The song followed two singles, "Freaks Like Me" and "Undone", which were intended as the first and second singles for his then-unannounced ninth album, but were eventually not included after the album was reworked.
The song was co-written by Connie Harrington and Steve Moakler.[3] Harrington and Nichols previously collaborated, as she co-wrote "She Only Smokes When She Drinks" in 2003.[3] Despite the majority of the record and Nichols' previous two singles being produced by Mickey Jack Cones, "Never Gets Old" and album cut "Diamonds Make Babies" were produced by Brent Rowan,[4] whom Nichols previously worked with for 2009's Old Things New.
Content
Perri O. Blumberg of Rolling Stone described the song as a "heartfelt ballad."[2]
Nichols described the song as a throwback, stating, "I tried to round this album out with what my first album was like—traditional country, what got me started, what I love, what I'm passionate about."[5]
Critical reception
Billy Dukes of Taste of Country critiqued the song's lyrics but praised Nichols' delivery.[6] In a five out a five star review, Markos Papadatos of Digital Journal called Nichols "exceptional" and said that his "rich, baritone vocals...are reminiscent of the late Merle Haggard meets Don Williams."[7]
Chart performance
The song has peaked at 49 on the Country Airplay chart, his third consecutive single to miss the top 40, and his lowest charting effort since 1997.
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