Never Gonna Dance Again (song)

For the George Michael song, see Careless Whisper.
"Never Gonna Dance Again"
Song by Sugababes from the album Change
Recorded Twenty One Studios
(London, England)
Genre Pop, dance-pop
Length 3:43
Label Island
Writer Keisha Buchanan, Heidi Range, Miranda Cooper, Brian Higgins, Tim Powell, Lisa Cowling, Nick Coler
Producer Brian Higgins, Xenomania

"Never Gonna Dance Again" is a track recorded by English girl group Sugababes, featured on their fifth studio album Change (2007). It was written by Sugababes members Keisha Buchanan and Heidi Range in collaboration with Miranda Cooper, Brian Higgins, Tim Powell, Lisa Cowling and Nick Coler, and produced by Xenomania. "Never Gonna Dance Again" is a midtempo pop song that displays musical elements of dance-pop. Its lyrical content is in reference to the break-up of a relationship which is set on a dancefloor. It received comparisons to "Careless Whisper" by George Michael. Critical reception for the song was mixed; some reviewers praised the composition and production, whereas others criticized it as "dreary" and "jaded".

Writing and recording

"Never Gonna Dance Again" was written by Sugababes members Keisha Buchanan and Heidi Range in collaboration with Miranda Cooper, Brian Higgins, Tim Powell, Lisa Cowling and Nick Coler. The song was originally written for the groups previous album Taller In More Ways but was cut from the final track listing due to the girls not being fond of the song. When the group were writing the fifth studio album they came back to the track and had come to like the song and was added to the group's fifth studio album, Change (2007).[1] It was produced by Higgins and production team Xenomania, known for their work on other Sugababes singles including "Round Round", "Angels with Dirty Faces", "Hole in the Head", "In the Middle", and "Red Dress".[1] The mixing process was undertaken by Jeremy Wheatley for 365 Artists at Twenty One Studios, located in London, England. This was assisted by Richard Edgeler.[1] Keyboards and programming were provided by Powell, Higgins, Cowling and Matt Gray, while Coler was responsible for the guitar present in the song.[1]

Composition and lyrics

"Never Gonna Dance Again" is a midtempo pop song that displays musical elements of dance-pop.[2] Nick Levine of Digital Spy wrote that the song's "desperately sad disco lament" is composed "almost entirely at mid-tempo."[2] Kim Dawson of the Daily Star described it as a "dreamy mid-tempo with a hint of Ibiza chill-out rhythms".[3] Fraser McAlpine of the BBC characterized the track as a "dancefloor tearjerker", similar to "Closer by Ne-Yo and "Teardrops" by Womack & Womack, whereas The Trades writer Paul Schultz called it a "break-up ode".[4][5] James Cabooter of Daily Mail noted the incorporation of a "heavier US guitar sound".[6]

Lyrically, "Never Gonna Dance Again" is about the break-up of a relationship which is set on a dancefloor. During the chorus, Sugababes sing the lines "I lost the rhythm when you said it's over / As the final record starts to fade, I feel the dancefloor turning colder".[2][7] The Guardian's Alexis Petridis and Schultz have both noted that the song's lyrical content is reminiscent to that of George Michael's song, "Careless Whisper".[5][8]

Critical reception

"Never Gonna Dance Again" garnered a mixed reception from music critics. Cabooter referred to the song, in conjunction with "About You Now", as "damn near perfect pop".[6] McAlpine wrote that the song "immediately feels like the girls have struck gold again".[4] Levine suggested that "Never Gonna Dance Again", along with the album's singles "Denial" and "Change", demonstrates the group has "managed to grow up without losing their way with a melody". He elaborated that the song "seems to showcase a more reflective Sugababes".[2] Petridis called it a "classy" example of the group's "trademark clever, referential pop",[8] while The Independent's Andy Gill praised Xenomania's production of the song, saying that it "makes the most of its winningly logical melody".[9]

Ally Carnwath of The Observer wrote that the track is a "surprisingly energetic mope around the disco", although admitted that the "elegiac tone" of the song's lyrics is a "real comedown".[10] A writer for The Scotsman criticized it as a "dreary, formulaic break-up song", additionally noting that the track is not catchy like "About You Now".[7] An editor for Stornoway Gazette admitted that although disco-friendly, "Never Gonna Dance Again" is the album's starting point of "disappointment", while saying that it "has the feeling of being tired and slightly jaded in comparison to the strength of the previous offering", referring to the album's lead single "About You Now".[11] NME wrote that it seems "less than a threat and more of a promise."[12]

Track listing

  1. "Never Gonna Dance Again" – 3:43

Credits and personnel

Recording
Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Change, Universal Island Records.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Change (liner notes). Sugababes. Island Records. 2007.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Levine, Nick (2007-10-09). "Sugababes: 'Change'". Digital Spy. Hachette Filipacchi Médias. Retrieved 2012-05-29.
  3. ↑ Dawson, Kim (2007-09-17). "Preview - Sugababes: Change". Daily Star. Northern and Shell Media. Retrieved 2012-05-29.
  4. 1 2 McAlpine, Fraser (2008-06-21). "Ne-Yo - 'Closer'". British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 2012-05-30.
  5. 1 2 Schultz, Paul (2007-10-25). "Music Review: Sugababes, "Change"". The Trades. Raul Burriel. Retrieved 2012-05-30.
  6. 1 2 Cabooter, James (2007-10-08). "Album of the week - Sugababes: Change". Daily Star. Northern and Shell Media. Retrieved 2012-05-30.
  7. 1 2 "Change isn't for the better". The Scotsman. Johnston Publishing. 2007-10-05. Retrieved 2012-05-30.
  8. 1 2 Petridis, Alexis (2007-10-05). "CD: Sugababes, Change". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved 2012-05-30.
  9. ↑ Gill, Andy (2007-10-05). "Album: Sugababes". The Independent. Independent Print Limited. Retrieved 2012-05-30.
  10. ↑ Carnwath, Ally (2007-10-07). "Girls wanna stick to having fun...". The Observer. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved 2012-05-30.
  11. ↑ "Sugababes - Change". Stornoway Gazette. Johnston Publishing. 2007-11-15. Retrieved 2012-05-29.
  12. ↑ "Sugababes: 'Change'". NME. IPC Media. 2007-10-12. Retrieved 2012-05-30.
  13. ↑ "Change - Sugababes". iTunes Store. Apple Inc. Retrieved 2012-05-23.
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