Never (Heart song)

"Never"
Single by Heart
from the album Heart
B-side	"Shell Shock"
Released	August 29, 1985 (1985-08-29)
Genre	Hard rock
Length	4:07
Label	Capitol
Songwriter(s)	Holly Knight Gene Bloch Connie[a]
Producer(s)	Ron Nevison
Heart singles chronology
"What About Love" (1985) "Never" (1985) "These Dreams" (1986)
Music video
"Never" on YouTube

"Never" is a song by American rock band Heart, released on August 29, 1985, as the second single from the band's eponymous eighth studio album (1985).^[2] It was written by Holly Knight, Gene Bloch (from the band Device) and "Connie" (a pseudonym for Ann Wilson, Nancy Wilson, and Sue Ennis).

"Never" is a rock song with an uplifting lyric to a person who has been discouraged by love. Like the preceding "What About Love", the music video for "Never" received heavy rotation on MTV.

"Never" peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100, marking the first time that Heart earned consecutive top ten entries, and the first time a Heart album generated two top ten singles. On the UK singles chart, it was a Top 10 hit in 1988 as part of a double A-side reissue with "These Dreams", intended to capitalize on the success of "Alone" the previous year. While "Never" was ostensibly the lead track, airplay focused almost exclusively on "These Dreams".

A reworking of the song appears on the Japanese version of Heart's live album The Road Home.^[3] "Only in that version of 'Never'," observed Nancy Wilson, "did the song get the rootsy vibe that stands up to time."^[4]

Reception

Cash Box said it is "a slow driving ballad" that has "a succinct arrangement and production."^[5] Billboard called it "crisply buoyant power rock."^[6]

Personnel

Heart

• Ann Wilson – vocals
• Nancy Wilson – lead guitar, background vocals
• Howard Leese – lead guitar, keyboards, background vocals
• Mark Andes – bass guitar
• Denny Carmassi – drums

Additional musicians

• Peter Wolf – synthesizers
• Lynn Wilson – background vocals
• Holly Knight – keyboards

Technical

• Scotty Olson – guitar technician
• Gary Chalk – drum technician
• Ron Nevison – production, engineering
• Mike Clink – engineering assistance
• Brian Foraker – second assistant engineer
• Mike Reese – mastering at The Mastering Lab (Hollywood, California)

Charts

Weekly charts Weekly chart performance for "Never" Chart (1985–1986) Peak position Australia (Kent Music Report)[7] 48 Canada Top Singles (RPM)[8] 13 Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[9] 20 US Billboard Hot 100[10] 4 US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[11] 2 US Cash Box Top 100 Singles[12] 6 Weekly chart performance for "Never"/"These Dreams" Chart (1988) Peak position Europe (Eurochart Hot 100 Singles)[13] 34 Ireland (IRMA)[14] 10 UK Singles (OCC)[15] 8

Year-end charts 1985 year-end chart performance for "Never" Chart (1985) Position US Cash Box Top 100 Singles[16] 71 1986 year-end chart performance for "Never" Chart (1986) Position US Billboard Hot 100[17] 18

Notes

1. Connie is a pseudonym for Ann Wilson, Nancy Wilson, and Sue Ennis^[1]

References

1. "Never (Work ID: 440159464)". ASCAP. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
2. "New Releases". The Friday Morning Quarterback Album Report. August 23, 1985. p. 30. OCLC 857904873.
3. "Heart – the Road Home (1995, CD)". Discogs.
4. Cross, Charles (July 2018). "The home stretch". Classic Rock. No. 250. p. 67.
5. "Single Releases" (PDF). Cash Box. September 14, 1985. p. 11. Retrieved 2022-08-01.
6. "Reviews". Billboard. September 14, 1985. p. 90. Retrieved 2022-08-01.
7. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 136. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
8. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 0602." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
9. Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
10. "Heart Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
11. "Heart Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
12. "Cash Box Top 100 Singles – Week ending December 7, 1985". Cash Box. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
13. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 5, no. 14. April 2, 1988. p. 27. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
14. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Heart". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
15. "Heart: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 9, 2016.
16. "The Cash Box Year-End Charts: 1985 – Top 100 Pop Singles". Cash Box. December 28, 1985. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
17. "Hot 100 Songs – Year-End 1986". Billboard. Retrieved September 24, 2019.