A few questions that I need to know
How you could ever hurt me so
I need to know what I've done wrong
And how long it's been going on
Was it that I never paid enough attention?
Or did I not give enough affection?
Not only will your answers keep me sane
But I'll know never to make the same mistake again
You can tell me to my face or even on the phone
You can write it in a letter, either way, I have to know
Did I never treat you right?
Did I always start the fight?
Either way, I'm going out of my mind
All the answers to my questions
I have to find
How you could ever hurt me so
I need to know what I've done wrong
And how long it's been going on
Was it that I never paid enough attention?
Or did I not give enough affection?
Not only will your answers keep me sane
But I'll know never to make the same mistake again
You can tell me to my face or even on the phone
You can write it in a letter, either way, I have to know
Did I never treat you right?
Did I always start the fight?
Either way, I'm going out of my mind
All the answers to my questions
I have to find
My head's spinning
Boy, I'm in a daze
I feel isolated
Don't wanna communicate
Boy, I'm in a daze
I feel isolated
Don't wanna communicate
I'll take a shower, I will scour
I will rub
To find peace of mind
The happy mind I once owned, yeah
I will rub
To find peace of mind
The happy mind I once owned, yeah
Flexing vocabulary runs right through me
The alphabet runs right from A to Z
Conversations, hesitations in my mind
You got my conscience asking questions that I can't find
The alphabet runs right from A to Z
Conversations, hesitations in my mind
You got my conscience asking questions that I can't find
I'm not crazy
I'm sure I ain't done nothing wrong, no
I'm just waiting
'Cause I heard that this feeling
Won't last that long
I'm sure I ain't done nothing wrong, no
I'm just waiting
'Cause I heard that this feeling
Won't last that long
Never ever have I ever felt so low
When you gonna take me out of this black hole?
Never ever have I ever felt so sad
The way I'm feeling yeah, you got me feeling really bad
When you gonna take me out of this black hole?
Never ever have I ever felt so sad
The way I'm feeling yeah, you got me feeling really bad
Never ever have I had to find
I've had to dig away to find my own peace of mind
I've never ever had my conscience to fight
The way I'm feeling, yeah, I just don't feel right
I've had to dig away to find my own peace of mind
I've never ever had my conscience to fight
The way I'm feeling, yeah, I just don't feel right
Never ever have I ever felt so low
When you gonna take me out of this black hole?
Never ever have I ever felt so sad
The way I'm feeling yeah, you got me feeling really bad
When you gonna take me out of this black hole?
Never ever have I ever felt so sad
The way I'm feeling yeah, you got me feeling really bad
Never ever have I had to find
I've had to dig away to find my own peace of mind
I've never ever had my conscience to fight
The way I'm feeling, yeah, I just don't feel right
I've had to dig away to find my own peace of mind
I've never ever had my conscience to fight
The way I'm feeling, yeah, I just don't feel right
I'll keep searching
Deep within my soul
For all the answers
Don't wanna hurt no more
Deep within my soul
For all the answers
Don't wanna hurt no more
I need peace, gotta feel at ease
Need to be
Free from pain, going insane
My heart aches, yeah
Need to be
Free from pain, going insane
My heart aches, yeah
Sometimes vocabulary runs through my head
The alphabet runs right from A to Z
Conversations, hesitations in my mind
You got my conscience asking questions that I can't find
The alphabet runs right from A to Z
Conversations, hesitations in my mind
You got my conscience asking questions that I can't find
I'm not crazy
I'm sure I ain't done nothing wrong
And now I'm just waiting
'Cause I heard that this feeling won't last that long
I'm sure I ain't done nothing wrong
And now I'm just waiting
'Cause I heard that this feeling won't last that long
Never ever have I ever felt so low
When ya gonna take me out of this black hole?
Never ever have I ever felt so sad
The way I'm feeling yeah, you got me feeling really bad
When ya gonna take me out of this black hole?
Never ever have I ever felt so sad
The way I'm feeling yeah, you got me feeling really bad
Never ever have I had to find
I've had to dig away to find my own peace of mind
I've never ever had my conscience to fight
The way I'm feeling, yeah, I just don't feel right
I've had to dig away to find my own peace of mind
I've never ever had my conscience to fight
The way I'm feeling, yeah, I just don't feel right
Never ever have I ever felt so low
When ya gonna take me out of this black hole?
Never ever have I ever felt so sad
The way I'm feeling yeah, you got me feeling really bad
When ya gonna take me out of this black hole?
Never ever have I ever felt so sad
The way I'm feeling yeah, you got me feeling really bad
Never ever have I had to find
I've had to dig away to find my own peace of mind
I've never ever had my conscience to fight
The way I'm feeling, yeah, I just don't feel right
I've had to dig away to find my own peace of mind
I've never ever had my conscience to fight
The way I'm feeling, yeah, I just don't feel right
Never ever have I ever felt so low
When ya gonna take me out of this black hole?
Never ever have I ever felt so sad
The way I'm feeling yeah, you got me feeling really bad
When ya gonna take me out of this black hole?
Never ever have I ever felt so sad
The way I'm feeling yeah, you got me feeling really bad
Never ever have I had to find
I've had to dig away to find my own peace of mind
I've never ever had my conscience to fight
The way I'm feeling, yeah, I just don't feel right
I've had to dig away to find my own peace of mind
I've never ever had my conscience to fight
The way I'm feeling, yeah, I just don't feel right
Never ever have I ever felt so low
When ya gonna take me out of this black hole?
Never ever have I ever felt so sad
The way I'm feeling yeah, you got me feeling really bad
When ya gonna take me out of this black hole?
Never ever have I ever felt so sad
The way I'm feeling yeah, you got me feeling really bad
Never ever have I had to find
I've had to dig away to find my own peace of mind
I've never ever had my conscience to fight
The way I'm feeling, yeah, I just don't feel right
I've had to dig away to find my own peace of mind
I've never ever had my conscience to fight
The way I'm feeling, yeah, I just don't feel right
You can tell me to my face
You can tell me on the phone
Uh, you can write it in a letter, babe
'Cause I really need to know
You can tell me on the phone
Uh, you can write it in a letter, babe
'Cause I really need to know
You can tell me to my face
You can tell me on the phone
Ooh, you can write it in a letter, babe
'Cause I really need to know
You can tell me on the phone
Ooh, you can write it in a letter, babe
'Cause I really need to know
You can write it in a letter, babe
You can write it in a letter, babe
You can write it in a letter, babe
song info:
Verified yes
LanguageEnglish
GenreR&B, Alternative
Rank−
Duration00:06:27
Charts
Copyright ©BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Capitol CMG Publishing, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music
WriterEsmail Jazayeri, Sean Mather, Shaznay Lewis
Lyrics licensed byLyricFind
Added
Last updatedMarch 7th, 2022
About"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.
"Never Ever" is All Saints' highest charting 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.
After their success of their debut single "I Know Where It's At", the group decided to commence recording and producing their debut full-length studio album. The song was released as the second single from their first album All Saints (1998). The song was written by All Saint's member Shaznay Lewis along with co-writers Robert Jazayeri and S. Mather, and then produced by Cameron McVey and Magnus Fiennes. Lewis wrote this after splitting up with a boyfriend, but the music conveyed the impression that all would be well. 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 Lewis. Lewis was in tears over the success of "Never Ever", since it was written about a personal broken relationship, stating "I never believed that so much good could come out of such a bad situation."
For recording, All Saints flew to Washington, D.C. where they recorded the vocals, except for the intro which was recorded at Battery Studios in London and were kept from the original demo. This was because the mood could not be replicated and everyone agreed to keep the demo vocals.
However, the song's producing and writing caused controversy. Robert Jazayeri, who wrote the song, had issued a writ against All Saints, and they were granted 40% of the publishing rights to the track. After he was not satisfied, Jazayeri had filed a lawsuit towards the groups record label London Records and All Saints' management, which was then settled amicably by the parties.
The song is set in common time at a tempo of 67 beats per minute. Lyrically, the song talks about the girls feeling their first expressions after a sad break-up, where the girls query what they did wrong in the relationship.
Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic had described the musical content as an "extraordinary gospel-tinged" song. Nick Butler from Sputnikmusic had, however described the musical content as a "power ballad". According to Dusk411; ""Never Ever" is a flaky, monotone song about heartbreak. Opening with a half-sung, half-talking solo, in which the girl wants some answers and then blames herself for the entire breakup."
"Never Ever" received positive reviews from music critics. Nick Butler from Sputnikmusic stated that, "'Never Ever' is a fantastic song; quite rightfully, it still gets a fair bit of airplay today, and I still enjoy it whenever it appears on one of those VH1 Power Ballad days or whatever."[5] Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic had named the song as a highlight on its parent studio album, and said it "lead[s] the way" for their career.[4] He then reviewed the All Hits record and said the track was a "basic hit", but called it a standout.[7] Dusk411, however described the group's vocals as "weak". He praised Lewis' abilities, but said that the rest of the group's vocals were "all flat and nasal".[6] Billboard named the song #47 on their list of 100 Greatest Girl Group Songs of All Time.[8]
Commercial performance[edit]
"Never Ever" debuted at number three on the UK Singles Chart, before rising to number one for a sole week. The song remains the group's longest single on those charts and stayed in the top ten for fifteen weeks, but charted for twenty-six weeks. It has sold over 1.35 million copies in the UK as of April 2016.[9] It is also the second best selling single by a girl group of all time in the UK, only behind "Wannabe" by the Spice Girls.[1]
The song was very successful worldwide. The song debuted at thirty on the Australian Singles Chart and rose to number one, staying there for seven consecutive weeks and stayed in the charts for twenty-two weeks. It was successful in the charts and was certified 2× Platinum by Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) with sales of 140,000. The song was successful in New Zealand as well, debuting at number one and staying there for five consecutive weeks. It was the group's only number one single in that country. It stayed in the charts for thirteen weeks in total.
The song was very successful in European markets. It debuted at ten in the Swedish Singles Chart, peaked at three for one week and stayed in the charts for twenty weeks. It was certified gold in that country. It debuted at twenty-seven on the French Singles Chart, and peaked at four for a sole week. It stayed in the charts for twenty-one weeks. The song peaked at four in The Netherlands for three consecutive weeks, and lasted twenty-four weeks in the chart. The song debuted at twenty-nine on the Austrian Singles Chart, and peaked at seven for two consecutive weeks. It lasted for nineteen weeks in the charts. The song debuted at fifteen in Norway, and peaked at six, staying in the charts for twelve weeks. The song wasn't as successful on the Finnish Singles Chart, peaking at twelve and staying in the charts for two weeks.
"Never Ever" was successful in North America as well. The song debuted at number thirteen on the US Billboard Hot 100, and peaked at number four on the charts, becoming the group's first top ten and their highest peaking single on those charts. The song peaked at four on the Canadian Singles Chart as well.
The song was featured on the Guinness World Records for Top British Singles. A total of 1,263,658 copies of the single were sold in the UK, making it All Saints' biggest hit; 770,000 copies were sold before it became #1 which makes it more than any single ever before in the UK chart history. At the 1998 Brit Awards, All Saints won two Brit Awards for this single: Best British Single and Best British Video, beating strong competition from the likes of "Bitter Sweet Symphony" by The Verve, "Song 2" by Blur, "Paranoid Android" by Radiohead and "Something About the Way/Candle in the Wind '97" by Elton John.
The music of the song is based upon an overlay of the hymn tune "New Britain", the most common setting for "Amazing Grace", which according to Ger Tillekens is the reason why it became so successful. Even though the lyrics are very different and the music sounds different, it is based on a familiar and popular song.
When this song was first released in Europe, it featured the girls first in a swimming pool and later in a house. The video was shot by fashion photographer Sean Ellis.
For the United States, the video was re-shot and re-edited in a church. When All Saints – The Video was released, it was decided to release both versions on the video, because the European audience never had the opportunity of seeing both. In Canada Much Music played both versions.
"Never Ever" is All Saints' highest charting 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.
After their success of their debut single "I Know Where It's At", the group decided to commence recording and producing their debut full-length studio album. The song was released as the second single from their first album All Saints (1998). The song was written by All Saint's member Shaznay Lewis along with co-writers Robert Jazayeri and S. Mather, and then produced by Cameron McVey and Magnus Fiennes. Lewis wrote this after splitting up with a boyfriend, but the music conveyed the impression that all would be well. 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 Lewis. Lewis was in tears over the success of "Never Ever", since it was written about a personal broken relationship, stating "I never believed that so much good could come out of such a bad situation."
For recording, All Saints flew to Washington, D.C. where they recorded the vocals, except for the intro which was recorded at Battery Studios in London and were kept from the original demo. This was because the mood could not be replicated and everyone agreed to keep the demo vocals.
However, the song's producing and writing caused controversy. Robert Jazayeri, who wrote the song, had issued a writ against All Saints, and they were granted 40% of the publishing rights to the track. After he was not satisfied, Jazayeri had filed a lawsuit towards the groups record label London Records and All Saints' management, which was then settled amicably by the parties.
The song is set in common time at a tempo of 67 beats per minute. Lyrically, the song talks about the girls feeling their first expressions after a sad break-up, where the girls query what they did wrong in the relationship.
Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic had described the musical content as an "extraordinary gospel-tinged" song. Nick Butler from Sputnikmusic had, however described the musical content as a "power ballad". According to Dusk411; ""Never Ever" is a flaky, monotone song about heartbreak. Opening with a half-sung, half-talking solo, in which the girl wants some answers and then blames herself for the entire breakup."
"Never Ever" received positive reviews from music critics. Nick Butler from Sputnikmusic stated that, "'Never Ever' is a fantastic song; quite rightfully, it still gets a fair bit of airplay today, and I still enjoy it whenever it appears on one of those VH1 Power Ballad days or whatever."[5] Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic had named the song as a highlight on its parent studio album, and said it "lead[s] the way" for their career.[4] He then reviewed the All Hits record and said the track was a "basic hit", but called it a standout.[7] Dusk411, however described the group's vocals as "weak". He praised Lewis' abilities, but said that the rest of the group's vocals were "all flat and nasal".[6] Billboard named the song #47 on their list of 100 Greatest Girl Group Songs of All Time.[8]
Commercial performance[edit]
"Never Ever" debuted at number three on the UK Singles Chart, before rising to number one for a sole week. The song remains the group's longest single on those charts and stayed in the top ten for fifteen weeks, but charted for twenty-six weeks. It has sold over 1.35 million copies in the UK as of April 2016.[9] It is also the second best selling single by a girl group of all time in the UK, only behind "Wannabe" by the Spice Girls.[1]
The song was very successful worldwide. The song debuted at thirty on the Australian Singles Chart and rose to number one, staying there for seven consecutive weeks and stayed in the charts for twenty-two weeks. It was successful in the charts and was certified 2× Platinum by Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) with sales of 140,000. The song was successful in New Zealand as well, debuting at number one and staying there for five consecutive weeks. It was the group's only number one single in that country. It stayed in the charts for thirteen weeks in total.
The song was very successful in European markets. It debuted at ten in the Swedish Singles Chart, peaked at three for one week and stayed in the charts for twenty weeks. It was certified gold in that country. It debuted at twenty-seven on the French Singles Chart, and peaked at four for a sole week. It stayed in the charts for twenty-one weeks. The song peaked at four in The Netherlands for three consecutive weeks, and lasted twenty-four weeks in the chart. The song debuted at twenty-nine on the Austrian Singles Chart, and peaked at seven for two consecutive weeks. It lasted for nineteen weeks in the charts. The song debuted at fifteen in Norway, and peaked at six, staying in the charts for twelve weeks. The song wasn't as successful on the Finnish Singles Chart, peaking at twelve and staying in the charts for two weeks.
"Never Ever" was successful in North America as well. The song debuted at number thirteen on the US Billboard Hot 100, and peaked at number four on the charts, becoming the group's first top ten and their highest peaking single on those charts. The song peaked at four on the Canadian Singles Chart as well.
The song was featured on the Guinness World Records for Top British Singles. A total of 1,263,658 copies of the single were sold in the UK, making it All Saints' biggest hit; 770,000 copies were sold before it became #1 which makes it more than any single ever before in the UK chart history. At the 1998 Brit Awards, All Saints won two Brit Awards for this single: Best British Single and Best British Video, beating strong competition from the likes of "Bitter Sweet Symphony" by The Verve, "Song 2" by Blur, "Paranoid Android" by Radiohead and "Something About the Way/Candle in the Wind '97" by Elton John.
The music of the song is based upon an overlay of the hymn tune "New Britain", the most common setting for "Amazing Grace", which according to Ger Tillekens is the reason why it became so successful. Even though the lyrics are very different and the music sounds different, it is based on a familiar and popular song.
When this song was first released in Europe, it featured the girls first in a swimming pool and later in a house. The video was shot by fashion photographer Sean Ellis.
For the United States, the video was re-shot and re-edited in a church. When All Saints – The Video was released, it was decided to release both versions on the video, because the European audience never had the opportunity of seeing both. In Canada Much Music played both versions.
Album Details
![All Saints - All Hits [2001]](https://cdn.lsistatic.com/img/pixel.gif){kind=tracking}
Now That's What I Call Music, Vol. 2 / track 1
Now That's What I Call Music (New Zealand) compilation series
Now That's What I Call Music (New Zealand) compilation series