"Never My Love" | ||||
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Single by the Association | ||||
from the album Insight Out | ||||
B-side | "Requiem for the Masses" | |||
Released | August 9, 1967 | |||
Recorded | March 27 and June 3, 1967 [1] | |||
Genre |
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Length |
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Label | Warner Bros. | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | Bones Howe | |||
The Association singles chronology | ||||
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"Never My Love" is a pop standard written by American siblings Don and Dick Addrisi, and best known from a hit 1967 recording by the Association. The Addrisi Brothers had two Top 40 hits as recording artists, but their biggest success as songwriters was "Never My Love". Recorded by dozens of notable artists in the decades since, in 1999 the music publishing rights organization Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) announced it was the second most-played song on radio and television of the 20th century in the U.S. [5]
The first recording of "Never My Love" to achieve success was by the Association, an American sunshine pop band from California. Their version of the song, recorded with members of the Wrecking Crew, [6] peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, kept out of the number one spot by "The Letter" by the Box Tops, [7] and hit number one on the Cashbox charts in October 1967, one of the band's five top-ten hits in the late 1960s. [8] Their third number 1 on the Cashbox Top 100 Singles Chart, following "Cherish" (1966) and "Windy" (1967), it was featured on the band's album Insight Out (1967). The song also reached number one in Canada's RPM charts.
By the time the Association's record was certified Gold by the RIAA for one million copies sold as of December 1967, Billboard noted that 16 artists had recorded the song. [9] Their third number one single had made them a top concert act and highly in demand by the TV variety series, specials, and talk shows that were a predominant format at the time, and they performed the hit on The Ed Sullivan Show , The Andy Williams Show , The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour , The Hollywood Palace , The Dean Martin Show , Dick Clark's American Bandstand , Hullabaloo , The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson , The Dick Cavett Show , The Joey Bishop Show , The Steve Allen Show , and a Carol Channing special. [10]
AllMusic's Stewart Mason wrote of the "laid-back and dreamy" single with a "sleek and sophisticated" tune that "the dual lead vocals, by Terry Kirkman and Larry Ramos, are supported by wordless harmonies as effortlessly airy as whipped cream." Mason credited Ray Pohlman's "clever arrangement (with adding) space to the sound through juxtaposing disparate elements like the five-note bass riff that introduces the verses and the electric piano lick that ornaments the chorus, rather than jamming them on top of each other." Mason observed that it sounded "like Pohlman had been paying particular attention to Burt Bacharach's work with Dionne Warwick, a resemblance the 5th Dimension later amplified on their cover of the song." [11]
According to the Insight Out album 2011 reissue, [12] 2002 compilation Just the Right Sound: The Association Anthology, [13] The Association 'Cherish' book, [14] and "Never My Love" AFM contracts: [15]
The Association
Additional musicians
Single version overdub musicians
| Year-end charts
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"Never My Love" | ||||
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Single by the 5th Dimension | ||||
from the album The 5th Dimension/Live!! | ||||
B-side | "A Love Like Ours" | |||
Released | September 1, 1971 | |||
Recorded | April 19 – June 26, 1971 | |||
Genre | Pop | |||
Length | 3:45 | |||
Label | Bell | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | Bones Howe | |||
The 5th Dimension singles chronology | ||||
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"Never My Love" | ||||
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Single by Blue Swede | ||||
from the album Hooked on a Feeling | ||||
B-side | "Pinewood Rally" | |||
Released | 1974 | |||
Recorded | 1974 | |||
Genre | Pop | |||
Length | 2:27 | |||
Label | EMI [35] | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | Bengt Palmers | |||
Blue Swede singles chronology | ||||
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In 1966, before Association sang the song, Japanese idol group Johnnys met producer Barry De Vorzon when they went to the U.S. to study show biz, and he provided the song to them. The song was recorded by the Johnnys, but due to scheduling conflicts, it was never made into a record. [36] [37]
That cover by the American pop group the 5th Dimension was produced by the same man behind the Association's record, Bones Howe. Recorded in 1971, their version reached number 12 on the Hot 100 in November of that year. [8] The recording also hit number one on the Billboard Easy Listening chart, the group's fourth to top that chart, following "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In" (1969), "Wedding Bell Blues" (1969), and "One Less Bell to Answer" (1970). [38] The group's version of "Never My Love" reached number 45 on the Billboard R&B chart. [38] This version also hit number 9 in the Canadian charts. Allmusic's Matthew Greenwald wrote of the 5th Dimension's single, "This version, a vocal solo from Marilyn McCoo, is a great vehicle for her powerful pop voice... A song that has one of the most direct, straightforward loving messages, it remains one of the most-played and performed songs of the pop era, and for good reason." [39]
The Swedish rock band Blue Swede covered "Never My Love" in 1974. This version peaked at number seven on the Hot 100 and remained in the Top 40 for eight weeks and was the third hit version of the song. [8] This version reached number 7 in Canada. [40] Their version was an upbeat take on the song.
The Addrisi Brothers themselves recorded the song three times: The first recording from 1970 remained unreleased until 2001, when Varèse Sarabande released the CD Never My Love – The Lost Album Sessions. The second recording was released as an album track on their 1972 debut album, We've Got To Get It On Again, on Columbia Records. The third recording was released in late 1977 as a single on Buddah Records, which peaked at number 80 on the Hot 100 and number 28 on Billboard's Easy Listening chart [38] and was also included on their second album, Addrisi Brothers.
Additional versions of the song that reached the Billboard charts in the U.S. include the Sandpipers (No. 98 pop, 1968); Vern Gosdin and Janie Fricke (No. 9 country, 1978); and Chill Factor (No. 62 R&B, 1988). [38]
Country singer Sylvia recorded this song for her RCA album Knockin’ Around in 1986. When the album was left in the vault, it was included on her Greatest Hits release from RCA in 1987. On June 7, 2024, the Knockin’ Around was released to streaming services by Sony Music, who now holds the RCA masters.
In 2013, Japanese boyband A.B.C-Z released the song in DVD format, reaching the 1st. spot in the Oricon weekly ranking for DVDs in its release week (not complete), while reaching 2nd as its top rank. [41] [42]
In 1999, the song was recognized as the second most-played song in history, with performances of more than seven million, according to BMI. The number 2 rank on the Top 100 Songs of the Century, listing the most-played songs on American radio and television, placed "Never My Love" between the number 1 song "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'", written by Barry Mann, Phil Spector, and Cynthia Weil, and the number 3 song "Yesterday" by Lennon–McCartney. BMI estimated that the song had received, as of 1999, what amounted to about 40 years of continuous airplay in its 32 years. [5]
In August 2006, music critic David Raposa placed the song at number 152 on Pitchfork 's list of the 200 greatest songs of the 1960s, writing "While the Association's happy-together harmonies might make them seem like just another chirpy pop group aching to be hoisted upon Charles Manson's petard, there's a wispy melancholy to "Never My Love" that lifts it above the rabble. This reassuring affirmation of amour is a California dream that knows the alarm could go off at any time, which, in a world of silly love songs, makes all the difference." [43]
"Me and Bobby McGee" is a song written by American singer-songwriter Kris Kristofferson and originally performed by Roger Miller. Fred Foster shares the writing credit, as Kristofferson wrote the song based on a suggestion from Foster. A posthumously released version by Janis Joplin topped the Billboard Hot 100 in 1971, making the song the second posthumously released No. 1 single in U.S. chart history after "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" by Otis Redding. Gordon Lightfoot released a version that reached number 1 on the Canadian country charts in 1970. Jerry Lee Lewis released a version that was number 1 on the country charts in December 1971/January 1972 as the "B" side of "Would You Take Another Chance on Me". Billboard ranked Joplin's version as the No. 11 song for 1971.
"Too Busy Thinking About My Baby" is a Motown song written by Norman Whitfield, Barrett Strong, and Janie Bradford. The song was first recorded by The Temptations as a track on their 1966 album Gettin' Ready. Eddie Kendricks sings lead on the recording, which was produced by Whitfield. Jimmy Ruffin also recorded a version with The Temptations providing background vocals in 1966. It remained unreleased until 1997.
"I'm a Believer" is a song written by Neil Diamond and recorded by the American band the Monkees in 1966 with the lead vocals by Micky Dolenz. The single, produced by Jeff Barry, hit the number-one spot on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart for the week ending December 31, 1966, and remained there for seven weeks becoming the last number-one hit of 1966 and the biggest-selling single for all of 1967. Billboard ranked the record as the number-five song for 1967. While originally published by Screen Gems-Columbia Music (BMI), it is now published by Stonebridge Music/EMI Foray Music (SESAC), with administration passed to Sony Music Publishing and Universal Music Publishing Group.
"The Way You Do the Things You Do" is a 1964 hit single by the Temptations for the Gordy (Motown) label. Written by Miracles members Smokey Robinson and Bobby Rogers, the single was the Temptations' first charting single on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking in the Top 20 at number eleven; it also went to number one on the Cash Box R&B chart. The song has been an American Top 40 hit in four successive decades, from the 1960s to the 1990s. A version by Hall & Oates featuring Temptation members Eddie Kendricks and David Ruffin was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1986. A cover version by British reggae band UB40 hit number six in the U.S. in 1990.
"Love Is Here and Now You're Gone" is a 1967 song recorded by the Supremes for the Motown label.
"Daydream Believer" is a song composed by American songwriter John Stewart shortly before he left the Kingston Trio. It was recorded by the Monkees, with Davy Jones singing the lead. The single reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart in December 1967, remaining there for four weeks, and peaked at No. 5 on the UK Singles Chart. It was the Monkees' third and last No. 1 hit in the U.S.
"I Was Made to Love Her" is a soul music song recorded by American musician Stevie Wonder for Motown's Tamla label in 1967. The song was written by Wonder, his mother Lula Mae Hardaway, Sylvia Moy, and producer Henry Cosby and included on Wonder's 1967 album I Was Made to Love Her.
"Sea of Love" is a song written by John Philip Baptiste and George Khoury. It was the only top-40 chart-maker for Phillips, who never recorded another hit.
"Piece of My Heart" is a romantic soul song written by Jerry Ragovoy and Bert Berns, originally recorded by Erma Franklin in 1967. Franklin's single peaked in December 1967 at number 10 on the Billboard Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles chart in the United States.
"I'll Never Fall in Love Again" is a popular song by composer Burt Bacharach and lyricist Hal David that was written for the 1968 musical Promises, Promises. Several recordings of the song were released in 1969; the most popular versions were by Dionne Warwick, who took it to number 6 on Billboard magazine's Hot 100 and spent three weeks topping the magazine's list of the most popular Easy Listening songs, and Bobbie Gentry, who topped the UK chart with her recording and also peaked at number 1 in Australia and Ireland, number 3 in South Africa and number 5 in Norway.
"(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher" is an R&B song written by Gary Jackson, Raynard Miner, and Carl Smith. It was recorded by Jackie Wilson for his album Higher and Higher (1967), produced by Carl Davis, and became a Top 10 pop and number one R&B hit.
"Have You Never Been Mellow" is a song recorded by British-Australian singer Olivia Newton-John for her 1975 fifth studio album of the same name. Written and produced by John Farrar, the song was released as the lead single from the album in January 1975.
"More Love" is a 1967 hit single recorded by the American soul group The Miracles for Motown Records' Tamla label. The single, included on the group's 1967 album Make It Happen, later reissued in 1970 as The Tears of a Clown. Kim Carnes's 1980 cover of the song reached the Top 10 of Billboard's Adult Contemporary and Hot 100 charts.
"Up, Up and Away" is a 1967 song written by Jimmy Webb and recorded by US soul-pop act the 5th Dimension with backing from members of The Wrecking Crew. Their original version reached no. 7 on Billboard's Hot 100 in July 1967 and no. 9 on its Easy Listening chart, and number one in both Canada and Australia. In 1999, Webb's song placed 43 on BMI's "Top 100 Songs of the Century".
"Song Sung Blue" is a 1972 hit song written and recorded by Neil Diamond, inspired by the second movement of Mozart's Piano Concerto #21. It was released on Diamond's album Moods, and later appeared on many of Diamond's live and compilation albums. The song was a #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States for one week, the week of July 1, and it spent twelve weeks in the Top 40. It also reached #14 on the UK Singles Chart.
"Love on a Two-Way Street" is a soul ballad written by Sylvia Robinson and Bert Keyes in 1968. The song was originally recorded by Lezli Valentine, an artist signed to All Platinum, the record label that Sylvia Robinson co-owned with her husband, Joe. The song was then recorded by The Moments, an R&B vocal group signed to All Platinum subsidiary Stang Records, as filler for their 1968 album Not on the Outside, But on the Inside, Strong!. Sylvia and Joe decided to release the song as a single in March 1970 and it went on to become one of the biggest R&B hits of that year, spending five weeks at number one on Billboard's Soul Singles chart and reaching number three on the Hot 100 chart. Billboard ranked the record as the No. 25 song of 1970. It was also certified gold by the RIAA for sales of one million copies.
"Never Gonna Fall in Love Again" is a song co-written and recorded by American pop rock artist Eric Carmen. It was released as the second single from Carmen's self-titled debut solo album and peaked at No.11 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart in June 1976, remaining in the Top 40 for ten weeks. The song reached No.1 on the Billboard Easy Listening chart. In Canada, it was a hit at No. 1 on both charts.
"Swayin' to the Music (Slow Dancin')", initially titled "Slow Dancing", is a song written by Jack Tempchin. Under the title "Slow Dancing", the song originally was a minor US hit in 1976 for the band Funky Kings (of which Tempchin was a member). The song became much better known as "Swayin' to the Music (Slow Dancin')" in a 1977 cover version by Johnny Rivers, which became a top ten US hit. It was Rivers' last Top 40 hit in the United States, and became his second Gold record.
"The Things We Do for Love" is a song by British band 10cc, released as a single in 1976. It later featured on the album Deceptive Bends released in 1977 and was the group's first release after the departure of band members Kevin Godley and Lol Creme.
"You'll Never Get to Heaven (If You Break My Heart)" is a song composed by Burt Bacharach, with lyrics by Hal David. It was originally recorded by Dionne Warwick in 1964, who charted at number 34 in the US Billboard Hot 100 with her version. It was covered by the Stylistics in 1973, who reached number 23 in the US with their cover.