| "Never Say Never" | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Single by Romeo Void | |
| from the album Benefactor | |
| Released | 1982 |
| Recorded | 1981 |
| Genre | |
| Length |
|
| Label | Columbia |
| Songwriter(s) |
|
| Producer(s) |
|
| Audio sample | |
| |
"Never Say Never" is a 1982 song by the new wave band Romeo Void. One of their best-known songs, "Never Say Never" was a favorite on early MTV, featuring a black-and-white music video that spoofs Jean-Luc Godard's Breathless. The song is driven by a throbbing, funky bassline and punctuated by jagged guitar and saxophone, incorporating post-punk influences. The song reached #27 on the Mainstream Rock songs chart in October 1982.
Composition
Musically, the song has been described as post-punk,[1] new wave,[2] dance-rock,[1][3] and disco-punk.[4]
Legacy
The song was featured in the 1984 film Reckless starring Aidan Quinn as a football star and renegade. Quinn's character takes over the school dance's DJ booth to play the single, much to the dismay of all his classmates. A dance sequence ensues with Quinn's character moshing about while a somewhat distraught Daryl Hannah tries to figure out how to dance with him.
A small segment of the song was featured in a scene of the film Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story. It also was included in the 2013 film The Wolf of Wall Street. In 2016, it was featured in the show Ash vs Evil Dead during a scene of the season two episode Trapped Inside.
The song is in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. It is heard in the game on the radio station Wave 103.[5]
Covers
- In 2000 by Queens of the Stone Age, as a bonus track on the album Rated R; the same version was also featured on the soundtrack album of the Thomas Jane film The Punisher (2004). A single was also released in 2000.
- In 2009, the band Julien-K covered "Never Say Never" on their debut album Death to Analog, listing the song title as "Nvr Say Nvr".
Never Say Never (EP)
| Never Say Never | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EP by | ||||
| Released | 1981 | |||
| Recorded | December 1981 | |||
| Genre | New wave | |||
| Length | 20:23 | |||
| Label | 415 | |||
| Producer |
| |||
| Romeo Void chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [6] |
| Robert Christgau | B+[7] |
An EP by American new wave band Romeo Void was released in 1981. It was released on CD in 2006 by Wounded Bird Records, as four bonus tracks to their reissue of Benefactor.
All tracks by Debora Iyall, Peter Woods, Frank Zincavage, Benjamin Bossi and Larry Carter.
- "Never Say Never" – 6:06
- "In the Dark" – 4:33
- "Present Tense" – 5:47
- "Not Safe" – 3:57
- Personnel
- Debora Iyall – vocals
- Peter Woods – guitar
- Benjamin Bossi – saxophone
- Frank Zincavage – bass
- Larry Carter – drums, percussion
Chart positions
- Single
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1982 | US Billboard Mainstream Rock | #27 |
References
- 1 2 Gerard, Chris (30 September 2015). "The 100 Greatest Alternative Singles of the '80s: Part 4: 40 - 21". PopMatters. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
- ↑ Phares, Heather. "Never Say Never - Romeo Void | Song Info". AllMusic. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
- ↑ Billboard. Vol. 95. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 22 January 1983. p. 43.
- ↑ Sheffield, Rob (September 27, 2022). "100 Best Songs of 1982". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
..."Never Say Never," the definitive art-school punk-disco hit.
- ↑ "Radio Stations and Songs - GTA: Vice City Wiki Guide". IGN. Retrieved 2023-03-18.
- ↑ Ruhlmann, William. "Never Say Never [EP] - Romeo Void". AllMusic.
- ↑ "CG: Romeo Void". Robert Christgau.