You'll Never Stop Me Loving You

"You'll Never Stop Me Loving You"
Single by Sonia
from the album Everybody Knows
Released	12 June 1989
Studio	PWL 1 and 4 (London, England)
Genre	Dance-pop
Length	3:22
Label	Chrysalis PWL
Songwriter(s)	Stock Aitken Waterman
Producer(s)	Stock Aitken Waterman
Sonia singles chronology
"You'll Never Stop Me Loving You" (1989) "Can't Forget You" (1989)
Music video
"You'll Never Stop Me Loving You" on YouTube

"You'll Never Stop Me Loving You" is the debut single of English pop singer Sonia. Written and produced by Stock Aitken Waterman, the song was included on Sonia's debut album, Everybody Knows (1990). The single became Sonia's only number-one single on the UK Singles Chart and reached number 10 on the US Billboard Dance Club Play chart.

Background and release

In a 1990 interview, Sonia told about how she met the producer, "The whole thing is quite like a dream to me. Pete [Waterman, of Stock Aitken Waterman] was doing this radio road show in Liverpool, and I thought to myself, 'Oh this is a chance I can't miss!' So I went along to try and sing to him." Gaining Waterman's attention was not easy, but once she did, the producer added her to PWL's Coca-Cola Hitman Roadshow, a tour of England featuring the label's up-and-coming artists.^[1] Contrary to music industry myth, the song was not written to fit Sonia's personality, with Mike Stock stating that the track was actually refined from pre-existing ideas that were likely originally intended for Kylie Minogue's Enjoy Yourself album.^[2]

In the United Kingdom, PWL and Chrysalis Records released the song on 12 June 1989 as a 7-inch and 12-inch vinyl single.^[3] Three weeks later, on 3 July, a cassette single was issued.^[4] In Japan, a mini-CD single was released on 30 August 1989.^[5] After its release, the track developed a tongue-in-cheek reputation as a "stalker anthem", due to its lyrical themes of unrequited romantic obsession and a refusal to take no for answer;^[2] however, composer Mike Stock says that while the lyrics sparked some alarm from female backing vocalists during composition and recording, he feels that Sonia's innocent teenage delivery defuses any sinister interpretation.^[2] Directed by Pete Cornish, the music video shows Sonia dancing and trying to flirt with a male dancer in a studio.^[6]

Critical reception

Initial response

Bill Coleman from Billboard wrote, "Successful European track will entice American jocks hankering for bubbly pop/NRG with "French Kiss" twist. Already showing early signs of widespread radio crossover."^[7] Pan-European magazine Music & Media found that "the SAW backing sounds like most of the other work they have done but at least Sonia has a good voice."^[8] Richard Lowe from Smash Hits felt the single "was probably the best all year."^[9] David Giles of Music Week described the song as being "ghastly" and deemed "Listen to Your Heart" "a hundred times better".^[10]

Retrospective reviews

In a 2019 critical review, James Masterton attributed the single's success to SAW's popularity at the time, stating: "Not even the most ardent fan of the producers' work would admit that the single was at effort, devoid of much in the way of melody or choral appeal and a song into which even the overwhelming enthusiasm of the still relentlessly cherry Sonia could not breathe any life".^[11] In 2020, Gary James of Entertainment Focus described the song as a "classic SAW" which was "very much of it's [sic] time", praised "Sonia's soulful pop powerhouse vocal which really gets going as we hit the chorus" and presented "Sonia's instant likability" as one of the factors that contributed to the song's success.^[6]

Impact and legacy

In 2014, Matt Dunn of WhatCulture ranked the song at number 8 in his "15 unforgettable Stock Aitken Waterman singles" list, adding that it "had just the right mix of 'SAW sound', cheesy lyrics, a stomping beat and a cute video to capture the public's imagination".^[12] In 2021, British magazine Classic Pop ranked "You'll Never Stop Me Loving You" number 27 on their list of the "Top 40 Stock Aitken Waterman songs", adding: "18-year-old Sonia Evans was a complete unknown when she approached Pete Waterman for a break in the biz, and luckily SAW, er, saw potential in the effervescent, ginger-haired scouser. Despite slightly stalkerish lyrics... it rocketed up the charts. Some thought it was Kylie, which might have helped its rise to the top of the UK hit parade."^[13]

Chart performance

"You'll Never Stop Me Loving You" debuted on the UK Singles Chart at number 55 on 24 June 1989, peaked at number one three weeks later and for two weeks, becoming Sonia's only number-one single there, and stayed on the chart for 13 weeks,^[14] which led the song to rank at number 16 on the national year-end chart.^[15] In Ireland, the song also topped the chart on which it remained for a total of eight weeks,^[16] and peaked within the top ten in other two European nations, Greece and Norway, where it attained number three and ten, respectively.^[17][18] It was a top 20 hit in Spain (13), Finland (14) and the Flanders region of Belgium (18),^[19][20][21] while it culminated at number 20 in its third week out of a 12-week chart run on the German singles chart.^[22] In addition it missed the top 20 by one place in Switzerland,^[23] and peaked within the top 30 in the Netherlands and France.^[24][25] On the Pan-Eurochart Hot 100 singles chart compiled by the Music & Media magazine, it debuted at number 41 on 15 July 1989, jumped to number eight the next week, reached number one in its fourth week,^[26] and remained on the chart for a total of 20 weeks divided into two segments. Much aired on UK radios where it reached number one on the airplay chart,^[27] it was present for six weeks on the European Airplay Top 50, with a peak at number 34 in its third week.^[28]

"You'll Never Stop Me Loving You" was a moderate hit in Oceanian markets: in Australia, it entered the ARIA Singles Chart at number 160 in August 1989, reached a peak of number 29 two months later and charted for 17 weeks,^[29] while it reached number 43 in New Zealand.^[14] In the US, "You'll Never Stop Me Loving You" peaked at number 10 on the Billboard Dance Club Play chart in April 1990,^[30] and peaked at number 26 on the Billboard 12-inch Singles Sales chart the same month.^[31]

Track listings

7-inch, 12-inch, and cassette single[32][33][34] "You'll Never Stop Me Loving You" "You'll Never Stop Me Loving You" (instrumental) UK 12-inch remix single[35] A. "You'll Never Stop Me Loving You" (Sonia's Kiss mix) B. "You'll Never Stop Me Loving You"

US cassette single[36] A. "You'll Never Stop Me Loving You" (7-inch version) – 3:22 B. "You'll Never Stop Me Loving You" (Kissing mix) – 6:40 Japanese mini-CD single[37] "You'll Never Stop Me Loving You" "You'll Never Stop Me Loving You" (extended version) "You'll Never Stop Me Loving You" (instrumental)

Credits and personnel

Credits are taken from the UK 7-inch single liner notes.^[32]

Studio

• Recorded at PWL Recording Studios 1 and 4 (London, England)

Personnel

• Stock Aitken Waterman – writing, production, arrangement
  • Mike Stock – backing vocals, keyboards
  • Matt Aitken – guitars, keyboards
• Sonia – lead vocals
• Suzanne Rhatigan – backing vocals
• Linda Taylor – backing vocals
• Ian Curnow – additional keyboards
• A Linn – drums
• Mixmaster Pete Hammond – mixing
• Karen Hewitt – engineering
• Yoyo – engineering
• Simon Fowler – photography

Charts

Weekly charts Weekly chart performance for "You'll Never Stop Me Loving You" Chart (1989–1990) Peak position Australia (ARIA)[29] 29 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[21] 18 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[26] 1 Europe (European Airplay Top 50)[28] 34 Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[20] 14 France (SNEP)[25] 29 Greece (IFPI)[17] 3 Ireland (IRMA)[16] 1 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[38] 25 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[24] 26 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[39] 43 Norway (VG-lista)[18] 10 Spain (AFYVE)[19] 13 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[23] 21 UK Singles (OCC)[14] 1 UK Dance (Music Week)[40] 4 US 12-inch Singles Sales (Billboard)[31] 26 US Dance Club Play (Billboard)[30] 10 West Germany (GfK)[22] 20

Year-end charts Year-end chart performance for "You'll Never Stop Me Loving You" Chart (1989) Position Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[41] 61 UK Singles (OCC)[15][42] 16

References

1. Flick, Larry (31 March 1990). "New on the Charts" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 102, no. 13. p. 31. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
2. Chart Beats. "A Journey Through Stock Aitken Waterman: Ep 48: Sealed With A Kiss to Tell Him I Called on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts (Podcast). Australia. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
3. "New Singles". Music Week. 10 June 1989. p. 33.
4. "New Singles". Music Week. 1 July 1989. p. 35.
5. "ネヴァー・ストップ・ミー・ラヴィング・ユー | ソニア" [Never Stop Me Loving You | Sonia] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 5 September 2023.
6. James, Gary (23 April 2020). "Sonia's Everybody Knows: looking back at the classic album 30 years on". Entertainment Focus. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
7. Coleman, Bill (17 February 1990). "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 102, no. 7. p. 89. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
8. "Previews: Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. 15 July 1989. p. 22. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
9. Lowe, Richard (20 September 1989). "Singles". Smash Hits. p. 73. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
10. Giles, David (16 December 1989). "Singles" (PDF). Music Week. p. 23. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
11. Masterton, James (2019). "Sonia". Chart Watch UK - Hits of 1989. Independently Published. ISBN 9781090753205.
12. Dunn, Matt (16 January 2014). "15 unforgettable Stock Aitken Waterman singles". WhatCulture. Retrieved 23 January 2024.
13. "Top 40 Stock Aitken Waterman songs". Classic Pop. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
14. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
15. Copsey, Rob (7 May 2021). "Official Top 40 best-selling songs of 1989". Official Charts. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
16. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – You'll Never Stop Me". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
17. "Top 3 Singles in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 6, no. 39. 30 September 1989. p. VII. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
18. "Sonia – You'll Never Stop Me Loving You". VG-lista. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
19. Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
20. Nyman, Jake (2005). Suomi soi 4: Suuri suomalainen listakirja (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 951-31-2503-3.
21. "Sonia – You'll Never Stop Me Loving You" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
22. "Offiziellecharts.de – Sonia – You'll Never Stop me Loving You" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
23. "Sonia – You'll Never Stop Me Loving You". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
24. "Sonia – You'll Never Stop Me Loving You" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
25. "Sonia – You'll Never Stop Me Loving You" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
26. "Eurochart Hot 100" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 6, no. 31. 5 August 1989. p. IV. OCLC 29800226. Retrieved 30 August 2020 – via World Radio History.
27. "Playlist report – The most played records in Europe!" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 6, no. 30. 29 July 1989. p. II. OCLC 29800226. Retrieved 17 October 2023 – via World Radio History.
28. "European Airplay Top 50" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 6, no. 32. 12 August 1989. p. III. OCLC 29800226. Retrieved 31 July 2023 – via World Radio History.
29. "Sonia – You'll Never Stop Me Loving You". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
30. "Dance Club Songs". Billboard. 21 April 1990. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
31. "Dance Singles Sales". Billboard. 7 April 1990. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
32. You'll Never Stop Me Loving You (UK 7-inch single sleeve). Sonia. Chrysalis Records, PWL Records. 1989. CHS 3385.
33. You'll Never Stop Me Loving You (UK 12-inch single sleeve). Sonia. Chrysalis Records, PWL Records. 1989. CHS 12 3385.
34. You'll Never Stop Me Loving You (UK cassette single sleeve). Sonia. Chrysalis Records, PWL Records. 1989. CHSMC3385.
35. You'll Never Stop Me Loving You (UK 12-inch remix single vinyl disc). Sonia. Chrysalis Records, PWL Records. 1989. CHSR 12 3385.
36. You'll Never Stop Me Loving You (US cassette single sleeve). Sonia. Chrysalis Records, PWL Records. 1990. 4JM 23385.
37. You'll Never Stop Me Loving You (Japanese mini-CD single liner notes). Sonia. Chrysalis Records, PWL Records. 1989. XP10-2102.
38. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 35, 1989" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
39. "Sonia – You'll Never Stop Me Loving You". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 1 April 2023.
40. "Top Dance Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 5 August 1989. p. 16. Retrieved 2 August 2023 – via World Radio History.
41. "Eurochart Hot 100 1989" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 6, no. 51. 23 December 1989. p. 6. OCLC 29800226. Retrieved 17 January 2020 – via World Radio History.
42. "Year End Singles". Record Mirror. 27 January 1990. p. 44.