“Forever and Ever, Amen” – Single by Randy Travis from the album Always & Forever
B-side “Promises”
Released March 1987
Label Warner Bros. Nashville 28384
Songwriters Paul Overstreet and Don Schlitz
Producer Kyle Lehning
Charted No.1 in US (Billboard Hot Country Songs); No.65 in UK
Some Christian worshipers end the Lord’s Prayer with the words “forever and ever, amen.” It’s a statement of unequivocal faith that in this song is directed to a person. Travis promises to always be true, assuring the lady that even though he was wild and foolish in his younger days, he’s all-in this time.
The country songwriters Don Schlitz and Paul Overstreet wrote this song. They previously teamed to write Travis’ 1985 hit “On the Other Hand”; Schlitz is most famous for writing “The Gambler,” and Overstreet might be best known for the Kenny Chesney hit “She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy.”
The single was first released in March 1987. It debuted on Billboard’s country charts on April 25, 1987. The song peaked at number one for three weeks on June 13, 1987, the first single to do so on the country charts since Johnny Lee’s “Lookin’ for Love” seven years prior.
“Forever and Ever, Amen” was heavily lauded in the country community, as well as on a mainstream level. It won a Grammy for Best Country & Western Song at the 30th Annual Grammy Awards in 1988. It also claimed Song of the Year honors from the Academy of Country Music and the Country Music Association. Nearly three decades past its release, it was certified Gold by the RIAA,[7] making it Travis’ first solo single to earn an RIAA certification. Its digital sales were estimated at over 966,000 downloads as of 2016.
In 2024, Rolling Stone ranked the song at #48 on its 200 Greatest Country Songs of All Time ranking.
