Forget Forever

“	Forget Forever is about forgetting all the troubles, about the past, just enjoying everything else.	”
– Selena talking about the song in an interview with Hollywood Life

Forget Forever
Featured Artist(s)	Selena Gomez
Album	Stars Dance
Released	March 13, 2013 (leaked)
Leaked	March 13, 2013
Genre	Dance-pop, synthpop
Format	Digital download
Length	4:11
Label	Hollywood Records
Writer(s)	Jason Evigan, Clarence Coffee Jr., Alexander Izquierdo, Jordan Johnson, Stefan Johnson and Marcus Lomax
Producer(s)	The Suspex, The Monsters & Strangerz and Dan Brook

"Forget Forever" is a song by American recording artist Selena Gomez, taken from her debut solo album Stars Dance (2013). The song was written and produced by The Suspex (Mitch Allan and Jason Evigan), along with The Monsters & Strangerz; a writing and production group composed of Clarence Coffee Jr., Alexander "Xplicit" Izquierdo, Jordan Johnson, Stefan Johnson, and Marcus "Marc Lo" Lomax. Additional vocal production was carried out by Dan Brook. In March 2013, the song, then known as "Rule the World", was leaked onto the Internet, and was later uploaded to Gomez's official YouTube account.

Musically, "Forget Forever" is a house music ballad that incorporates EDM and dance-pop stylings, and contains influences of synthpop. The song features a bright and airy production, which has been compared to the works of Scottish electro house DJ Calvin Harris and Barbadian recording artist Rihanna. Lyrically, "Forget Forever" speaks of a breakdown in a relationship. Upon leaking, critics speculated that the song's lyrics were about Gomez's ex-boyfriend Justin Bieber, which Gomez later confirmed. Jason Evigan, a member of the production team of Selena Gomez's, stated otherwise. The song received generally positive reviews from music critics, who complimented the song's dance atmosphere, as well as Gomez's vocals. Due to high digital downloads, "Forget Forever" debuted at number 118 on the South Korea Gaon International Chart. The song was first known to be named "Rule the World", but Gomez stated otherwise, saying that the song was named "Forget Forever". This song is the sixth track on the singer's debut studio album titled Stars Dance.

Background

In June 2011, Selena Gomez & the Scene released their third studio album, When the Sun Goes Down. Musically, the album was rooted in pop, teen pop, and electro-disco, while containing elements of electropop, indie pop, and dance music, similar to the groups sophomore album A Year Without Rain (2010). When the Sun Goes Down received generally mixed reviews from contemporary music critics upon its release. The album was a commercial success, debuting at number four on the Billboard 200 album chart with 78,000 copies sold, giving the group their highest charting position and debut sales week as of June 2011. The album went on to sell over 650,000 copies as of July 2013. When the Sun Goes Down produced three singles, including the worldwide hits "Who Says" and "Love You Like a Love Song". "Love You Like a Love Song" reached the top 10 in over 16 countries, and was certified 4x Platinum by the RIAA.

In January 2012, Gomez announced that she would put her music career on hold in order to focus on her acting career, and that the band would be taking a hiatus: "My band and I are going our separate ways for a while. This year is all about films and acting and I want my band to play music wherever with whoever. We will be back but, it will be a good while." Despite her earlier statements, Gomez confirmed in October 2012 that work had begun on an upcoming album. Gomez later confirmed that the album would be her solo debut album, rather than her band's fourth album. On March 13, 2013, the song, known then as "Rule the World", was leaked onto the Internet and credited towards Selena Gomez & the Scene. However the song was renamed "Forget Forever" and was included on Stars Dance. The following day on March 14, 2013, Gomez responded to the leak by uploading the song to her official YouTube account. Gomez said: "Here's is one of my new songs 'Rule The World' that has been leaked yesterday. I've decided to share it with you guys. It might not be on my new album. I hope you enjoy!"

Composition

"Forget Forever" has a length of four minutes and eleven seconds. Musically, "Forget Forever" is a house music, EDM, and dance-pop song that contains influences of synthpop. The song encompasses a "bright and expansive" production, and has been described as a breakup ballad. "Forget Forever" follows the standard ballad structure, and its first verse is accompanied by just a simple guitar riff and subtle synths. The song then begins to slowly build until it reaches it's climax, accompanied by house music breakdowns. Sam Lansky of Idolator declared the song as a "electrifying dance-pop banger with a monolithically great chorus and a storming, anthemic beat, plus a big house break." While Jon O'Brien of Yahoo! Music said the song managed to "tiptoe into 'hands in the air' territory without succumbing to the usual Guetta-style bombast." "Forget Forever" has been compared to the work of Scottish electro house DJ Calvin Harris, along with Barbadian recording artist Rihanna.

On July 23, 2013, during an interview with MTV News, Gomez said that "Forget Forever" best represented her life at that moment, saying "'Forget Forever' is a great song on the album. I think that's definitely the place that I'm in, it's really beautiful song. It's very anthem-y, so I love it." Jim Farber of New York Daily News said the song was about a relationship that went wrong, while also noting that the lyrics sounded like they were about then-boyfriend Justin Bieber. Jeff Benjamin of Fuse echoed Farbers sentiments, noting the song makes several Bieber allusions. Gomez later clarified the songs meaning, saying "The way I record and I tell my stories and the way I want to tell my life, it's much different. So I never get really afraid, I always want to do it in a positive way, in a beautiful way, in a fun way. So anything I recorded or put out is just stuff that I know represents me tastefully." On July 27, 2013, during an interview with The Los Angeles Times, Gomez said that "Forget Forever", along with "Love Will Remember" are the only songs on Stars Dance that "could be made into something big."

Reception

Critical reception

Nate Jones of Popdust gave the song a positive review, saying "It’s bright and expansive, flying over an EDM beat that can’t help getting us ready for summer". Sam Lansky of Idolator declared "Forget Forever" a standout on the album, and went on to say that it would make a good single choice. Amy Sciaretto of Popcrush echoed Lansky's statements, calling it a standout track and saying it was "mall EDM". Sciaretto went on to say "She won’t team up with Deadmau5, but she might have David Guetta looking to employ her for a track!" Bill Lamb of About.com said "The bitterness of romance gone bad is swirled into gorgeous, danceable synths on the epic breakup song "Forget Forever." Jeff Benjamin of Fuse noted a stylistic change for Gomez, and compared the song to the works of Rihanna while saying "Gomez is heading into full dance mode, if a leaked new track called "Rule the World" is any indication." In a more negative light, Liat Kornowski of The Huffington Post called the song a "feeble attempt at a clubby track fit for after-midnight". While Kornowski praised Gomez's vocal performance, he criticized the songs lyrics, saying they sounded like an SNL parody. In a separate review of "Rule the World", Sam Lansky of Idolator said the song was "electrifying", going on to praise the song's "monolithically great chorus" and "storming, anthemic beat".

Chart performance

Upon the release of Stars Dance, "Forget Forever" debuted at number 118 on the South Korea Gaon International Chart, due to high digital downloads of over 4,099, despite not being released as a single.

Lyrics

I told, I told, I told myself again
I'm never running back on what I said
Trying not to roam but you're so...
Far away, so far away

Won't listen to the conscience in my head
I'm conscious but I'm lonely, halfway dead
Tired of the things you never...
You never said, you never said

Our love was made to rule the world
You came and broke the perfect girl
Our love was made to rule the world

Our love was made to rule the world
You left me wanting what we were
Our love was made to rule the world

Forget forever
Forget forever
Forget you ever
Knew my name, my name, my name, my name

I know, I know, I know we can't pretend
That we were never lovers in the end
I try to tell myself this pain would...
Go away... just go away!

Our love was made to rule the world
You came and broke the perfect girl
Our love was made to rule the world

Our love was made to rule the world
You left me wanting what we were
Our love was made to rule the world

Forget forever
Forget forever
Forget you ever
Knew my name, my name, my name, my name

Our love was made to rule the world
You came and broke the perfect girl
Our love was made to rule the world

Forget forever
Forget forever
Forget you ever
Knew my name, my name, my name, my name

Forget forever
Forget forever