"Like You'll Never See Me Again" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter

Alicia Keys Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer and songwriter. A classically trained pianist, Keys began composing songs at the age of 12 and was signed by Columbia Records at 15. After d ...

for her third studio album '' As I Am'' (2007). Written and produced by Keys and Kerry Brothers Jr., it was first heard on October 25, 2007, on Atlanta's V103

WVEE WVEE (103.3 FM broadcasting, FM) – branded as ''V-103'' – is a commercial American radio station in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. It is owned by Audacy, Inc. and airs an urban contemporary radio format. WVEE is one of the highest-r ...

radio station. Subsequently, it was released as the second single from ''As I Am'' on January 22, 2008, by

J Records J Records was an American record label owned and operated by Bertelsmann Music Group until it was transferred to Sony Music Entertainment when they acquired all of BMG's record labels in late 2008 at the end of their merger. It was distribut ...

. "Like You'll Never See Me Again" peaked at number 12 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and became Keys' second consecutive R&B chart-topper, remaining atop the

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 for seven weeks and dislodging Keys' previous single " No One" from the top position. In 2008, the song won two

NAACP Image Awards The NAACP Image Awards is an annual awards ceremony presented by the U.S.-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to honor outstanding performances in film, television, theatre, music, and literature. The over 40 ...

, for Outstanding Music Video and Outstanding Song, and an ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Music Award for Top R&B/Hip-Hop Song.

Composition

"Like You'll Never See Me Again" was written and produced by Keys and Kerry Brothers Jr. Keys explained to

MTV News MTV News was the news production division of MTV. The service was available in the US with localized versions on MTV's global network and an online news team. In 2016, MTV refreshed the MTV News brand to compete with the likes of BuzzFeed and ...

that the song is "about living every moment as if it's your last. Because if it's our last time to say, 'I love you,' then let it be that we didn't forget that."

Critical reception

The song received critical acclaim. Nate Chinem from ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' wrote that the song is "a distant cousin to

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...

’s ' Purple Rain'."Chinen, Nate
Review: ''As I Am''
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

''. Retrieved on 2012-03-13. J. Freedom du Lac from ''

Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'' agreed, writing that "the sexy, Prince-ly track is by far the album's best track.Lac, J. Freedom du
Review: ''As I Am''
''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

''. Retrieved on 2012-03-13. Rodney Dugue from ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spin (physics) or particle spin, a fundamental property of elementary particles * Spin quantum number, a number which defines the value of a particle's spin * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thr ...

'' wrote that the song is a "dreamy lullaby, where she ponders whether she'll be appreciated after a lover stops calling her name."Dugue, Rodney.
Review: ''As I Am''
. ''

'': 120. December 2007.

Edna Gundersen Edna Gundersen is an American journalist who was a longtime music writer and critic for ''USA Today''. Gundersen grew up in El Paso, Texas. She attained a degree in journalism from the University of Texas at El Paso and then wrote features and en ...

from ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...

'' praised the track, referring to it as an "instant and enchanting classic, where Keys simply dazzles, demonstrating her lock on the future regardless of the industry's fate."Gundersen, Edna
Review: ''As I Am''
''

''. Retrieved on 2012-03-13. Stephanie Merrit from ''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. First published in 1791, it is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper. In 1993 it was acquired by Guardian Media Group Limited, and operated as a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' ...

'' called it a "sweet, caramel-smooth track."Merritt, Stephanie
Review: ''As I Am''
''

''. Retrieved on 2012-03-13. Nick Levine wrote for

Digital Spy Digital Spy (DS) is a British-based entertainment, television and film website and brand and is the largest digital property at Hearst UK. Since its initial launch in 1999, Digital Spy has focused on entertainment news related to television pro ...

a very positive review, writing that it is "a smoochy, seductive soul ballad, built around a delicate, Oriental-sounding piano riff, it gives Keys plenty of chance to show off her breathy, Mariah-esque upper register. Best of all, like all Keys' most impressive moments, its melody has a timeless quality that allows it to transcend its modish R&B production."

Commercial performance

"Like You'll Never See Me Again" debuted at number 37 on the ''Billboard''

as the Hot Shot debut of the week, jumping to number 22 in its second week, number 15 in its third week, and to then number nine in its fourth. After climbing to number three in its fifth week, the song reached number two in its sixth week, and then rose to number one in its ninth week, beating off Keys' own song " No One"; this made Keys the second artist since the R&B chart began using

Nielsen SoundScan Luminate Data, LLC (formerly MRC Data and P-MRC Data) is a provider of music and entertainment data. Established as a joint-venture in 2020, it brought together Nielsen Music, Alpha Data (formerly BuzzAngle Music) and Variety Business Intellige ...

data in 1992 to succeed herself at number one, as "Like You'll Never See Me Again" jumped from number two to number one and traded places with "No One", which had topped the chart for 10 weeks. Rapper

Nelly Cornell Iral Haynes Jr. (born November 2, 1974), better known by his stage name Nelly, is an American rapper, singer, and actor. He grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, and embarked on his musical career in 1993 as a member of the Midwest hip hop g ...

accomplished this feat in 2002 with "

Hot in Herre "Hot in Herre" is a song by American rapper Nelly, released as the lead single from his second album, ''Nellyville'' (2002). It was released on May 7, 2002, by Universal Records. It was written by Nelly, Charles Brown, and the producers the Nept ...

" and "

Dilemma A dilemma () is a problem offering two possibilities, neither of which is unambiguously acceptable or preferable. The possibilities are termed the ''horns'' of the dilemma, a clichéd usage, but distinguishing the dilemma from other kinds of p ...

". The song spent seven weeks atop the chart, after which it remained at number two for six weeks thereafter. As of the charting week of September 13, 2008, "Like You'll Never See Me Again" has remained on the chart for 45 consecutive weeks, all of them inside the top 50. Additionally, the song topped the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs year-end chart of 2008. On the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, it debuted at number 93, jumped to number 45 in its second week, and subsequently peaked at number 12. "Like You'll Never See Me Again" was released on February 25, 2008, in the United Kingdom, peaking at number 53 on the UK Singles Chart. In Australia, it debuted and peaked at number 77 on the

ARIA Singles Chart The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...

, number 44 on the Physical Singles Chart, and number 19 on the Urban Singles Chart the week of April 14, 2008.

Music video

The music video for "Like You'll Never See Me Again", directed by

Diane Martel Diane Martel (also known as Bucky Chrome and Diamond Martel) is an American music video director and choreographer. As a music video director, she has worked with Beyonce, Mariah Carey, Christina Aguilera, Sting and Jennifer Lopez. One of her ...

, features cameos by

Common Common may refer to: As an Irish surname, it is anglicised from Irish Gaelic surname Ó Comáin. Places * Common, a townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland * Boston Common, a central public park in Boston, Massachusetts * Cambridge Com ...

(with whom Keys had previously worked with in the 2007 motion picture ''

Smokin' Aces ''Smokin' Aces'' is a 2006 action thriller film written and directed by Joe Carnahan. The film centers on the chase for Las Vegas magician turned mafia informant Buddy "Aces" Israel ( Jeremy Piven), on whom a one-million-dollar bounty is placed. ...

'') as Keys' love interest who is critically injured in a motorcycle accident and Keys' mother Terri Augello as a hospital medic. It tells the story backwards, and the viewer learns that the couple had been arguing. The video premiered on November 13, 2007, on

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

's ''

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'' and

BET Black Entertainment Television (BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting Black American audiences. It is the flagship channel of the BET Media Group, a subsidiary of Paramount Global's CBS Entertainment Group. Originally launched ...

's ''

106 & Park ''106 & Park'' is an American hip hop and R&B music video show, set up in a countdown format, that was broadcast on weekdays at 6:00 pm ET/5:00 pm CT on BET; it aired on a one-day delay on BET International. It was the network's highest- rated ...

''. It debuted at number two on

VH1 VH1 (originally an initialism for Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network that launched on January 1, 1985, and is currently owned by the MTV Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global's networks division based in New Y ...

's '' VSpot Top 20 Countdown'' on February 23, 2008. Keys described the video as "heart-wrenching. If your heart doesn't feel me, then you are dead!".

Track listings

*European / Australian CD single # "Like You'll Never See Me Again" (Album Version) – 5:15 # "Like You'll Never See Me Again" (Seiji Club Mix) – 6:56 *European promotional CD Maxi-single # "Like You'll Never See Me Again" (Radio Edit) – 4:07 # "Like You'll Never See Me Again" (Seiji Remix) – 3:43 # "Like You'll Never See Me Again" (Jony Rockstar Remix) – 3:50 # "Like You'll Never See Me Again" (Video) *US / European promotional CD single # "Like You'll Never See Me Again" (Radio Edit) – 4:07 # "Like You'll Never See Me Again" (Instrumental) – 5:14 # "Like You'll Never See Me Again" (Call Out Hook) – 0:10 *Japanese promotional CD single # "Like You'll Never See Me Again" (Main) # "Like You'll Never See Me Again" (Jony Rockstar Remix) # "Like You'll Never See Me Again" (Seiji Remix) # " No One" (Main) *Digital download # "Like You'll Never See Me Again" (Remix) (featuring

Ludacris Christopher Brian Bridges (born September 11, 1977), known professionally as Ludacris (, spoken as "ludicrous" in American English), is an American rapper and songwriter. Born in Champaign, Illinois, Ludacris moved to Atlanta, Georgia, at age ...

) – 3:57

Credits and personnel

Production *Alicia Keys – producer,

string String or strings may refer to: *String (structure), a long flexible structure made from threads twisted together, which is used to tie, bind, or hang other objects Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Strings'' (1991 film), a Canadian anim ...

programming * Kerry "Krucial" Brothers – co-producer,

drum programming Programming is a form of music production and performance using electronic devices and computer software, such as sequencers and workstations or hardware synthesizers, sampler and sequencers, to generate sounds of musical instruments. These mu ...

*Ann Mincieli –

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, build, maintain and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials. They aim to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while ...

*Zach Hancock – assistant engineer *Seth Waldmann – assistant engineer *

Manny Marroquin Manny Marroquin (born September 21, 1971) is a Guatemalan-American record mixing engineer. He has been credited on albums for high-profile pop, R&B, hip hop and rock acts. He has worked with artists including Rihanna, Kanye West, Katy Perry ...

– mixing *Jared Robbins – mix assistant Musicians *Alicia Keys – vocals, piano, lead Moog, virtual

synthesizer A synthesizer (also synthesiser or synth) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis a ...

s *Steve Mostyn – bass guitar *John "Jubu" Smith – lead guitar, rhythm guitar

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{authority control 2000s ballads 2006 songs 2007 singles Alicia Keys songs Contemporary R&B ballads Music videos directed by Diane Martel Songs written by Alicia Keys Songs written by Kerry Brothers Jr. Song recordings produced by Alicia Keys