Songfacts®:

• This was the first song released from Arkells 2014 third album, High Noon. The band describes the song as a "slow burner."
  
  It came as a shock to some fans when they first heard it because the song showcases a new sound from the group. Arkells wanted to be more adventurous regarding the production on High Noon and "Never Thought That This Would Happen" displays that well with the tune featuring a strings arrangement.
• In our interview with Arkells lead singer/guitarist Max Kerman, he revealed that "Never Thought That This Would Happen" started as an acoustic idea, and that the rhythm of the song was something that the band had never used before. It was partly inspired by witnessing My Morning Jacket use that same rhythm at an outdoor festival.
• The song was inspired by events that took place in 2012 when the band played the three-day Hillside Festival that occurs in Guelph, Ontario every year. Kerman told us that it was based on of a couple of his friends. "There's something fun about being a young adult and going on a camping trip or to a music festival with twelve of your friends," he said. "I always feel like good stories emerge out of those weekends."