Never Never Love (song)

"Never Never Love" is a song by British soul and pop band Simply Red. Written by frontman Mick Hucknall, it was featured on their fifth album, Life (1996), and reached number 18 on the UK chart when released in February 1996 by EastWest. The song additionally peaked at number seven in Hungary and number 26 in Iceland. On the Eurochart Hot 100, it reached number 93 in March 1996.

"Never Never Love"
Single by Simply Red
from the album Life
Released	12 February 1996 (1996-02-12)^[1]
Length	4:21
Label	EastWest
Songwriter(s)	Mick Hucknall
Producer(s)	Mick Hucknall^[2]
Simply Red singles chronology
"Remembering the First Time" (1995) "Never Never Love" (1996) "We're in This Together" (1996)
Music video
"Never Never Love" on YouTube

Critical reception

Larry Flick from Billboard wrote, "Simply Red continues to be one of the more reliable sources for old-school soul that is more than a retread of familiar ideas." He explained that "as evident on this breezy number" Hucknall "aims to deconstruct the ideas triggered by his favorite old records with fresh new ones. Topped by winding organ lines and fuzzy funk guitar licks, the song mines a groove that snugly fits between jeep youth and classic disco—with just a touch of jazz to keep you alert."^[3] Kevin Courtney from Irish Times complimented it as a "sweet soul ballad".^[4] A reviewer from Music & Media declared it as a "mid-tempo soulful tune",^[5] while Newcastle Journal described it as a "beautiful slow ballad".^[6] In an retrospective review, Pop Rescue remarked, "This is a nice warm, chilled out track, complete with 'la la la-la la' vocal intro. Mick's vocals suit the bass and beats on this track."^[7] David Gaskey from The Rice Thresher called it "reggae", which "poses the powerful question, So now we've got our independence, what are we gonna do with it?".^[8]

Music video

The accompanying music video for "Never Never Love" features British actresses Billie Whitelaw, Rula Lenska and Stephanie Beacham.

Track listings

• EW029CD1

1. "Never Never Love" (7-inch Radio Mix) (4:05)
2. "Fairground" (Live) (5:45)
3. "You Make Me Believe" (Merv's Amazon Mix) (4:47)
4. "Groovy Situation" (Live) (4:57)

• EW029CD2

1. "Never Never Love" (Too Precious 7-inch Mix) (4:17)
2. "Never Never Love" (DJ Muggs Master Mix) (3:51)
3. "Never Never Love" (DJ Muggs Instrumental Mix) (3:50)
4. "Never Never Love" (Grooving With the Angels Mix) (4:38)
5. "Never Never Love" (US R & B Mix) (4:18)

• EW029C cassette

1. "Never Never Love" (Too Precious 7-inch Mix) (4:05)
2. "Never Never Love" (7-inch Radio Edit) (4:07)

Charts

Chart (1996)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)^[9]	42
Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)^[10]	21
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)^[11]	93
Hungary (Mahasz)^[12]	7
Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)^[13]	26
Netherlands (Single Top 100 Tip)^[14]	3
Scotland (OCC)^[15]	26
UK Singles (OCC)^[16]	18

References

1. "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 10 February 1996. p. 27. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
2. "Simply Red | Never Never Love". simplyred.com. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
3. Flick, Larry (16 March 1996). "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. p. 94. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
4. Courtney, Kevin (13 October 1995). "Rock". Irish Times.
5. "New Releases: Albums" (PDF). Music & Media. 28 October 1996. p. 10. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
6. "Simply Red". Newcastle Journal. 9 October 1995. page 16. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
7. "Review: "Life" by Simply Red (CD, 1995)". Pop Rescue. 28 November 2014. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
8. Gaskey, David (19 January 1996). "Simply Red tries something new". The Rice Thresher. p. 7. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
9. "Simply Red – Never Never Love". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
10. "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 2977." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
11. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 13, no. 9. 2 March 1996. p. 16. Retrieved 24 June 2018.
12. "Top National Sellers" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 13, no. 21. 25 May 1996. p. 18. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
13. "Íslenski Listinn Nr. 157: Vikuna 17.2. – 23.2. '96". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 17 February 1996. p. 26. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
14. "Dutch Single Tip 30/03/1996". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 3 July 2018.
15. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
16. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 May 2020.