Gomez is heading into full dance mode, if a leaked new track called "Rule the World" is any indication."[13] In a more negative light, Liat Kornowski of The Huffington Post called the song a "feeble attempt at a clubby track fit for after-midnight".[11] While Kornowski praised Gomez's vocal performance, he criticized the songs lyrics, saying they sounded like an SNL parody.[11] In a separate review of "Rule the World", Sam Lansky of Idolator said the song was "electrifying", going on to praise the song's "monolithically great chorus" and "storming, anthemic beat".[7]

Chart performance

Upon the release of Stars Dance, "Forget Forever" debuted at number 118 on the South Korea Gaon International Chart due to high digital downloads of over 4,099, despite not being released as a single.[17]

Chart (2013) Peak
position
South Korea (GIC)[17] 118

References

  1. ↑ "Selena Gomez Says 'Come & Get It' Is Not About Justin Bieber! by On Air with Ryan Seacrest on SoundCloud – Hear the world’s sounds". Soundcloud. Retrieved April 8, 2013.
  2. ↑ "Selena Gomez Ditches Her Band The Scene on New Album". Fuse. The Madison Square Garden Company. March 11, 2013. Retrieved June 18, 2013.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Lansky, Sam (March 13, 2013). "Selena Gomez’s "Rule The World": Hear The Dance-Pop Leak, Which Is Not A Single". Idolator. Buzz Media. Retrieved July 18, 2013.
  4. ↑ Vena, Jocelyn (July 25, 2013). "MTV Mobile News: Selena Gomez's Leaked Track Dances Away The Breakup Pain". MTV News. Viacom Media Networks. Retrieved March 17, 2011.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Jones, Nate (March 14, 2013). ""Rule the World": Selena Gomez Has No Time for Self-Pity in New Song". Popdust. Buzz Media. Retrieved July 18, 2013.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 "Stars Dance - Selena Gomez". Hollywood Records. iTunes Store. July 23, 2013. Retrieved July 24, 2013.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Lansky, Sam (March 13, 2013). "Selena Gomez’s ‘Stars Dance’: Album Review". Idolator. Buzz Media. Retrieved July 18, 2013.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Sciarretto, Amy (July 23, 2013). "Selena Gomez, ‘Stars Dance’ - Album Review". Popcrush. Buzz Media. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Obrien, Jon (July 18, 2013). "Selena Gomez leaves the Disney pop behind on 'Stars Dance'". Yahoo! News. Yahoo!. Retrieved July 18, 2013.
  10. ↑ McCarthy, Michael (July 16, 2013). "Selena Gomez: Stars Dance — A Track-by-Track Review". Love is Pop Ltd. Retrieved July 18, 2013.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Luca, Lauren (July 23, 2013). "Selena Gomez's 'Stars Dance' Tracks Reviewed By HuffPost Editors: The Best And Worst Of Her Debut Album". Huffington Post. AOL. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Vena, Jocelyn (July 19, 2013). "Selena Gomez Says Stars Dance Kiss-Off 'Forget Forever' Is 'The Place I'm In'". MTV News. Viacom Media Networks. Retrieved July 19, 2013.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 "Selena Gomez Hits Full Dance Mode on New Song Leak". Fuse. The Madison Square Garden Company. March 13, 2013. Retrieved July 29, 2013.
  14. ↑ Farber, Jim (July 23, 2013). "Selena Gomez's 'Stars Dance': music review". New York Daily News. Daily Times Ltd. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
  15. ↑ Wood, Mikael (July 27, 2013). "Selena Gomez's sexy new vibe shines through in 'Stars Dance'". The Los Angeles Times. Tribune Company. Retrieved July 27, 2013.
  16. ↑ Lamb, Bill (July 24, 2013). "Review: Selena Gomez". About.com. The New York Times Company. Retrieved July 27, 2013.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 "South Korea Gaon International Chart". Gaon Chart. Retrieved August 1, 2013.

External links