Never Should Have

Album: Braveheart (2013)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song finds Ashanti singing of a former lover she now regrets. Her lyrics settle over producer Mansur's marching band-driven soundscape:

    "You never should have loved me
    You never should have touched me
    You never should have
    Never should have told me you loved me and you would never leave me."
  • Ashanti dated Nelly for five years before the pair eventually split up, and many people believe this song is about their broken romance. When asked if the song was motivated by her relationship with the St. Louis rapper, Ashanti hinted that the lyrics are directed at him without actually confirming it. "I'll just say it's a very real record that's inspired by a real experience and it came from a real place," she told The Drop.FM. "A lot of people have been in a situation where they've been betrayed or lied to or taken advantage of. Everyone has been through betrayal. It speaks volumes. It is a universal message. Everyone has been in a situation where they felt betrayed and wish you had not been put in that situation. You can feel it. This record strikes a chord. I felt it was important to be vulnerable and show I am human and that I have feelings."
  • The song featured in the finale of the seventh series of the Lifetime TV series Army Wives, in which Ashanti co-starred.

Comments: 1

  • Dee from VaGoddess
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Def Leppard Quiz

Def Leppard QuizMusic Quiz

Can you name Def Leppard's only #1 hit in America? Get rocked with this adrenalized quiz.

Annie Haslam of Renaissance

Annie Haslam of RenaissanceSongwriter Interviews

The 5-octave voice of the classical rock band Renaissance, Annie is big on creative expression. In this talk, she covers Roy Wood, the history of the band, and where all the money went in the '70s.

Keith Reid of Procol Harum

Keith Reid of Procol HarumSongwriter Interviews

As Procol Harum's lyricist, Keith wrote the words to "A Whiter Shade Of Pale." We delve into that song and find out how you can form a band when you don't sing or play an instrument.

Don Dokken

Don DokkenSongwriter Interviews

Dokken frontman Don Dokken explains what broke up the band at the height of their success in the late '80s, and talks about the botched surgery that paralyzed his right arm.

Rush: Album by Album - A Conversation With Martin Popoff

Rush: Album by Album - A Conversation With Martin PopoffSong Writing

A talk with Martin Popoff about his latest book on Rush and how he assessed the thousands of albums he reviewed.

Lecrae

LecraeSongwriter Interviews

The Christian rapper talks about where his trip to Haiti and his history of addiction fit into his songs.