Never Ever by All Saints

Album: All Saints (1997)

Charted: 1 4

License This Song

Songfacts®:

The All Saints were a 4 piece girl group made up of Londoners Melanie Blatt and Shaznay Lewis and Canadian sisters Natalie and Nicole Appleton. During the late 1990s and early 21st century they enjoyed tremendous success in Britain achieving five #1s, this song being the first. They also became renowned for their celebrity boyfriends, Melanie with Stuart Zender from Jamiroquai, Natalie with Liam Howlett of the band The Prodigy (they married in 2002) and Nicole firstly with Robbie Williams, then with Oasis lead singer Liam Gallagher, with whom she has had a son Gene.
This was the biggest hit in the States for All Saints. It was also #1 in Australia for 7 weeks.
In the UK this sold 770,000 copies after 9 weeks in the UK charts before hitting #1, the highest ever by any single on its way to the top in UK chart history. It sold 1,254,604 in total, making it the band's biggest seller in UK.
Shaznay Lewis wrote this after splitting up with a boyfriend, but the music conveyed the impression that all would be well. Also credited is Rickidy Raw, the name of the company of 2 R&B, Pop and Hip-Hop producers Sean Mather and Robert "Esmail" Jazayeri. When the song became successful they issued a writ against All Saints, and they were granted 40% of the publishing rights to the track.
Robert Jazayeri based his production of this on the hymn "Amazing Grace." He put it together two years prior to sending the music composition to All Saints. All Saints flew to the US where the song was recorded and produced by Mather and Jazayeri, but due to control issues, London records brought in Cameron McVey to do additional production on the track at London Records request because of time/distance constraints which were present at the time and Cameron's relationship with Shaznay. Jazayeri filed a lawsuit against London Records and All Saints Management which was settled amicably by the parties.
All Saints flew to Washington DC where they recorded the vocals, except for the intro which was recorded at Battery Studios in the UK and were kept from the original demo. This was because the mood could not be replicated and everyone agreed to keep the demo vocals.
The song won 1998 Brit Awards for Best Single and Best Video.
All Saints disbanded acrimoniously in 2001, sisters Nicole and Natalie going on to form the duo Appleton, while Melanie and Shaznay went on to solo careers. All of them have enjoyed limited success since the band split.
Fashion photographer Sean Ellis directed the video in which his bulldog can be seen. >>>
Suggestion credit:
Edward Pearce - Ashford, Kent, England, for above 3

Comments: 2

Ellaira May from Manila, Perujust the way i like it. song was perfect for my best friend who refuse to talk to me after i get married the fact that we both profess our love for each other.come tot hink opf it it's my fault hmmmp
Dave from Cardiff, WalesAll Saints reformed in 2006, but the new material hit a brick wall commercially and was slammed by the critics

see more comments

More Songfacts:

The ReasonHoobastank

"The Reason" by Hoobastank took off on TikTok in 2021 when it soundtracked confessional #NotAPerfectPerson videos about mistakes and regrets. The band made one of their own with the caption: "Realizing 20 years later that you named your band Hoobastank."

Shake It OffTaylor Swift

Taylor Swift's "Shake It Off" was inspired by how she'd learned to deal with all the false rumors that circulated about her. She realized she could either let it get to her or "just shake it off."

It's My PartyLesley Gore

One of the first teenage stars of the Rock Era was Lesley Gore, who was just 16 when she recorded "It's My Party," a huge hit in 1963. It gave us the iconic phrase, "It's my party, I'll cry if I want to."

Peter Gunn ThemeHenry Mancini

The first TV theme song to become a hit was "Peter Gunn" back in 1959. It's an instrumental composed by Henry Mancini. His version was used on an album called The Music From Peter Gunn, which stayed at #1 for 10 weeks. The song was also a hit for Duane Eddy.

Brand New BookTrain

Train wrote the 2011 song "Brand New Book" for the TV show The Biggest Loser - part of the song was used in the opening credits.

Year Of The CatAl Stewart

The title of Al Stewart's "Year Of The Cat" comes from Vietnamese astrology. The Year of the Cat comes every 12 Years: 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011, 2023...

Editor's Picks

Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath, Heaven And HellSongwriter Interviews

Guitarist Tony Iommi on the "Iron Man" riff, the definitive Black Sabbath song, and how Ozzy and Dio compared as songwriters.

Maxi PriestSongwriter Interviews

The British reggae legend tells the story of his #1 hit "Close To You," talks about his groundbreaking Shabba Ranks collaboration "Housecall," and discusses his latest project with Robin Trower.

They Might Be GiantsSongwriter Interviews

Who writes a song about a name they found in a phone book? That's just one of the everyday things these guys find to sing about. Anything in their field of vision or general scope of knowledge is fair game. If you cross paths with them, so are you.

Dexys (Kevin Rowland and Jim Paterson)Songwriter Interviews

"Come On Eileen" was a colossal '80s hit, but the band - far more appreciated in their native UK than stateside - released just three albums before their split. Now, Dexys is back.

Glen BurtnikSongwriter Interviews

On Glen's résumé: hit songwriter, Facebook dominator, and member of Styx.

John Kay of SteppenwolfSongwriter Interviews

Steppenwolf frontman John Kay talks about "Magic Carpet Ride," "Born To Be Wild," and what he values more than awards and accolades.