“Never Ever” was the second single from All Saints‘ self-titled debut album. It was written by group member Shaznay Lewis after she broke up with her first boyfriend. A demo of the song is what initially caught the attention of the head of their record label after they were signed.
The song topped...
[Intro: Nicole]
A few questions that I need to know
How you could ever hurt me so
I need to know what I've done wrong
And how long it's been going on
Was it that I never paid enough attention
Or did I not give enough affection?
Not only will your answers keep me sane
But I'll know never to make the same mistake again
You can tell me to my face
Or even on the phone
You can write it in a letter
Either way, I have to know
Did I never treat you right?
Did I always start the fight?
Either way, I'm going out of my mind
All the answers to my questions, I have to find
[Verse 1: Melanie & All]
My head's spinning
Boy, I'm in a daze
I feel isolated
Don't wanna communicate
I'll take a shower, I will scour
I will roam
To find peace of mind, the happy mind
I once owned, yeah
[Pre-Chorus: Shaznay]
Flexing vocabulary runs right through me
The alphabet runs right from A to Z
Conversations, hesitations in my mind
You got my conscience asking questions that I can't find
I'm not crazy
I'm sure I ain't done nothing wrong, no
I'm just waiting
'Cause I heard that this feeling won't last that long
[Chorus: All]
Never ever have I ever felt so low
When you gonna take me out of this black hole?
Never ever have I ever felt so sad
The way I'm feeling, yeah, you got me feeling really bad
Never ever have I had to find
I've had to dig away to find my own peace of mind
I've never ever had my conscience to fight
The way I'm feeling, yeah, it just don't feel right
Never ever have I ever felt so low
When you gonna take me out of this black hole?
Never ever have I ever felt so sad
The way I'm feeling, yeah, you got me feeling really bad
Never ever have I had to find
I've had to dig away to find my own peace of mind
I've never ever had my conscience to fight
The way I'm feeling, yeah, it just don't feel right
[Verse 2: Melanie & All]
I'll keep searching
Deep within my soul
For all the answers
Don't wanna hurt no more
I need peace, gotta feel at ease
Need to be
Free from pain, I'm going insane
My heart aches, yeah
[Pre-Chorus: Shaznay & All]
Sometimes vocabulary runs through my head
The alphabet runs right from A to Z
Conversations, hesitations in my mind
You got my conscience asking questions that I can't find
I'm not crazy
I'm sure I ain't done nothing wrong
And now I'm just waiting
'Cause I heard that this feeling won't last that long
[Chorus: All]
Never ever have I ever felt so low
When you gonna take me out of this black hole?
Never ever have I ever felt so sad
The way I'm feeling, yeah, you got me feeling really bad
Never ever have I had to find
I've had to dig away to find my own peace of mind
I've never ever had my conscience to fight
The way I'm feeling, yeah, it just don't feel right
Never ever have I ever felt so low (So low)
When you gonna take me out of this black hole?
Never ever have I ever felt so sad
The way I'm feeling, yeah, you got me feeling really bad
Never ever have I had to find
I've had to dig away to find my own peace of mind
I've never ever had my conscience to fight
The way I'm feeling, yeah, it just don't feel right
Never ever have I ever felt so low (So low)
When you gonna take me out of this black hole?
Never ever have I ever felt so sad
The way I'm feeling, yeah, you got me feeling really bad
Never ever have I had to find
I've had to dig away to find my own peace of mind
I've never ever had my conscience to fight
The way I'm feeling, yeah, it just don't feel right
Never ever have I ever felt so low (So low)
When you gonna take me out of this black hole?
Never ever have I ever felt so sad
The way I'm feeling, yeah, you got me feeling really bad
Never ever have I had to find
I've had to dig away to find my own peace of mind
I've never ever had my conscience to fight
The way I'm feeling, yeah, it just don't feel right
[Outro: Shaznay]
You can tell me to my face
You can tell me on the phone
Ooh, you can write it in a letter, babe
'Cause I really need to know
You can tell me to my face
You can tell me on the phone
Ooh, you can write it in a letter, babe
'Cause I really need to know
You can write it in a letter, babe
You can write it in a letter, babe
Never Ever was written by Sean “Mystro” Mather & Shaznay Lewis & Robert “Esmail” Jazayeri.
Never Ever was produced by Magnus Fiennes & Booga Bear.
All Saints released Never Ever on Mon Nov 17 1997.
A vocal demo of “Never Ever” recorded by the other group members without Shaznay (who wrote the song) was what caught the attention of their record label executive. Shaznay said of the situation:
He asked who had written it, so then they were forced to come back and get me. Looking back on it, that...