Again (Lenny Kravitz song)

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"Again"
Standard non-US artwork
Single by Lenny Kravitz
from the album Greatest Hits
ReleasedSeptember 22, 2000 (2000-9-22)
Genre
Length3:50
LabelVirgin
Songwriter(s)Lenny Kravitz
Producer(s)Lenny Kravitz
Lenny Kravitz singles chronology
"Black Velveteen"
(1999) 		"Again"
(2000) 		"Dig In"
(2001)
Music video
"Lenny Kravitz - Again (Official Music Video)" on
YouTube

"Again" is a song by American rock musician Lenny Kravitz, being the only new song from his first Greatest Hits album, released in 2000. Written, arranged and produced by himself, "Again" was initially set to be on his sixth studio album Lenny; however, Kravitz found that the song didn't fit the tone of the album, releasing it instead as the lead single from the compilation on September 22, 2000, through Virgin Records. The mid-tempo rock ballad finds Kravitz wondering if he will ever see his former lover again and if they will reunite once more.

"Again" received generally favorable reviews from music critics, who called it a magnificent and anthemic pounder. "Again" also won Kravitz a

American Woman". Commercially, the single reached number four on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming Kravitz's first top-five hit in nearly nine years. "Again" was also successful internationally, topping the charts of Iceland and Italy, reaching number five in New Zealand, and becoming a top-10 hit in Austria, Croatia, Portugal, Spain, and Switzerland. The song's music video was directed by Paul Hunter and stars Lenny and actress Gina Gershon
as two-thirds of a romantic triangle.

Background and release

In 1998, Lenny Kravitz released his fifth studio album,

UK Singles Chart,[8] While releasing 5's final single, "Black Velveteen", Kravitz announced the release of his first greatest hits album. Driven by the approach of the holiday shopping season, Virgin Records released the compilation featuring one new song, "Again," and 14 old tracks.[6] "Again" was one of the several tracks Kravitz wrote for his then-upcoming album Lenny, but he decided to release it separately and include it on Greatest Hits, deciding it did not fit in with the album's tone.[6] There was an aggressive media campaign for the release of the song utilizing the Internet. It was released on September 22, 2000,[9] and was the most added song on the "rock format" during its first week on radio.[10]

Composition and lyrics

"Again" was written, arranged and produced solely by

Sony/ATV Music Publishing, the song is written in the key of A major,[11] and set in a moderate tempo. Kravitz's vocals span from the low note of E3 to the high note of A4.[12] Lyrically, "Again" details about losing contact with a past lover and wondering if they will ever encounter each other in the future to give the relationship another chance.[citation needed
]

Critical reception and accolades

"Again" received high praise from music critics. In his review of Greatest Hits, Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic selected the song as one of the album's highlights as well as calling the song "magnificent".[13] Matthew S. Robinson of Music Dish wrote that the song is "an anthemic pounder which, like so many of his other songs, is hook-heavy and a bit repetitive and for which Kravitz diligently handles much of the orchestration and performance himself."[14] Rob Brunner of Entertainment Weekly was more critical with the song, calling it a "ridiculous mid-tempo snooze", where Kravitz "sings like Bryan Adams and plays guitar like he's auditioning for a Journey tribute band."[15]

"Again" was nominated and eventually won a

American Woman" (2000), "Again" (2001) and later "Dig In" (2002).[16] The song also entered VH1's list of "25 Greatest Power Ballads" at number 13.[17]

Commercial performance

"Again" debuted on the

Mainstream Top 40 charts simultaneously, a record at the time.[24]

The song was also successful elsewhere. It debuted and peaked at the top of the Italian charts on November 23, 2000. It later re-entered the charts at number 3 and after falling to number 5, the song climbed to number 2, spending a total of ten weeks on the charts.[25] In New Zealand, the song climbed slowly the charts until peaking at number 5, in its fourteenth week, on February 25, 2001; his highest-charting single since "Believe" (1993).[26] The song also peaked inside the top-ten in Switzerland, becoming one of his most successful songs there,[27] while in Austria, it remains as Kravitz's most successful song, reaching a peak of number six.[28]

Music video

Gina Gershon plays Kravitz's girlfriend in the video.

The music video for the song was directed by acclaimed video director Paul Hunter and was filmed in New York City's TriBeCa neighborhood. It stars Lenny and actress Gina Gershon as two-thirds of a sordid romantic triangle. The video became the first ever downloadable video on MTV.com and VH1.com.[10]

Synopsis

The music video for "Again" features Kravitz with his girlfriend in his apartment (Gershon), whom he does not seem to be interested in. Similar to the song's lyrical content, he meets a girl (Teresa Lourenco), who works as a waitress in a restaurant/diner. At the end of the video, Kravitz goes to the restaurant to meet her again, but she is not there and Kravitz leaves. Soon after he leaves, the waitress enters the restaurant, not knowing he was there to see her. Kravitz returns to his apartment, losing the chance to meet her one more time. Some other shots of the video show Kravitz performing the song at the Limelight club. Other scenes show Kravitz in his apartment, wandering around, shown nude after taking a shower, watching television and some sexually suggestive scenes where he is seen making out with Teresa.[29]

Track listings

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[70] Gold 35,000^
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[71] Platinum 60,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United States September 22, 2000
Virgin [9]
Japan November 29, 2000 CD [72]
Australia February 21, 2001 CD1 [73]
May 21, 2001 CD2 [74]

References

  1. ^ a b Molanphy, Chris (July 15, 2023). "Lenny on Mars Edition". Hit Parade | Music History and Music Trivia (Podcast). Slate. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
  2. ^ Farber, Jim (May 15, 1998). "5 Review". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on July 28, 2014. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
  3. ^ "Lenny Kravitz: 5". The A.V. Club. March 29, 2002. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
  4. ^ Kot, Greg (May 18, 1998). "Rolling Stone: Lenny Kravitz: 5". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on January 18, 2007. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
  5. Allmusic
    . Retrieved July 25, 2014.
  6. ^ a b c "Lenny Kravitz Goes Retro, Again". ABC News. November 3, 2000. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
  7. Australian Singles Chart
    . Retrieved July 25, 2014.
  8. The Official Charts Company
    . Retrieved July 25, 2014.
  9. ^ a b Flick, Larry (October 14, 2000). "Kravitz Looks Forward on 'Hits' Set" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 112, no. 42. p. 14. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  10. ^ a b "Lenny Kravitz's "Again" is First Downloadable Video on MTV.com and VH1.com". Audio Video Revolution. September 22, 2000. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  11. ^ Lenny, Kravitz (April 1, 2013). "Again". Musicnotes.com. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
  12. ^ "Lenny Kravitz - Again – Sheet Music (Digital Download)". Musicnotes.com. Universal Music Publishing Group. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
  13. Allmusic
    . Retrieved July 26, 2014.
  14. ^ S. Robinson, Matthew (March 25, 2001). "Music Dish - Lenny Kravitz - Greatest Hits". Music Dish. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
  15. ^ Brunner, Rob (October 13, 2000). "Music Single Review: Again". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on April 25, 2009. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
  16. Grammy
    . Retrieved July 26, 2014.
  17. ^ "Ep.073 - '25 Greatest Power Ballads'". VH1. Archived from the original on October 5, 2010. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
  18. ISSN 0006-2510
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  28. ^ a b "Lenny Kravitz – Again" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  29. ^ "Lenny Kravitz - Again". Virgin Records. Archived from the original on December 14, 2021. Retrieved July 26, 2014 – via YouTube.
  30. ^ Again (Australian CD1 liner notes). Lenny Kravitz. Virgin Records. 2001. VUSCDF187, 8971860.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  31. ^ Again (Japanese CD single liner notes). Lenny Kravitz. Virgin Records. 2000. VJCP-12134.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  32. ^ Again (Australian CD2 liner notes). Lenny Kravitz. Virgin Records. 2001. 8977280.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  33. ^ Again (UK CD single liner notes). Lenny Kravitz. Virgin Records. 2000. VUSCD187, 7243 8 89546 0 0.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  34. ^ Again (European CD single liner notes). Lenny Kravitz. Virgin Records. 2000. VUSCDE187, 8 97186 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  35. ^ Again (European CD single liner notes). Lenny Kravitz. Virgin Records. 2000. VUSDG187, 8 89546 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
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  41. ^ "Top Lista Hrvatskog Radija". Croatian Radiotelevision. Archived from the original on November 19, 2000. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  42. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 17, no. 47. November 18, 2000. p. 9. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
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  72. ^ "レニー・クラヴィッツ | アゲイン" [Lenny Kravitz | Again] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved February 20, 2025.
  73. ^ "The ARIA Report: New Releases Singles – Week Commencing 12th February 2001" (PDF). ARIA. February 12, 2001. p. 22. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 22, 2008. Retrieved February 20, 2025.
  74. ^ "The ARIA Report: ARIA New Releases Singles – Week Commencing 21st May 2001" (PDF). ARIA. May 21, 2001. p. 24. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 20, 2002. Retrieved February 22, 2025.
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