Never Ever
Encyclopedia
"Never Ever" is a song by All Saints
, released as the second single from their debut album, All Saints. It became a very successful worldwide hit and was the first of five #1 singles in the UK for the group. (See also: 1998 in British music
). The single was released in the United States on July 7, 1998, with a new music video
. It is also the band's most successful single to date. The single debuted at #13 on the US charts on 25 July 1998 and reached #4.
The song entered the UK Singles Chart
at #3 on 22 November 1997 and stayed in the Top 5 for 8 weeks before climbing to #1 on 17 January 1998 for 1 week. The song went on to spend a total of 24 weeks in the chart. A total of 1,263,658 copies of the single were sold in the UK, making it All Saints' biggest hit; 770,000 copies were sold before it became #1 which makes it more than any single ever before in the UK chart history. All Saints won two BRIT Awards
for this single in 1998: Best Single and Best Video.
The music of the song is based upon an overlay of Amazing Grace
which according to Ger Tillekens is the reason why it became so successful. Even though the lyrics are very different and the music sounds different, it is based on a familiar and popular song.
, it featured the girls first in a swimming pool
and later in a house. The video was shot by fashion
photographer Sean Ellis. The song became an immediate hit record.
For the United States, the video was re-shot and re-edited in a church. When All Saints - The Video
was released, it was decided to release both versions on the video, because the British
and European audience never had the opportunity of seeing both. In Canada Much Music played both versions.
All Saints (group)
All Saints were a British/Canadian girl group. Founded in 1993 as All Saints 1.9.7.5, the group consisted of founding members Melanie Blatt and Shaznay Lewis, and sisters Nicole Appleton and Natalie Appleton...
, released as the second single from their debut album, All Saints. It became a very successful worldwide hit and was the first of five #1 singles in the UK for the group. (See also: 1998 in British music
1998 in British music
This is a summary of 1998 in music in the United Kingdom, including the official charts from that year.1998 was a transitional year for music, when the hyped up sound of pure pop from the mid-1990s began to fade and popular artists began to experiment with different styles and new artists were...
). The single was released in the United States on July 7, 1998, with a new music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
. It is also the band's most successful single to date. The single debuted at #13 on the US charts on 25 July 1998 and reached #4.
The song entered the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
at #3 on 22 November 1997 and stayed in the Top 5 for 8 weeks before climbing to #1 on 17 January 1998 for 1 week. The song went on to spend a total of 24 weeks in the chart. A total of 1,263,658 copies of the single were sold in the UK, making it All Saints' biggest hit; 770,000 copies were sold before it became #1 which makes it more than any single ever before in the UK chart history. All Saints won two BRIT Awards
Brit Awards
The Brit Awards are the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain" or "Britannia", but subsequently became a backronym for British Record Industry Trust...
for this single in 1998: Best Single and Best Video.
The music of the song is based upon an overlay of Amazing Grace
Amazing Grace
"Amazing Grace" is a Christian hymn with words written by the English poet and clergyman John Newton , published in 1779. With a message that forgiveness and redemption are possible regardless of the sins people commit and that the soul can be delivered from despair through the mercy of God,...
which according to Ger Tillekens is the reason why it became so successful. Even though the lyrics are very different and the music sounds different, it is based on a familiar and popular song.
Track listings and formats
These are the formats and track listings of major single releases of "Never Ever".| CD 1 / Australian CD | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Never Ever" | 5.15 | |
| 2. | "Never Ever" (Nice Hat Mix) | 5.13 | |
| 3. | "I Remember" | 4.08 | |
| CD 2 | |||
| 1. | "Never Ever" | 5.15 | |
| 2. | "Never Ever" (Booker T's Vocal Mix) | 6.19 | |
| 3. | "Never Ever" (Booker T's Down South Dub) | 6.28 | |
| 4. | "Never Ever" (Booker T's Up North Dub) | 5.55 | |
| Cassette/Two track | |||
| 1. | "Never Ever" | 5.15 | |
| 2. | "I Remember" | 4.08 | |
| 12 inch | |||
| 1. | "Never Ever" (All Star Remix) | 3.59 | |
| 2. | "Never Ever" (Booker T's Vocal Mix) | 6.19 | |
Song information
| Duty | Performed by |
|---|---|
| Lyrics and Music | Robert Jazayeri, Shaznay Lewis Shaznay Lewis Shaznay Lewis is a British female singer-songwriter and a former member of All Saints.-Biography:... and S. Mather |
| Producer | Cameron McVey Cameron McVey Cameron Andrew McVey is a British music producer, best known for his work with Neneh Cherry, Massive Attack, Portishead, All Saints, and Sugababes.-Family:... , Magnus Fiennes Magnus Fiennes Magnus Fiennes is an English cross-genre composer, record producer and songwriter. He has worked with artists such as Shakira, Pulp, Tom Jones and Morcheeba... , Robert Jazayeri and S. Mather |
Peak positions
| Chart (1997/1998) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian ARIA ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... Singles Chart |
1 |
| Austrian Singles Chart | 7 |
| Canadian Singles Chart Canadian Singles Chart The Canadian Singles Chart is currently compiled by the U.S.-based music sales tracking company, Nielsen SoundScan . The chart is compiled every Wednesday, and is published by Jam! Canoe on Thursdays.... |
4 |
| Dutch Top 40 Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting... |
4 |
| Finnish Singles Chart | 12 |
| French SNEP Singles Chart | 4 |
| German Singles Chart | 18 |
| Irish Singles Chart Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured... |
2 |
| New Zealand RIANZ Singles Chart | 1 |
| Norwegian Singles Chart | 6 |
| Swedish Singles Chart | 3 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 4 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 4 |
End of year charts
| End of year chart (1997) | Position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles Chart | 13 |
| End of year chart (1998) | Position |
| UK Singles Chart | 17 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 42 |
Certifications
| Country | Certification | Date | Sales certified |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | 2 x Platinum | March 1998 | > 140,000 |
| Switzerland | Gold | 1997 | 25,000 |
| UK | 2 x Platinum | January 4, 1998 | 1,254,604 |
Music video
When this song was first released in the UK and EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, it featured the girls first in a swimming pool
Swimming pool
A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is a container filled with water intended for swimming or water-based recreation. There are many standard sizes; the largest is the Olympic-size swimming pool...
and later in a house. The video was shot by fashion
Fashion
Fashion, a general term for a currently popular style or practice, especially in clothing, foot wear, or accessories. Fashion references to anything that is the current trend in look and dress up of a person...
photographer Sean Ellis. The song became an immediate hit record.
For the United States, the video was re-shot and re-edited in a church. When All Saints - The Video
All Saints - The Video
The Video is a collection of music videos of the All Saints band and features interviews and highlights of their first year as a group. The DVD release only consists of music videos and was released December 3, 2001.-Track listing:...
was released, it was decided to release both versions on the video, because the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and European audience never had the opportunity of seeing both. In Canada Much Music played both versions.
Quotes
"I never believed that so much good could come out of such a bad situation."- —Shaznay LewisShaznay LewisShaznay Lewis is a British female singer-songwriter and a former member of All Saints.-Biography:...
in tears over the success of "Never Ever", since it was written about a personal broken relationship.
Remixes
- Album Version
- All Star Remix
- Booker T Vocal Mix
- Booker T's Down South Dub
- Booker T's Up North Dub
- Nice Hat Mix
- Rickidy Raw Urban Mix