Never Never
by Korn

Album: The Paradigm Shift (2013)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This was released as the first single from The Paradigm Shift, Korn's first album to feature original guitarist Brian "Head" Welch since 2003's Take a Look in the Mirror. Guitarist James "Munky" Shaffer explained that the album's title has special significance for the band members. "It's a term encompassing different perspectives," he said. "You can view a piece of art from one angle and it takes on a certain image. If you look from another angle, it's a completely different image. We liken that to Korn in 2013. With Head back in the fold, all of the elements fans have loved since day one are there, but we're interpreting them from a new perspective. It's a bigger, brighter and bolder Korn."
  • Singer Jonathan Davis explained the song's meaning to The Pulse of Radio. "It's about relationships," he said. "It's about anything. It seems like you try and try to make things work and you repeatedly fail at it. It's just like, throw your hands up in the air and give up, and it's that kind of vibe. I was feeling that towards life, basically."
  • Jonathan Davis expanded on the story of the song: "It was an amazing night when we finished that song," he said. "It's a relationship song. You go through that s--t and you get hurt so bad. Then you think, 'It's not worth it anymore. I'm not going to fu--ing love again.' You experience so many pressures to be a good dad, a good husband, a good lover, or whatever. Being in a relationship is a lot of work."
  • The melodic, commercial style of this song met with some mixed reactions from Korn fans, which singer Jonathan Davis told Metal Hammer magazine was his intention. He explained, "We put this out first cause I knew it was going to piss off a lot of people. And um, so I did it. That song ain't for dudes, it's for the ladies."
  • The song was initially in danger of being left off The Paradigm Shift tracklisting. "When I heard it we were like, 'Oh, that's pretty cool, but I don't know if it's something we're going for on this thing," Brian Welch recalled to Billboard magazine. "Even (Don Gilmore, producer) was like, 'Yeah, I don't know if it's gonna be a contender, but let's see."

    "Then, as we were packing up and getting ready to leave," he continued, "Ray (Luzier) was like, 'Shouldn't we lay drums on that one song Jonathan did, just in case?' and the producer's like, 'I don't think we need to, but if you want to just to have it, we could.' So they threw the drums down and Jonathan and Don Gilmore went to work on the vocals and, boom, when the vocals were there it was like, 'Oh, wow, this could be a really cool song,' and now it's the first single."

Comments: 1

  • Jack from European UnionNever Never is one of the best songs from the album.
    We all say that after we break up with someone: I'll never be with someone. It is of no use. Obviously, we're all hypocrites because we'll still search for love :-(
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Steely Dan

Steely DanFact or Fiction

Did they really trade their guitarist to The Doobie Brothers? Are they named after something naughty? And what's up with the band name?

Concert Disasters

Concert DisastersFact or Fiction

Ozzy biting a dove? Alice Cooper causing mayhem with a chicken? Creed so bad they were sued? See if you can spot the real concert mishaps.

Steve Cropper (Booker T & the MG's, Blues Brothers)

Steve Cropper (Booker T & the MG's, Blues Brothers)Songwriter Interviews

Steve Cropper on the making of "In the Midnight Hour," the chicken-wire scene in The Blues Brothers, and his 2021 album, Fire It Up.

Ed Roland of Collective Soul

Ed Roland of Collective SoulSongwriter Interviews

The stories behind "Shine," "December," "The World I Know" and other Collective Soul hits.

Ralph Casale  - Session Pro

Ralph Casale - Session ProSongwriter Interviews

A top New York studio musician, Ralph played guitar on many '60s hits, including "Lightnin' Strikes," "A Lover's Concerto" and "I Am A Rock."

Kristian Bush of Sugarland

Kristian Bush of SugarlandSongwriter Interviews

Kristian talks songwriting technique, like how the chorus should redefine the story, and how to write a song backwards.