Never (Moving Pictures song)

"Never" is a song written by Dean Pitchford and Michael Gore and recorded by Australian pop rock band Moving Pictures. It was featured on the chart-topping soundtrack album of the 1984 motion picture Footloose.[3][4] The song is best known for a scene in the film when an angst-ridden Ren McCormack (Kevin Bacon) punchdances around an abandoned warehouse.[5][2]

"Never"
Japan release cover
Single by Moving Pictures
from the album Footloose
B-sideWe Share Our Love[1]
ReleasedMay 28, 1984 (1984-05-28) (Australia)[1]
StudioRecord Plant, Los Angeles, California, U.S.[2]
GenrePop rock
Length3:45
LabelColumbia
EMI (Australia)[1]
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)John Boylan
Moving Pictures singles chronology
"Back to the Blues and Booze"
(1983)		 "Never"
(1984)		 "What About Me (Re-release)"
(1989)

The song was also included in the soundtrack of the 2007 film Hot Rod, which parodies the punchdance scene with Rod Kimble (Andy Samberg) in a forest.[6][7] More recently, on April 27, 2014, the song was used in "Baby Got Black", the eighteenth episode of season 12 of Family Guy, with Peter Griffin parodying the Footloose punchdance scene.[8]

Despite the popularity of the song, Moving Pictures were never paid royalties from its use. According to lead vocalist Alex Smith, “We were just the lowest part of the food chain. Gobbled up by companies and people that suddenly stopped existing, when we asked where our money was. The things you get talked into doing! Anyway we got to record at Sound City and The Record Plant but a couple of bucks would have been nice. Hence, we 'Never' play the song.”[2][5][8][9] Guitarist Garry Frost also commented: "We performed it, it was written by the guys that made the movie, and we got nothing from it. Someone made a lot of money out of that song, and it wasn’t us."[10]

Track listing
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Never"
  • Pitchford
  • Gore
3:45
2."We Share Our Love"
  • Alex Smith
  • Charlie Cole
Smith, Cole2:54

Personnel
  • Alex Smith – vocals, guitar
  • Garry Frost – guitar
  • Charlie Cole – keyboards
  • Ian Lees – bass
  • Andy Thompson - saxophone
  • Mark Meyer – drums

MIE version
"Never"
Single by MIE
from the album NEVER
LanguageJapanese
B-side"Otsudane"
ReleasedJune 1, 1984 (1984-06-01)[11]
Genre
LabelCBS Sony
Songwriter(s)
MIE singles chronology
"Shampoo"
(1983)		 "Never"
(1984)		 "Hai to Diamond"
(1984)

A Japanese-language version of "Never" was written by Gorō Matsui and recorded by singer MIE, best known as one-half of the J-pop duo Pink Lady. The single became the most successful in her solo career, peaking at number four in Oricon's singles charts and selling 274,000 copies.[12] "Never" was also used as the theme song for the TBS drama series Furyō Shōjo to Yobarete (不良少女とよばれて, Call Me a Bad Girl).[13]

"Otsudane", the single's B-side, was used for commercials promoting Satsuma Shuzo's Mild Shiranami Otsudane sake.[11]

Track listing
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Never"Gorō Matsui
 
2."Otsudane (おつだね, "That's Good")"Takeshi ShimaRyudo Uzaki 

Chart positions
Charts (1984) Peak
position
Japanese Oricon Singles Chart[12] 4

Other cover versions
  • Demon Kakka covered the song in his 2008 cover album Girls Rock: Hakurai. His cover incorporates both the English and Japanese lyrics of the song.

References
  1. "Moving Pictures - "Never"/"We Share Our Love"". 45cat. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  2. "Moving Pictures: Never paid for 'Never'". Newcastle Live!. 20 April 2016. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  3. Footloose: Original Soundtrack Of The Paramount Motion Picture, 1 January 1987, ASIN B0000025YY
  4. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Footloose [Original Soundtrack]". AllMusic. TiVo Corporation. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  5. Spree, Kylie (1 May 2011). "Return to Innocence for Iconic Eighties Band Moving Pictures". The Sunday Telegraph. News Limited (News Corporation). Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  6. "Hot Rod (2007)". The SoundtrackInfo Project. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  7. Tyner, Adam (16 December 2008). "Hot Rod (Blu-ray)". DVDTalk. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  8. Cashmere, Paul (29 April 2014). "Moving Pictures Family Guy Synch Is Bittersweet For Alex Smith". Noise11. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  9. Chrisfield, Bryget (30 November 2015). "That Time Alex Smith From Moving Pictures Asked, "Who's Shannon Noll?"". The Music. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  10. Rockman, Lisa (22 April 2016). "Moving Pictures are back on the road and ready to record". The Newcastle Herald. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  11. "Mie - Never / おつだね". Discogs. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  12. "Sales figures of Pink Lady and solos according to the Japanese Oricon Chart". Archived from the original on 16 October 2007. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  13. "良少女とよばれて". TV Drama Database. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
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