I Won't Let You Go (James Morrison song)

"I Won't Let You Go" is a song by British singer James Morrison. The song was released as the first single from his third studio album, The Awakening. The song was first released on 25 August 2011, with the first country receiving a release being Belgium. According to Songfacts, Morrison wrote the mid-tempo ballad about Gill, his long-term girlfriend and the mother of his daughter.^[1] The song was used as a promo for the 2012 season of Home and Away.

"I Won't Let You Go"
Single by James Morrison
from the album The Awakening
B-side	"Right by Your Side"
Released	25 August 2011 (Belgium) 16 September 2011 (Germany)
Recorded	2011
Genre	Pop rock soul
Length	3:49
Label	Island
Songwriter(s)	James Morrison Steve Robson Martin Brammer
Producer(s)	Mark Taylor
James Morrison singles chronology
"Get to You" (2009) "I Won't Let You Go" (2011) "Up" (2011)
Music video
"James Morrison - I Won't Let You Go (Official Video)" on YouTube

Critical reception

Robert Copsey of Digital Spy gave the song an average review stating: ""Take a little time to hold yourself/ Take a little time to feel around," he insists in his unmistakable gruff tones, before the lilting guitars and gentle piano riff shift gear for the swaying, '60s slow-dance chorus. Truth be told there are more adventurous songs in his catalogue, but given his situation, we'd be inclined to play it safe too."^[2]

Jon O'Brien wrote for AllMusic that ""I Won't Let You Go" follows the same heartfelt, acoustic, tearjerker template as his previous two lead singles;."^[3] Pip Elwood wrote a positive review for "Entertainment Focus", stating that "The album’s lead single is a progression from Morrison’s usual sound. The stripped-back song is a heart-wrenching track with a passionate vocal from Morrison."^[4]

Chart performance

The song debuted at number five on the UK Singles Chart, becoming his third top-five hit and biggest hit since "Broken Strings" (2008).^[5] In the second week, the song dropped only one spot, falling to number six.^[6] Elsewhere in Europe, the song attained a lot of success. On the Austrian Singles Chart, the song was Morrison's first number-one single, surpassing his previous peak of number two, with the song "Broken Strings".^[7] In Australia, the song reached 13, Morrison's first appearance in the top 20 since "You Give Me Something" which reached number 7 in 2006.

Music video

A music video to accompany the release of "I Won't Let You Go" was first released onto YouTube on 4 August 2011 at a total length of three minutes and fifty-nine seconds.^[8] The video was shot at Wimbledon Studios, and directed by Phil Griffin.^[9] In the clip, Morrison wakes up to an empty bed, while somewhere in the city, his loved one is lying alone in the middle of the street. When he runs into her, he quickly offers his comfort and lies beside her.^[10]

Track listing

Digital download

No.	Title	Length
1.	"I Won't Let You Go"	3:49
2.	"Broken Strings" (Live at the iTunes Festival, London 2011)	5:29
3.	"Undiscovered" (Live at the iTunes Festival, London 2011)	4:04

CD single^[11]

No.	Title	Length
1.	"I Won't Let You Go"	3:49
2.	"Right by Your Side" (Live at Church Studios)	4:58

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2011–2012) Peak position Australia (ARIA)^[12] 13 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)^[13] 1 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)^[14] 36 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)^[15] 49 Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)^[16] 20 Germany (Official German Charts)^[17] 11 Ireland (IRMA)^[18] 11 Italy (FIMI)^[19] 4 Japan (Japan Hot 100)^[20] 25 Norway (VG-lista)^[21] 8 Romania (UPFR)^[22] 76 Scotland (OCC)^[23] 5 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)^[24] 42 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)^[25] 3 UK Singles (OCC)^[26] 5

Year-end charts Chart (2011) Position Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)^[27] 41 Germany (Official German Charts)^[28] 91 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)^[29] 44 UK Singles (OCC)^[30] 100 Chart (2012) Position Australia (ARIA)^[31] 41

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)^[32]	4× Platinum	280,000^‡
Germany (BVMI)^[33]	Gold	150,000^‡
Italy (FIMI)^[34]	Platinum	30,000^*
Sweden (GLF)^[35]	Platinum	40,000^‡
United Kingdom (BPI)^[36]	Platinum	600,000^‡
^* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Country	Release date	Format	Label
Belgium	August 25, 2011^[37]	Digital download	Island Records
Ireland	September 16, 2011
Germany^[11]	September 16, 2011	CD single
United Kingdom	September 18, 2011	Digital download

Other versions

In 2013, Australian singer Taylor Henderson recorded a version for his album Taylor Henderson.

In April 2012, Daniel Evans, a finalist on The X Factor UK released an acoustic version on his YouTube channel. It also featured on his 2013 album Wicked Game.

References

1. "I Won't Let You Go by James Morrison - Songfacts". Songfacts. Retrieved 21 September 2011.
2. Robert Copsey. "James Morrison: 'I Won't Let You Go' - Single Review". Digital Spy. www.digitalspy.co.uk/.
3. O'Brien, Jon (16 September 2011). "James Morrison - The Awakening". Allmusic. Retrieved 21 September 2011.
4. Elwood, Pip (26 September 2011). . Entertainment Focus. Archived from the original on 5 October 2011. Retrieved 3 October 2011.
5. Sperling, Daniel (25 September 2011). "N-Dubz Dappy snatches first solo No.1 with 'No Regrets'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 3 October 2011.
6. Sperling, Daniel (2 October 2011). "Sak Noel tops UK singles chart with 'Loca People'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 3 October 2011.
7. "JAMES MORRISON - I WON'T LET YOU GO (SONG) - austriancharts.at". Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 October 2011.
8. "James Morrison - I Won't Let You Go". YouTube. 2011-08-04. Retrieved 2016-01-17.
9. "I Won't Let You Go by James Morrison - Songfacts". Songfacts. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
10. Griffiths, David (4 August 2011). "The wait is over James Morrison fans - his new video has arrived!". 4Music. Retrieved 21 September 2011.
11. James Morrison (Künstler). "I Won't Let You Go (2-Track) - James Morrison: Amazon.de: Musik". Amazon.de. Retrieved 2016-01-17.
12. "James Morrison – I Won't Let You Go". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
13. "James Morrison – I Won't Let You Go" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
14. "James Morrison – I Won't Let You Go" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
15. "James Morrison – I Won't Let You Go" (in French). Ultratop 50.
16. "James Morrison: I Won't Let You Go" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat.
17. "James Morrison – I Won't Let You Go" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
18. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – I Won't Let You Go". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
19. "James Morrison – I Won't Let You Go". Top Digital Download.
20. "Google Tradutor". Translate.google.com (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2016-01-17.
21. "James Morrison – I Won't Let You Go". VG-lista.
22. "Official Rumania chart". Retrieved May 13, 2012.
23. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
24. "James Morrison – I Won't Let You Go". Singles Top 100.
25. "James Morrison – I Won't Let You Go". Swiss Singles Chart.
26. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
27. "Jahreshitparade Singles 2011" (in German). Austriancharts.at. Hung Medien. Retrieved 24 June 2012.
28. (in German). MTV Germany. Archived from the original on 9 February 2012. Retrieved 24 June 2012.
29. (in German). Hitparade.ch. Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 15 August 2013. Retrieved 24 June 2012.
30. "End Of Year Chart 2011" (PDF). Official Charts Company. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
31. "ARIA End of Year Singles Chart 2012". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
32. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2015 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 7 November 2015.
33. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (James Morrison; 'I Won't Let You Go')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
34. "Italian single certifications – James Morrison – I Won't Let You Go" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 2 January 2012.
35. "Sverigetopplistan – James Morrison" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 23 December 2022.
36. "British single certifications – James Morrison – I Won't Let You Go". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
37. "I Won't Let You Go - Single by James Morrison on iTunes". Itunes.apple.com. 2011-01-01. Retrieved 2016-01-17.