"Never Again, Again" is a debut song written by

Monty Holmes Monty Holmes (born in Lubbock, Texas) is an American country music singer-songwriter. Holmes signed to Bang II Records and released his debut album, ''All I Ever Wanted'', in 1998.Monty Holmesat Allmusic His highest charting single, "Why'd You ...

and Barbie Isham, and recorded by American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

artist

Lee Ann Womack Lee Ann Womack Liddell (; born August 19, 1966) is an American country music singer, songwriter, and musician. Her 2000 single, "I Hope You Dance" was a major crossover music hit, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Country Chart and the Top 15 ...

. It was released in March 1997 as the first single from her self titled debut album. The song peaked at #23 on the U.S. ''Billboard''

Hot Country Singles & Tracks Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data from Nielsen BDS along with digital sal ...

(now Hot Country Songs) chart.

Background

Womack told ''Billboard'' she was disappointed when the song peaked and said, "I cannot even begin to explain how bummed I was; I was devastated. That song was like my baby. It's a work of art, so incredibly simple. Anyone could have sung it, and I would have loved it." Frank Dawson of '' KAYD'' said, "It made such an immediate connection with the fans here that we consider it a big hit." Linda O'Brien, music director for ''

KSCS KSCS (96.3 FM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Fort Worth, Texas, and serving the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. The station is owned by Cumulus Media and broadcasts a hot country music radio format. The studios are in the Victory Par ...

'' said, "When Never Again, Again' was released, what a career chance she took, because that could have pegged her as this hick girl-singer. A lot of people probably didn't play it because it was too country, but I think she has helped tremendously. It's almost like a nouveau country, a nouveau traditional thing. She's paved the road for more artists to get back to the format."

Critical reception

Editors at ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' gave the song a positive review and wrote, "This is wonderful, tear-in-the-throat, honest-to-God country music in the grand tradition of Tammy Wynette, Loretta Lynn, and the genre's other legendary female vocalists. "Never Again" boasts a great country lyric, tinged with heartbreak and regret. The production by Mark Wright is laced with a weeping steel guitar, and Womack's vocals are the icing on an already scrumptious cake. Her voice echoes vulnerability and rings with emotional integrity. This is what country music in the '90s should be."

Music video

's first music video was released for the song, directed by Gerry Wenner. Decca senior Vice President Shelia Shipley Biddy said, "We're also getting an unprecedented amount of E-mail from consumers hungry for her kind of music. The CMT video spurred an intense amount of interest. We started getting E-mail 15 minutes after the first airing of the video. We've had listeners say, 'This is what my country radio station should sound like.Flippo, Chet. "Decca's Womack catches fire at radio." Billboard 109.14 (1997): 1. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 6 June 2011.

Chart performance

References

{{authority control 1997 debut singles 1997 songs Lee Ann Womack songs Songs written by Monty Holmes Song recordings produced by Mark Wright (record producer) Decca Records singles