Never Meant

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"Never Meant"
Song by American Football
from the album American Football
ReleasedSeptember 14, 1999
RecordedMay 1999
Genre
Length4:28
Label Polyvinyl
Songwriter(s) Mike Kinsella
Composer(s) Steve Holmes
Producer(s) Brendan Gamble

"Never Meant" is a song by American emo band American Football. The opening track on the band's eponymous 1999 debut LP, it is considered to be one of the greatest emo songs of all time. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

Release

American Football's self-titled debut album was released on Polyvinyl Record Co. on September 14, 1999. [4] Fans of the band were mostly fans of Cap'n Jazz, [5] a short-lived emo band that included American Football singer Mike Kinsella on drums. When American Football released, most of the band members had to move back home from college. [6] [7] The band then disbanded after recording the album. In later years, the album, with the help of word-of-mouth, gained cult status since its release. [8]

Reception

"Never Meant" has been critically acclaimed, with Variety and Vulture both ranking "Never Meant" as the greatest emo song of all time, [1] [2] with American pop culture website The Ringer ranking it as the greatest emo song of 1999. [3]

Music videos

On June 5, 2014, a music video was released for "Never Meant". [9] Directed by Chris Strong, the video was filmed inside and around the house that features on the album cover artwork. [10] The video was set in Urbana, Illinois, around 1999. [10] Strong revealed that the storyline was "about a brief relationship occurring between two characters at the end of their college experience". [10] In December, a live video was released for "Never Meant", filmed in October at New York's Webster Hall. [11]

Personnel

Adapted from the liner notes. [12]

American Football

Technical personnel

References

  1. 1 2 Cohen, Ian (February 13, 2020). "The 100 Greatest Emo Songs of All Time". Vulture. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
  2. 1 2 Shafer, William Earl, Angelique Jackson, Emily Longeretta, Pat Saperstein, Ethan Shanfeld, Katie Reul, EJ Panaligan, Maane Khatchatourian, Thania Garcia, Katcy Stephan, Ellise; Earl, William; Jackson, Angelique; Longeretta, Emily; Saperstein, Pat; Shanfeld, Ethan; Reul, Katie; Panaligan, E. J.; Khatchatourian, Maane (October 18, 2022). "The 25 Best Emo Songs of All Time". Variety. Retrieved May 28, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. 1 2 Cohen, Ian (July 25, 2022). "The Best Emo Songs of Every Year, 1985 to Now". The Ringer. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
  4. ↑ "American Football CD". Polyvinyl Recording Co. Archived from the original on January 19, 2001. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
  5. ↑ CMJ New Music Report 1999, p. 17
  6. ↑ Goggins, Joe (June 5, 2014). "Not So Emotional?: American Football's Mike Kinsella on reflection, reminiscence and resurrection - The Line Of Best Fit". The Line of Best Fit . Archived from the original on June 17, 2015. Retrieved June 17, 2015.
  7. ↑ Gormely, Ian (May 6, 2014). "Tim & Mike Kinsella". Exclaim!. Archived from the original on June 15, 2015. Retrieved June 15, 2015.
  8. ↑ Montesinos-Donaghy, Daniel (May 29, 2014). "Spotlight: American Football - S/T". Clash Magazine. Archived from the original on June 15, 2015. Retrieved June 15, 2015.
  9. ↑ Gordon, Jeremy (June 5, 2014). "American Football's "Never Meant" Video Released 15 Years Late". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on June 19, 2015. Retrieved June 15, 2015.
  10. 1 2 3 Gotrich, Lars (June 5, 2014). "American Football, 'Never Meant'". NPR. Archived from the original on July 14, 2015. Retrieved June 15, 2015.
  11. ↑ Adams, Gregory (December 24, 2014). "American Football "Never Meant" (live video)". Exclaim!. Archived from the original on June 15, 2015. Retrieved June 15, 2015.
  12. ↑ Holmes, Steve (2014), American Football (Deluxe Edition CD Booklet), Polyvinyl Records
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