All Saints - "Never Ever" синглының тарихы

1997 single by All Saints

"Never Ever" is a song by English girl group All Saints. Written by All Saints member Shaznay Lewis along with co writers Robert Jazayeri and Sean Mather and produced by Cameron McVey and Magnus Fiennes, it was released on 10 November 1997 as the second single from their debut album, All Saints (1997). "Never Ever" is All Saints' highest charting single, topping the charts in several countries, including Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. It peaked within the top 10 in numerous other countries, including Ireland, Sweden, Canada, the Netherlands, France, Switzerland, Norway, Austria and the United States. As of June 2019, it is the third best selling single by a girl group of all time in the United Kingdom, behind "Wannabe" by the Spice Girls and "Shout Out to My Ex" by Little Mix. Two music videos were shot for the single: the European and Australian version, and an American version, due to the mass success in those countries. The North American featured the group in a church, while the European/Australian version featured the group near a swimming pool and in their homes. At the 1998 Brit Awards, "Never Ever" won British Single of the Year and British Video of the Year.

After the success of their debut single "I Know Where It's At", the group decided to record and produce their debut full length studio album. "Never Ever" was released as the second single from their first album All Saints. The song was written by All Saints member Shaznay Lewis along with co writers Robert Jazayeri and Sean Mather, and was produced by Cameron McVey and Magnus Fiennes. Lewis wrote the song after splitting up with a boyfriend, but the music conveyed the impression that all would be well. Soon after they signed their first major label deal with London Records, she discovered that the rest of the group—Melanie Blatt and Canadian sisters Nicole and Natalie Appleton—had presented the label head with a tape of vocal recordings they had made without her. It was their version of Lewis's own song "Never Ever" that made him pay attention to the music. "He asked who had written it, so then they were forced to come back and get me," Lewis commented. "Looking back on it, that was pretty low. I think that's why the whole time I knew that if I didn't write I'd be out on my ear". All Saints flew to the United States, where the song was recorded and produced by Mather and Jazayeri. Due to control issues, London Records brought in Cameron McVey to do additional production on the track because of time/distance constraints and Cameron's relationship with Lewis. Lewis was in tears over the success of "Never Ever", since it was written about a personal broken relationship, and said, "I never believed that so much good could come out of such a bad situation." All Saints recorded the vocals in Washington, D. C., except for the intro, which was recorded at Battery Studios in London and was kept from the original demo. This was because the mood could not be replicated and everyone agreed to keep the demo vocals. The lyrics are about the girls' first expressions after a sad break up, and the girls ask what they did wrong in the relationship. Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic described the musical content as an "extraordinary gospel tinged" song. Nick Butler from Sputnikmusic described the musical content as a "power ballad".

"Never Ever" received positive reviews from music critics. Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic named the song as a highlight on its album, stating it "lead[s] the way" for All Saints' career. Billboard placed it at number 47 on their list of 100 Greatest Girl Group Songs of All Time in 2017. Scottish newspaper Daily Record described it as a "cool slice of soulful pop." A reviewer from Music Week rated it five out of five, adding that "the Saints go gospel and sultry in this follow up to I Know Where It's At. A slower paced single is a gamble, but this is an addictive alternative to the Spice Girls." Paul Martin from The News Letter commented that the song "has already made an impact on the charts, but those listening to the album version will be in for a bit of a surprise. Unlike the more upbeat chart version, they slow the song down to great effect and allow the lonesome mood of the song to prevail." Nick Butler from Sputnikmusic stated, "'Never Ever' is a fantastic song; quite rightfully, it still gets a fair bit of airplay today, and I still enjoy it whenever it appears on one of those VH1 Power Ballad days or whatever." The song remains the group's longest lasting single on the UK chart and stayed in the top 10 for 15 weeks, charting for 26 weeks. It has sold over 1.6 million units in the UK as of July 2021. of the single were sold in the UK, making it All Saints' biggest hit; 770,000 copies were sold before it reached number one; this is more than any single ever before in the UK chart history. At the 1998 Brit Awards, All Saints won two Brit Awards for this single: Best British Single and Best British Video, beating strong competition from the likes of "Bitter Sweet Symphony" by The Verve, "Song 2" by Blur, "Paranoid Android" by Radiohead and "Something About the Way/Candle in the Wind 1997" by Elton John. The melody of the song is based upon an overlay of the hymn tune "New Britain", the most common setting for "Amazing Grace", which according to Ger Tillekens is the reason it became so successful. Although the lyrics and music are very different, "Never Ever" is based on a familiar and popular song.

RegionDateFormat(s)Label(s)Ref. (Reference)United Kingdom10 November 1997CD, cassetteLondonUnited States7 April 1998Contemporary hit radioJapan20 May 1998CDUnited States7 July 19987 inch vinyl, CD, cassette