Always Remember Us This Way
"Always Remember Us This Way" is a song from the 2018 film A Star Is Born and its soundtrack of the same name, performed by the film's star Lady Gaga. It was released as soundtrack's second single in Italy and France in January 2019. The song was written by Lady Gaga, Natalie Hemby, Hillary Lindsey, and Lori McKenna, and produced by Dave Cobb and Lady Gaga.
"Always Remember Us This Way"
January 4, 2019
2017
EastWest (Los Angeles)
3:30
3:26 (radio edit)
- Lady Gaga
- Natalie Hemby
- Hillary Lindsey
- Lori McKenna
- Dave Cobb
- Lady Gaga
The song has received widespread critical acclaim and has reached the top of the record chart in Iceland and the top ten in Belgium (both Flanders and Wallonia), Hungary, Ireland, Norway, Portugal, Scotland, Sweden and Switzerland, the digital charts of Luxembourg, Slovakia and the combined European chart. The track has also reached the top twenty in Denmark, Estonia, France, Malaysia, and on the digital chart of Czech Republic. It reached the top twenty of the Australian and New Zealand charts, while achieving triple platinum certification from the former governing body.
"Always Remember Us This Way" received a nomination for Song of the Year at the 62nd Grammy Awards, the second nomination from the album in this category after "Shallow", which was nominated for the year before. Gaga performed the song live during her 2022 stadium tour, The Chromatica Ball.
Critical reception[edit]
The song received widespread critical acclaim upon release. Jon Pareles of The New York Times described the song as a "hushed-to-heroic", Elton John-inspired "showstopper".[14] Rolling Stone's Brittany Spanos and The Washington Post's Emily Yahr called the song "explosive" and "haunting", respectively.[2][15] USA Today's Patrick Ryan said the song "ranks up there with 2009's "Speechless" and 2013's "Dope" as one of Gaga's best ballads".[10] Natalie Walker of Vulture thought that "this song really illuminates what a virtuosic vocal chameleon Gaga is", and compared aspects of the track to Lorde's "Liability" and the songs of Adele.[16] Maureen Lee Lenker of Entertainment Weekly picked "Always Remember Us This Way" as the best track of the soundtrack. She opined that the song is "a poem in its own right, evocative and elegiac" with its lyrics, while also serving as a "showcase for Gaga's powerhouse voice, as it moves from the whisperings of its opening lines, soft and invoking love as an act of prayer, to the heroic belt of the chorus."[17]
Maeve McDermott of the Chicago Sun-Times wrote that "Always Remember Us This Way" was the soundtrack's "most intriguing entry".[3] Carl Wilson of Slate praised Gaga's performance in the track, thinking that "this is the song she was searching for on Joanne ", and writing that "like a fearless vocal assassin, she annihilates anyone who remembers only the meat dress and puts herself about as close to Streisand’s plane (though not Garland's, sorry) as any current pop singer could."[18] Jeremy Winogard of Slant Magazine thought that the song "allow[s] Gaga to flex her pipes."[19] Writing for Pitchfork, Larry Fitzmaurice listed "Always Remember Us This Way" as one of the album's best, and called it "unabashedly sentimental".[20] The Plain Dealer's Joey Morona wrote, "Her considerable vocal prowess and control are ... on full display on the heartfelt slow jam".[21] Adam White of The Independent felt that due to its "gorgeous melodies" it is a song which is "easy to return to over and over again".[22] The Daily Telegraph's Neil McCormick picked "I'll Never Love Again" and "Always Remember Us This Way" Gaga's best solo tracks from the album, saying: "They may be clichéd, sentimental and old-fashioned, but they are powered by enough conviction and vocal drama to suggest that Lady Gaga has the star power to go supernova in any musical era."[23]
Chart performance[edit]
Following the soundtrack's release, "Always Remember Us This Way" debuted at number-two on the US Digital Songs chart.[24] The song consecutively debuted at number 41 on the Billboard Hot 100 along with four other tracks from the album charting.[25] It was present on the chart for a total of nine weeks.[26] As of February 2019, the track has sold 248,000 copies in the United States and accumulated 71 million streams.[27] The track debuted at number 32 on the Canadian Hot 100 while entering their Digital Songs chart at number-two.[28][29] In Australia, the song entered the ARIA Singles Chart at number 18, and by next week reached a peak of number 12.[30] The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) certified it septuple platinum for selling over 490,000 units in the country.[31] Similarly in New Zealand, the song entered the singles at number 39, and after a few weeks reached a peak of number 14.[32] The Recorded Music NZ (RMNZ) certified it Platinum for selling over 30,000 units in the country.[33]
"Always Remember Us This Way" entered the UK Singles Chart at number 39 with sales of 11,029 units on the chart dated October 12, 2018.[34] By its third week on the chart, the track had moved up to reach a peak of number 25 while selling 16,815 units, being present within the top 100 for eleven weeks.[35][36] As of July 2022, the song has sold 982,000 copies in the UK with 118 million streams[37] and is certified double platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).[38]
In Ireland the song reached number three on the chart in its third week. That same week first single "Shallow" held the top-spot on the Irish Singles Chart while album track "I'll Never Love Again" also reached the top-ten.[39][40] "Always Remember Us This Way" also reached the top-ten of the charts in Scotland, Sweden and Switzerland (number-one in the French-speaking part of Romandie), in the latter two in the same week.[41][42][43]