"It Was Always You"
Promotional single by Maroon 5
from the album V
ReleasedJuly 29, 2014 (2014-07-29)[1]
Recorded2013–2014;
Conway Studios
(Los Angeles, California)
GenreElectro-rock[2]
Length4:00
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Maroon 5 promotional singles chronology
"Lucky Strike"
(2014) 		"It Was Always You"
(2014) 		"Help Me Out"
(2017)

"It Was Always You" is a song by American band Maroon 5. It was released through 222 and Interscope Records on July 29, 2014, as the first and only promotional single from their fifth studio album V (2014).

Composition and recording

"It Was Always You" was written by Maroon 5's lead singer Adam Levine, Sam Martin, Jason Evigan, Marcus Lomax, Jordan Johnson and Stefan Johnson.[3] It was produced by Jason Evigan[4] and The Monsters and the Strangerz.[5] The upbeat ballad, lyrically about friends becoming lovers,[5][6] features Levine singing such lyrics as: "Woke up sweating from a dream / With a different kind of feeling", "Hazel eyes, I was so color blind", "It was always you / Can't believe I could not see it all this time, all this time", "Now I know why my heart wasn't satisfied, satisfied" and "All my hidden desires finally came alive" in his signature falsetto, belted over synthesizers.[7] E! Online's Chima Simone noted that these lyrics might refer to Levine's wife Behati Prinsloo.[7] "Sometimes what you’re looking for is right in front of you," MTV News' Christina Garibaldi noted as the song's central message.[5] Levine is joined on the song by fellow Maroon 5 members: keyboardist and rhythm guitarist Jesse Carmichael (who did not perform on the band's 2012 album Overexposed), drummer Matt Flynn, bassist Mickey Madden, keyboardist PJ Morton and lead guitarist James Valentine.[7]

In a departure from the band's usual pop rock songs and their previous pop-leaning single "Maps", "It Was Always You" incorporates electronic synthesizers (opening with "jittery synths", according to Idolator's Mike Wass)[6] and is an electropop song.[5][7] Its sound has been compared to 1980s music.[5] While noted as a different musical style for the band, Wass described it as "unmistakably Maroon 5".[6] Carolyn Menyes from Music Times explained: "This song takes the band's new poppy direction and makes it dark, with yearning vocals and deep twists".[8]

Live performances

On August 26, 2014, Maroon 5 performed "It Was Always You" for the first time at the iHeartRadio Theater in Burbank, California.[9] On August 30, 2014, the song was performed on ESPN Saturday Night Football, with the accompanying performance video being released the same day.[10]

The band also performing with the track live on The Today Show at Rockefeller Plaza in New York, on September 1[11] and the 2014 iTunes Festival at the Roundhouse in London on September 11, respectively.[12]

The track has been performed 48 known times by the band.[13]

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2014) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[14] 43
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[15] 19
Czech Republic (Singles Digitál Top 100)[16] 39
Europe (Euro Digital Songs)[17] 35
France (SNEP)[18] 76
Germany (Official German Charts)[19] 88
Italy (FIMI)[20] 50
Portugal (Billboard)[21] 34
Scotland (OCC)[22] 19
Slovakia (Singles Digitál Top 100)[23] 38
South Korea (GAON)[24] 65
South Korea International Chart (GAON)[25] 2
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[26] 32
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[27] 53
UK Singles (OCC)[28] 40
US Billboard Hot 100[29] 45

Year-end charts

Chart (2014) Position
South Korea International Chart (Gaon)[30] 62

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Italy (FIMI)[31] Gold 25,000‡
United States (RIAA)[32] Gold 500,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region Date Format Label(s) Ref.
Australia July 29, 2014 Digital download
[33]
France [34]
United Kingdom [35]
United States [36]

References

  1. ^ "It Was Always You - Single". Spotify. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  2. ^ "Maroon 5 returns with its fifth studio album, V. Adam Levine and company focus on delivering slick, modern pop songs". The Musical Hype. 4 September 2014. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
  3. ^ "V (Deluxe Version) by Maroon 5". iTunes Store. Interscope Records. July 29, 2014. Archived from the original on March 10, 2015. Retrieved July 31, 2014. Information available by purchasing "It Was Always You", or by viewing the iTunes Store (with version 11.3 of iTunes) in Column Browser mode, selecting Music > Pop > Pop/Rock > Maroon 5 > V (Deluxe Version), right-clicking "It Was Always You", and selecting "Get Info".
  4. ^ "The Billboard Hot 100". www.billboard.com. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 2014-09-13.
  5. ^ a b c d e Garibaldi, Christina (July 30, 2014). "Adam Levine Crosses The Line From Friends To Lovers On Maroon 5′s New Track: Listen Now". MTV News. Viacom. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
  6. ^ a b c Wass, Mike (July 29, 2014). "Maroon 5 Embrace Synths On 'It Was Always You': Listen To The Upbeat 'V' Buzz Track". Idolator. Spin Media. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
  7. ^ a b c d Simone, Chima (July 29, 2014). "Is Maroon 5's Newest Single 'It Was Always You' About Adam Levine's Hot Model Wife?". E! Online. NBCUniversal. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
  8. ^ Menyes, Carolyn (July 29, 2014). "REVIEW: Maroon 5 'It Was Always You', New Song from 'V' Explores Friends Falling In Love [LISTEN]". Music Times. Retrieved August 29, 2019.
  9. ^ Johnson, Zach (August 27, 2014). "Maroon 5 Performs Seven Songs During V Album Release Party, Teases Upcoming Tour—All the Details!". E! News. Retrieved June 18, 2018.
  10. ^ "Bellaluca — Saturday Night Football Opener with Maroon 5". YouTube. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
  11. ^ Apaza, Kevin (September 1, 2014). "Video: Maroon 5 Perform "V" Songs On "The Today Show"". Direct Lyrics. Retrieved September 8, 2018.
  12. ^ "Maroon 5 Ensure iTunes Festival Performance Is Anything But 'One More Night'". MTV UK. September 12, 2014. Retrieved October 22, 2014.
  13. ^ "It Was Always You performed by Maroon 5". Setlist.FM. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  14. ^ "Maroon 5 – It Was Always You". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
  15. ^ "Maroon 5 Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved August 7, 2014.
  16. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Change the chart to CZ – SINGLES DIGITAL – TOP 100 and insert 201432 into search. Retrieved August 12, 2014.
  17. ^ "Euro Digital Songs". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 17, 2013. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
  18. ^ "Maroon 5 – It Was Always You" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved August 8, 2014.
  19. ^ "Maroon 5 – It Was Always You" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved October 19, 2018.
  20. ^ "Classifiche – Top Digital – Classifica settimanale WK 37 del 2014". Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana (in Italian). Retrieved April 18, 2015
  21. ^ "Portugal Digital Songs - Peak". Billboard. Retrieved 16 August 2014.
  22. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  23. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select SINGLES DIGITAL - TOP 100 and insert 201432 into search. Retrieved August 12, 2014.
  24. ^ "Gaon Chart" (in Korean). Gaon Chart. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
  25. ^ "Gaon Chart" (in Korean). GAON. Archived from the original on September 24, 2014. Retrieved August 7, 2014.
  26. ^ "Maroon 5 – It Was Always You" Canciones Top 50. Retrieved August 9, 2014.
  27. ^ "Maroon 5 – It Was Always You". Singles Top 100. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
  28. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  29. ^ "Maroon 5 Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved June 20, 2014.
  30. ^ "Gaon Chart" (in Korean). Gaon. Archived from the original on January 10, 2015. Retrieved January 13, 2015.
  31. ^ "Italian single certifications – Maroon 5 – It Was Always You" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 18 March 2016. Select "2016" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Select "It Was Always You" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli" under "Sezione".
  32. ^ "American single certifications – Maroon 5 – It Was Always You". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  33. ^ "It Was Always You". Google Play Store. Google Inc. Retrieved 8 August 2014.
  34. ^ "It Was Always You - Maroon 5". Qobuz. Qobuz Media. Archived from the original on 8 August 2014. Retrieved 8 August 2014.
  35. ^ "It Was Always You". 7digital. Archived from the original on 15 August 2014. Retrieved 8 August 2014.
  36. ^ "It Was Always You". 7digital US. Archived from the original on 10 August 2014. Retrieved 8 August 2014.
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