Never Ever (Ciara song)
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"Never Ever" is a song performed by R&B singer
Ciara Ciara Princess Wilson ( ; Harris; born October 25, 1985) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, model and entrepreneur. She released her debut studio album, '' Goodies'' in 2004, which spawned four singles: " Goodies" (featuring Petey Pa ...
. It is the first single released from her third studio album, '' Fantasy Ride''. The song features rapper
Young Jeezy Jay Wayne Jenkins (born September 28, 1977), known by his stage name Jeezy (or Young Jeezy), is an American rapper. Signing to Def Jam Recordings in 2004, his major label debut, '' Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101'', was released the followin ...
, was produced by
Polow da Don Jamal Fincher Jones (born October 15, 1977, or 1978), professionally known as Polow da Don, is an American record producer and rapper. Jones has produced a variety of singles for a multitude of artists including "Anaconda" by Nicki Minaj (2014) ...
, and was co-written by Ciara and Elvis "BlacElvis" Williams, who both produced and co-wrote Ciara's single, "
Promise A promise is a commitment by someone to do or not do something. As a noun ''promise'' means a declaration assuring that one will or will not do something. As a verb it means to commit oneself by a promise to do or give. It can also mean a capacity ...
", from her second album, '' Ciara: The Evolution''.(December 19, 2008)
Ciara Better Than ‘Ever’ on New Single
''Rap-Up''. Retrieved December 19, 2008.


Background

For "Never Ever", Ciara collaborated with previous collaborator and associate Polow da Don, as well as
Blac Elvis Elvis Williams (born April 12, 1981), better known as Blac Elvis, is an American record producer, musician, and songwriter. Career He rose to fame in 2005 co-producing alongside Polow da Don, producing hits for Ludacris, Ciara, Kelly Rowland, F ...
. Ciara previously worked with the two on a previous single, "
Promise A promise is a commitment by someone to do or not do something. As a noun ''promise'' means a declaration assuring that one will or will not do something. As a verb it means to commit oneself by a promise to do or give. It can also mean a capacity ...
" (2006). Polow da Don told
MTV News MTV News is the news production division of MTV. The service is available in the US with localized versions on MTV's global network. In February 2016, MTV Networks confirmed it would refresh the MTV News brand in 2016, to compete with the likes ...
, "We both came up and were raised in the same camp. We've known each other for a long time." When talking about the working relationship between him and Ciara, he replied, "We actually just have this natural chemistry that I don't even have with some of my own artists. I understand her and I understand what she should be doing. I look at it like this: When I work with her, I'm a fan, and this is what I want her to be doing." Polow da Don went on to compare he and Ciara as having the formula to becoming the new
Aaliyah Aaliyah Dana Haughton (; January 16, 1979 – August 25, 2001) was an American singer and actress. She has been credited for helping to redefine contemporary R&B, pop and hip hop, earning her the nicknames the "Princess of R&B" and " ...
and
Timbaland Timothy Zachery Mosley (born March 10, 1972), known professionally as Timbaland, is an American record producer, rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. He has received widespread acclaim for his innovative production work and distinc ...
, a famed singer-producer combination in the late 1990s. Polow da Don also called the song a "hard midtempo", calling it an R&B version of a hard rap track, commenting, "where dudes can ride around in their cars and listen to R&B and not feel like a girl." Polow went on to call it "hard like a rap record", and said that was the reason why
Young Jeezy Jay Wayne Jenkins (born September 28, 1977), known by his stage name Jeezy (or Young Jeezy), is an American rapper. Signing to Def Jam Recordings in 2004, his major label debut, '' Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101'', was released the followin ...
didn't have a problem adding his contributions to it. Ciara went on to characterize the song as "one of those real records." She elaborated on that in particular on the set of the video shoot for the song, explaining:
"I can relate to it myself. I've been in a relationship before where I've given 100 percent, and I feel like I was given 80 percent. I fought so long to try and keep it up — keep it afloat and to keep it together, and you got to realize that if somebody's not going to want to — and the key word is 'want to' — love you the same way you love them, then it shouldn't be. It's a real situation, and it seems to be very common nowadays in conversations about love and relationships. I definitely know should be talked about, and I've experienced it before."
The song's chorus samples the 1972 worldwide hit, "
If You Don't Know Me by Now "If You Don't Know Me by Now" is a song written by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, and recorded by the Philadelphia soul musical group Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes. It became their first hit after being released as a single in September 1972, toppi ...
", by popular
Philadelphia soul Philadelphia soul, sometimes called Philly soul, the Philadelphia sound, Phillysound, or The Sound of Philadelphia TSOP, is a genre of late 1960s–1970s soul music characterized by funk influences and lush instrumental arrangements, often feat ...
musical group, ''
Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes were an American soul and R&B vocal group. One of the most popular Philadelphia soul groups of the 1970s, the group's repertoire included soul, R&B, doo-wop, and disco. Founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in ...
''. Because of that, the song's writers and producers Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff, known as the songwriting and production duo
Gamble and Huff Kenneth Gamble (born August 11, 1943, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) and Leon A. Huff (born April 8, 1942, Camden, New Jersey) are an American songwriting and production team credited for developing the Philadelphia soul music genre (also known as ...
received songwriting credits


Critical reception

Idio Magazine gave the song a positive review, stating that "The best artists are skilled at switching between a variety of musical styles and lyrical themes. In Ciara's case, complementing her club bangers ''(Goodies, 1,2 Step, Get Up, Go Girl)'' are slower, more laid-back jams ''(And I, Promise, Can’t Leave 'Em Alone)''. Staying true to that gameplan, she has re-enlisted 'Promise' producer
Polow da Don Jamal Fincher Jones (born October 15, 1977, or 1978), professionally known as Polow da Don, is an American record producer and rapper. Jones has produced a variety of singles for a multitude of artists including "Anaconda" by Nicki Minaj (2014) ...
for the latest single from her long-awaited junior album, Fantasy Ride." The magazine goes on to say that the single is "a smooth track encouraging females not to let their unrequited love for any man ruin their lives, but CiCi doesn’t neglect to provide a male perspective: enter
Young Jeezy Jay Wayne Jenkins (born September 28, 1977), known by his stage name Jeezy (or Young Jeezy), is an American rapper. Signing to Def Jam Recordings in 2004, his major label debut, '' Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101'', was released the followin ...
, who delivers a guest verse reminiscent of his contribution on Usher's ''" Love in This Club"''. In a nutshell, Never Ever has something for everyone."(January 6, 2009)
***New Single A Hit***
''IdioMag.com''. Retrieved January 6, 2009.
Andy Kellman of
Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
noted the song as one of the standout tracks on ''Fantasy Ride''.


Release

The single was sent to impact urban and mainstream/pop radio on January 19, 2009. Since its release at radio, the single has quickly garnered airplay success, even though major promotion hasn't begun yet, and despite a music video not previously being released.(January 22, 2009)
***Never, Ever***
''Myspace''. Retrieved January 22, 2009.
Starting on January 24, the song was promoted as the featured single on Myspace. As of January 21, the song has garnered enough airplay that it debuted on the
Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 p ...
at number 5.(January 22, 2009). [] ''Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Bubbling Under''. Retrieved January 22, 2009. This single debuted on the US ''Billboard'' Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles at number 70, becoming the highest debut of the week for January 29, 2009.(January 22, 2009).[] ''Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Bubbling Under''. Retrieved January 22, 2009. The following week, the single made a jump from number 70 to number 58 on the same chart.(January 22, 2009)

''Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Bubbling Under''. Accessed February 5, 2009.
The same week, the single debuted on the Billboard (magazine), Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart at number 38, also becoming the highest debut of the week for this chart. As of February 12, 2009, the single has peaked at number 54 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.(February 5, 2009

''Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Bubbling Under''. Accessed February 5, 2009.


Chart performance

In the single's first week of release, the song has sold 15,000 downloads, according to Nielsen SoundScan. On the issue date March 7, 2009, the single debuted at number 96 on the US Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart. In its second week, the single climbed to number 79 on the chart. On the issue date May 16, 2009, the single reached its peak at number 66 on the chart. The song stayed on the chart for a total of 25 weeks. The single also peaked at number nine on the US
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...
chart, becoming Ciara's eleventh top-ten single on that chart. The single was certified
gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...
by the
Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
(RIAA) for sales of over 500,000 digital copies in the United States. The song was also set to serve as the first single from " Fantasy Ride" in the United Kingdom and Ireland but was scrapped due to "Never Ever" performing poorly in the United States and because "
Love Sex Magic "Love Sex Magic" is a song by American singer Ciara from her third studio album, ''Fantasy Ride'' (2009). Featuring fellow American recording artist Justin Timberlake, the song was written by Timberlake and his production team The Y's and Mike E ...
" was already receiving attention. The song reached number one on the Sweden download charts on iTunes. The song was due to be released as the third single in the United Kingdom, and the music video began circulating music channels, and local urban music stations (such as
Kiss 100 Kiss is a British digital radio station owned and operated by Bauer as part of the Kiss Network. It is primarily aimed at the 15-34 age group and broadcasts nationally to the UK on DAB Digital Radio, as well as on FM in London, Bristol an ...
, and
Choice FM Capital XTRA (formerly Choice FM) is a Global-owned radio station that broadcasts on 96.9 FM and 107.1 FM in Greater London. Nationally, it is heard on DAB Digital Radio, Freesat, Sky, Virgin Media and Global Player. It specialises in hip ...
) began rotating the song, however the original album version was not used, the Mike D Radio Mix version took its place, however when news was announced that Ciara was recording her fourth studio album, plans for the single were scrapped and the music video and single have been taken off stations playlists. Due to minor promotion, the single did not chart.


Music video

Ciara shot the music video for the single in Atlanta in January 2009.
Young Jeezy Jay Wayne Jenkins (born September 28, 1977), known by his stage name Jeezy (or Young Jeezy), is an American rapper. Signing to Def Jam Recordings in 2004, his major label debut, '' Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101'', was released the followin ...
, the song's featured act, made an appearance in the video. A few pictures of the video shoot was released on the web on the following Monday. R&B singer
Ruben Studdard Ruben Studdard (born September 12, 1978) is an American singer and actor. He rose to fame as winner of the second season of ''American Idol'' and received a Grammy Award nomination in 2003 for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for his recording of ...
, Late rapper Dolla (who would be gunned down four months later on May 18, 2009), production team Jasper Cameron and Big Reese, who are also longtime friends of Ciara's, choreographer Jamaica Craft, and R&B singer Monica are cameos in the music video. The project, which was directed by Chris Robinson, had its release date set for January 31, as confirmed by ''
Yahoo! Music Yahoo! Music was a brand under which Yahoo! provided a variety of music services, including Internet radio, music videos, news, artist information, and original programming. Previously, users with Yahoo! accounts could gain access to hundreds of ...
''. The video was released on January 30, 2009
BET Black Entertainment Television (acronym BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting African-American audiences. It is owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global via BET Networks and has offices in New York City, Los A ...
's
Access Granted ''Access Granted'' is an American television series that features an in depth look at the planning, filming and production of R&B and hip hop music videos. Each week a different artist and their new music video are featured, with the video pre ...
. The video begins with Ciara and a group of her friends discussing the characteristics of unrequited love with the Ciara song
Promise A promise is a commitment by someone to do or not do something. As a noun ''promise'' means a declaration assuring that one will or will not do something. As a verb it means to commit oneself by a promise to do or give. It can also mean a capacity ...
playing in the background, which leads to a scene with Ciara dancing in her penthouse apartment. This scene is mixed with footage of a montage of close-ups with Ciara reciting the song (these clips are shown throughout the whole video). We are then introduced to a party scene, where Ciara and her boyfriend, portrayed by actor Kevin Phillips, are seen dancing with each other. While dancing, her boyfriend glances at another girl in the party - Ciara catches this and walks off, where her boyfriend then catches her and grabs her arm. The video then cuts to a dance sequence, with Ciara and her back-up dancers, in the middle of the crowd in the party. All the while, Ciara and her boyfriend are still arguing. Young Jeezy's scene in front of a golden backdrop is then shown, with Ciara standing beside him. Meanwhile,
Al Horford Alfred Joel Horford Reynoso (born June 3, 1986) is a Dominican professional basketball player for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "Big Al", Horford is a five-time NBA All-Star and is the highest paid L ...
comes up to Ciara, introduces himself, and asks her to dance. Realizing that she needs to let go of this frustrating relationship with her boyfriend and move on, she accepts. The video closes out with Ciara reciting the last line of the song, "If that boy don't love you by now..."


Live performances

Ciara performed the song on May 12, 2009 on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. She also performed the song on ''
Good Morning America ''Good Morning America'' (often abbreviated as ''GMA'') is an American morning television program that is broadcast on ABC. It debuted on November 3, 1975, and first expanded to weekends with the debut of a Sunday edition on January 3, 1993. Th ...
'' and ''
Live with Regis and Kelly ''Live with Kelly and Ryan'' (or simply ''Live'') is an American syndicated morning talk show hosted by Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest. Executive produced by Michael Gelman, the ''Live with...'' show formula has aired under various hosts since ...
''. She also performed the song at London's G-A-Y nightclub.


Formats and track listings

These are the formats and track listings of major single releases of "Never Ever". ;US CD Single # "Never Ever" (Album version) – 4:32 # "Never Ever" (Main) – 4:57 # "Never Ever" (Instrumental) – 4:57 # "Never Ever" (Acapella) – 4:20 ;Digital download (Released: February 3, 2009) # "Never Ever" – 4:33


Credits

* Written by Elvis Williams, Ciara Harris, Ester Dean, Jay Jenkins, Kenneth Gamble, Leon Huff * Produced by
Polow da Don Jamal Fincher Jones (born October 15, 1977, or 1978), professionally known as Polow da Don, is an American record producer and rapper. Jones has produced a variety of singles for a multitude of artists including "Anaconda" by Nicki Minaj (2014) ...
&
Ester Dean Esther Renay Dean (born April 15, 1986) is an American singer, songwriter, music producer and actress. Dean has also written songs for many artists, with numerous Top 10 hits, including No. 1 hits for Rihanna and Katy Perry, earning the name " ...
* Mixed by: Marcella "Ms. Lago" Araica * Lead & Background Vocals by Ciara * Additional Background Vocals by Jamal Jones, Jay Jenkins * All Programming by Jamal Jones * Recorded by: Carlton "C Boog" Lynn * Additional Recording at: Chalice Studios, Los Angeles, CA


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Certifications


Release history


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Never Ever (Ciara Song) 2009 singles Ciara songs Music videos directed by Chris Robinson (director) Pop ballads Contemporary R&B ballads Song recordings produced by Polow da Don Jeezy songs Songs written by Ciara Songs written by Blac Elvis Songs written by Ester Dean Songs written by Jeezy LaFace Records singles RCA Records singles 2009 songs Songs written by Jasper Cameron