Never Ever (All Saints song)
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Released November 17, 1997
Format CD single, 12″, cassette
Recorded 1997; Metropolis Studios
Genre Pop, R&B, soul
Length 6:29 (album version)
5:15 (single version)
4:54 (UK radio edit)
3:57 (US radio edit)
Label London Records
Songwriter(s) Shaznay Lewis, Robert Jazayeri, Sean Mather
Producer(s) Cameron McVey, Magnus Fiennes
“Never Ever” is a song by British-Canadian girl group All Saints. Written by All Saints member Shaznay Lewis along with co-writers Robert Jazayeri and Sean Mather, and produced by Cameron McVey and Magnus Fiennes, it was released on 17 November 1997 as the second single from their debut album, All Saints (1997). The song later appeared on their compilations All Hits (2001), Pure Shores: The Very Best of All Saints (2010) and their remix compilation The Remix Album (1998). Lyrically, the song talks about the girls feeling their first expressions after a sudden break-up, where the girls query what they did wrong in the relationship. The song received positive reviews from music critics.
“Never Ever” is All Saints’ most successful single to date, peaking at the top of the charts in countries including Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, while it peaked in the top ten in countries including Ireland, Sweden, Canada, the Netherlands, France, Switzerland, Norway, Austria and the United States. As of March 2013, it is the second best selling single by a girl group of all time in the United Kingdom, only behind “Wannabe” by the Spice Girls.
Two music videos were shot for the single; the European and Australian version, and an American version, due to the mass success in those countries. The North American featured the group in a church, while the European/Australian version featured the group near a swimming pool and in their homes. At the 1998 Brit Awards, “Never Ever” won two Brit Awards: Best British Single and Best British Video.