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On This Day: Randy Travis Tops Country Charts with ‘Always and Forever’ in 1987

Thirty-four years ago, country music legend Randy Travis soared to the top of the charts with his second studio album, Always and Forever.

Randy Travis didn’t just release a second studio album. He released a second album that dominated the charts. Always & Forever soared to the top of the Country chart. Additionally, four songs from the album all peaked in the number one spot on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. The songs include, “Too Gone Too Long,” “I Won’t Need You Anymore (Always and Forever),” “Forever and Ever, Amen” and “I Told You So.”

The first single from the album was “Forever and Ever, Amen.” Not only did the song land in the number one spot on the charts, but it also quickly became one of the most romantic songs in country music history. The song is about a man letting his partner know just how long his love will last. Randy Travis sings, “But you’re not just time that I’m killin’. I’m no longer one of those guys. As sure as I live, this love that I give. Is gonna be yours until the day that I die…If you wonder how long I’ll be faithful. I’ll be happy to tell you again. I’m gonna love you forever and ever. Forever and ever, amen.”

Randy Travis took home a Grammy Award for Best Country & Western Song for “Forever and Ever, Amen.” Additionally, he earned the Song of the Year award at both the ACM and CMA Awards.

What’s the Story Behind Randy Travis’s Song ‘Forever And Ever, Amen?’

Nashville award-winning songwriters Paul Overstreet and Don Schlitz wrote Randy Travis’s “Forever and Ever, Amen.” And, apparently, we have Schlitz’s son to thank for it.

During an interview, Schlitz revealed that he was inspired to write the song by his young son. At the time, every night his son would say prayers before bed. And he’d always close his prayers by telling his mother, “Mommy, I love you forever and ever, amen.” One night, while sitting on Overstreet’s front porch, Schlitz told Overstreet about the loving message. And the two got to work. They started writing the song and knew that it could be a smash hit. In just a couple of hours, “Forever and Ever, Amen,” was complete.

The two recorded a demo the next day with just a guitar and a voice. It wasn’t anything fancy. Nevertheless, as soon as Randy Travis heard the song, he fell in love. Travis selected the song as the lead single for his second album and the rest is country music history. Two months after the album was released, it went platinum with more than a million units sold. So, basically, fans will love Randy Travis forever and ever. Amen.