"Sometimes Always" | ||||
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Single by the Jesus and Mary Chain | ||||
from the album Stoned & Dethroned | ||||
B-side | "The Perfect Crime" | |||
Released | 18 July 1994 | |||
Genre | Alternative rock [1] | |||
Label | Blanco y Negro | |||
Songwriter(s) | William Reid | |||
Producer(s) | Jim Reid, William Reid | |||
The Jesus and Mary Chain singles chronology | ||||
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"Sometimes Always" is a song by the Scottish alternative rock group the Jesus and Mary Chain and the first single from the group's album Stoned & Dethroned . Written by William Reid, the song is a duet between Jim Reid and Mazzy Star's Hope Sandoval. The song was a moderate commercial hit in the UK while also making some noise on the alternative circuit in the US. It has since seen critical acclaim as one of the best songs from the Stoned & Dethroned album.
"Sometimes Always" was written by Jesus and Mary Chain guitarist William Reid, who felt that the song sounded like a Lee Hazlewood and Nancy Sinatra duet. [2] The band then recruited Mazzy Star vocalist Hope Sandoval to sing the female lead alongside Jesus and Mary Chain lead singer Jim Reid. William Reid commented, "We'd always liked Hope's voice. We asked her years ago to be on one of the records, but there was never a song that suited. Then this one came along and it felt right." [2]
Initially, the band worried that the song was "a bit too cute, too light a story," according to William Reid. However, as he stated, "When we recorded it, Hope and Jim sang and they just transcended it." [2] By the time the song was recorded, Sandoval was known to be a "good friend" to William, hinting at the pair's affair that would come to light. Sandoval would also appear alongside the band in the song's video, which was directed by Sophie Muller. Muller also directed the video for "Come On" and designed the album artwork for Stoned & Dethroned . [3]
"Sometimes Always" was selected by the band as the first single from their 1994 album Stoned & Dethroned . The single was released by Blanco y Negro Records on 18 July 1994 and reached No. 22 on the UK Single Chart. [4] [5] "Sometimes Always" peaked at No. 62 on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart in August 1994. [6] It also reached No. 4 on the US Alternative Songs chart, the band's last song to appear on that chart.
A poster for the single can be seen in the Bottom episode "Terror" while the song itself appears in the 1995 film The Doom Generation .
"Sometimes Always" saw positive critical reception and was often named a highlight from Stoned & Dethroned. Ned Raggett of AllMusic wrote, "'Sometimes Always' does indeed make for a lovely little duet," [7] while Drowned In Sound dubbed it the album's "best known and ultimately standout moment." [8] Pitchfork also named the song a "standout" on Stoned & Dethroned, [9] while Tom Breihan of Stereogum said that the song is a "classic" and that it "rules so hard." [10]
7-inch (NEG70)
10-inch (NEG70TE), 12-inch (NEG70T) and CD (NEG70CD)
Chart (1994) | Peak position |
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Australia (ARIA) [11] | 62 |
Canada Top Singles ( RPM ) [12] | 72 |
UK Singles (OCC) [13] | 22 |
US Billboard Hot 100 [14] | 96 |
US Alternative Airplay ( Billboard ) [15] | 4 |
The song was recorded as a duet by Courtney Jaye and Ben Bridwell of Band of Horses on Jaye's 2010 album, The Exotic Sounds of Courtney Jaye and by The Brakes on their 2005 album "Give Blood", duetting with Becki and Julia of The Pipettes. In 2020, Hatchie and The Pains of Being Pure at Heart recorded a duet cover. [10]
The Jesus and Mary Chain are a Scottish alternative rock band formed in East Kilbride in 1983. The band revolves around the songwriting partnership of brothers Jim and William Reid, who are the two founders and only consistent members of the band since its formation. They are recognized as key figures in the development of the shoegaze and noise pop subgenres.
Mazzy Star is an American alternative rock band formed in 1988 in Santa Monica, California, from remnants of the group Opal. Founding member David Roback's friend Hope Sandoval became the group's vocalist when Kendra Smith left Opal.
21 Singles is a compilation album by Scottish alternative rock band The Jesus and Mary Chain, released in the United Kingdom on 27 May 2002 by Warner Strategic Marketing, and in the United States on 2 July 2002 by Rhino Records. As the title proclaims, it contains 21 of the band's singles in chronological order from their 15-year career.
Psychocandy is the debut studio album by Scottish rock band the Jesus and Mary Chain. It was released in November 1985 on Blanco y Negro Records. The album is considered a landmark recording: its combination of guitar feedback and noise with traditional pop melody and structure proved influential on the forthcoming shoegazing genre and alternative rock in general.
Hope Sandoval is an American singer-songwriter who is the lead singer of Mazzy Star and Hope Sandoval & the Warm Inventions. Sandoval has toured and collaborated with other artists, including Massive Attack, for whom she sang "Paradise Circus" on the 2010 album Heligoland and the 2016 single "The Spoils".
Honey's Dead is the fourth studio album by the Scottish alternative rock band The Jesus and Mary Chain, released in 1992 on Blanco y Negro Records. It marked a return to a more abrasive sound for the group, as well as incorporating elements of alternative dance. The title refers to one of the band's early hits, "Just Like Honey", and is intended to demonstrate a complete departure from their earlier musical style.
"Reverence" is a song by Scottish alternative rock group the Jesus and Mary Chain, released as the first single from the group's fourth studio album, Honey's Dead (1992). It was released by Blanco y Negro Records on 3 February 1992 and reached number 10 on the UK Single Chart and number 21 in Ireland. BBC TV banned the song from airing due to the lyrics "I want to die just like Jesus Christ / I want to die just like J-F-K", but it was not banned from BBC Radio One.
Munki is the sixth studio album released by Scottish rock band The Jesus and Mary Chain. After leaving Blanco y Negro, the Reid brothers signed to Sub Pop in the U.S. and Creation, who had released their debut single "Upside Down" in 1984, in the UK. The origin of the album title, according to Ben Lurie in an interview with Spin magazine, was that they "wanted an un-Mary Chain-like title...It doesn't mean anything. It's just a word. Misspelled on purpose." In an interview with The Herald, Jim said that their sister Linda suggested it. This was the band's final studio album before their 8-year breakup from October 1999 to June 2007.
Darklands is the second studio album by Scottish alternative rock band the Jesus and Mary Chain, released on 31 August 1987 by Blanco y Negro Records. The album is the band's first to use drum machines, replacing live drummer Bobby Gillespie, who had left to pursue a career as the frontman of Primal Scream. Lead vocals are performed by Jim Reid, with the exception of "Darklands", "Nine Million Rainy Days" and "On the Wall", which are sung by William Reid.
Automatic is the third studio album by Scottish alternative rock band the Jesus and Mary Chain, released on 9 October 1989 by Blanco y Negro Records. The group on this record consists of the core duo of brothers William and Jim Reid, with a drum machine providing percussion and synthesised bass. The only other credited musician was Richard Thomas, who joined the touring version of the Jesus and Mary Chain as a drummer. Thomas drummed on "Gimme Hell" and was a former member of Dif Juz. He also made appearances on Cocteau Twins' 1986 album Victorialand and This Mortal Coil's 1986 album Filigree & Shadow.
"Head On" is a song written by Jim Reid and William Reid of the Scottish alternative rock band the Jesus and Mary Chain. It was originally recorded for the group's 1989 album Automatic and was released as a single in November 1989.
Stoned & Dethroned is the fifth studio album by the Scottish alternative rock band The Jesus and Mary Chain. After spending most of 1992 touring, including a slot on that year's Lollapalooza tour, the band went into the studio during January 1993 with the notion of recording an acoustic album. For the first time since Psychocandy, JAMC recorded with a full band with Steve Monti from Curve playing drums and touring bassist Ben Lurie. The recording took longer than planned, lasting the better part of a year. The album also features lead vocals from guests Shane MacGowan from The Pogues on "God Help Me" and Mazzy Star's Hope Sandoval, singing a duet with Jim Reid on "Sometimes Always", which was the album's first single.
"Just Like Honey" is a song by the Scottish alternative rock band The Jesus and Mary Chain from their 1985 debut album Psychocandy. The track was released as the third single from the record through Blanco y Negro Records in September 1985. The song was written by band members William Reid and Jim Reid.
"Never Understand" is the first single from the Scottish alternative rock band The Jesus and Mary Chain's debut album Psychocandy. It was the band's first release on Blanco y Negro Records and was released through them in February 1985. The song was written by William Reid and Jim Reid, and was produced by The Jesus and Mary Chain. It is considered influential for its use of guitar feedback.
"You Trip Me Up" is a song by the Scottish alternative rock band The Jesus and Mary Chain from their 1985 debut album Psychocandy. The track was released as the second single from the record through Blanco y Negro Records in May 1985. The song was written by band members William Reid and Jim Reid.
"Far Gone and Out" is a song by Scottish alternative rock group the Jesus and Mary Chain, released as the second single from their fourth studio album, Honey's Dead (1992). It was released by Blanco y Negro Records in March 1992 and reached number 23 on the UK Single Chart. "Far Gone and Out" also peaked at number 88 on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart in May 1992.
"Sidewalking" is a song by Scottish alternative rock band the Jesus and Mary Chain. It was released as a standalone single in March 1988 and included in the compilation album Barbed Wire Kisses, released in April 1988. The single is also included on their 2002 compilation album. 21 Singles. The track reflected the band's interest in hip hop and samples the drumbeat from the 1984 single "Roxanne's Revenge" by Roxanne Shante as a loop. "Sidewalking" reached number 30 on the UK Singles Chart, number 20 in Ireland, and number 23 in New Zealand.
"April Skies" is a song by Scottish alternative rock group the Jesus and Mary Chain and the first single from the group's second studio album, Darklands (1987). The song was released by Blanco y Negro Records in April 1987, reaching No. 8 on the UK Single Chart, No. 6 in Ireland, and No. 16 in New Zealand, making it the band's highest-charting single in all three countries.
"Come On" is a song by the Scottish alternative rock group The Jesus and Mary Chain and the second single from the group's album Stoned & Dethroned. It was released by Blanco y Negro Records in October 1994 and reached #52 in the UK single charts.
"I Hate Rock 'n' Roll" is a song by the Scottish alternative rock group The Jesus and Mary Chain. It was first released as a single on CD and 10" vinyl in mid-1995, and went on to reach #61 in the UK single charts. The 10" format was numbered and limited to 5000 copies, although additional copies are rumored to exist. This single was the band's last release on Blanco y Negro Records, for whom they had recorded since 1985.