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Never Gonna Say I'm Sorry

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"Never Gonna Say I'm Sorry"
Single cover
Single by Ace of Base
from the album The Bridge
B-side"Never Gonna Say I'm Sorry" (Sweetbox Radio Edit)
Released11 March 1996
Genre
Label
Songwriter(s)Jonas Berggren
Producer(s)
Ace of Base singles chronology
"Beautiful Life"
(1995) 		"Never Gonna Say I'm Sorry"
(1996) 		"Life Is a Flower"
(1998)
Music video
"Never Gonna Say I'm Sorry" on YouTube

"Never Gonna Say I'm Sorry" is a song by Swedish band Ace of Base, released as a single on 11 March 1996. It was the third single taken from the band's second album, The Bridge (1995). In Europe, the song peaked at number six in Hungary, number 12 in Denmark and number 17 in Finland. In the US, it reached number six on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart. And in Canada, it peaked at number 53 on the Canadian Hot 100 chart.

Background

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The song was written by band member Jonas Berggren, who was hoping to reproduce the flavour of their 1993 hit "All That She Wants". He specifically mentions the similarities between the two songs in the liner notes of the booklet for The Bridge album. He said, "We decided early on to do an "All That She Wants" arrangement and drums because it's always fun to have something old on a new record."[1]

Chart performance

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"Never Gonna Say I'm Sorry" didn't reach the same level of success as "Lucky Love" and "Beautiful Life", but was a notable hit. It made it to the top 10 in Hungary, where it hit number six. Additionally, the single was a top 20 hit in Denmark and Finland, a top 30 hit in the band's native Sweden and a top 40 hit in Iceland. It didn't chart on the UK Singles Chart in the UK, but peaked at number 78 on the Eurochart Hot 100. Outside Europe, "Never Gonna Say I'm Sorry" reached number seven on the RPM Dance/Urban chart and number 53 on the Canadian Hot 100 in Canada, number six on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart and number 18 on the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales chart in the United States, number 12 in Chile and number 79 in Australia.

Critical reception

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J.D. Considine from The Baltimore Sun felt that the song "tops its "All That She Wants"-style arrangement with a vocal so tinged with regret that it's hard not to wince at the irony in lines like "I will make you happy, make you laugh.""[2] Steve Baltin from Cash Box wrote that songs like "Never Gonna Say I'm Sorry" "work because the band downplays the dance sound, displaying some nice understated pop hooks."[3] Larry Flick from Billboard described it as a "wise single selection" from the act's current album, The Bridge. He added that it "takes this Swedish foursome right back where they began—chirping atop a glossy reggae/pop melody that instantly triggers memories of the breakthrough hit "All That She Wants". It worked once, and chances are good that it will work again. Even the act's harshest critics will have to admit that the hook is instantly memorable."[4]

Dave Sholin from the Gavin Report concluded with that "by providing the planet with all that it wants in the realm of pop music, this Swedish foursome has yet to disappoint its ever-growing legion of fans. Thanks to the creative power of Jonas Berggren, the Ace of Base sound remains distinctive without getting stale. Early spins paint a positive future for single number three from The Bridge."[5] Robbie Daw from Idolator described it as a "bouncy" tune.[6] Brian A. Gnatt from The Michigan Daily stated that the song "carries through with the good ol' familiar style".[7] Pan-European magazine Music & Media noted it as a "mid-tempo dance tune with a dominant, deep beat and the bouncy melodies which have become Ace of Base's musical trademark. Short and snappy, this single can be played at any time of the day."[8] Bob Waliszewski of Plugged In (publication) commented in his review, that on the song, "the singer refuses to compromise who she is".[9] Chuck Campbell from Scripps Howard News Service wrote that "Never Gonna Say I'm Sorry" "is an unapologetic and propulsive reworking of the band's "All That She Wants". It stands to be another smash."[10]

Music video

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The accompanying music video for the song was directed by British director Richard Heslop and released in 1996. The video includes computer-generated imagery and mirror effects designed to make the video feel like a funhouse, much like the video for ABBA's "SOS". In the USA the video was never released as Arista Records was dissatisfied with the video and opted not to release one to accompany the single release.

In Europe the single was accompanied by a short promotion tour by the band and two alternate videos. In the USA the only promotion consisted of tiny misspelled stickers on the CD packaging, although the record company did send out promotional copies of the Sweetbox Radio Mix to radio stations. With the band members away in Europe and with no other form of promotion, the single failed to enter the official US charts, peaking at #106. It was the first Ace of Base single to fail to chart inside of the Top 40 in the US.

Though the US version of the "Lucky Love" video was filmed later, "Never Gonna Say I'm Sorry" was chronologically the last video that was released with major participation from Malin. It was later published on Ace of Base's official YouTube channel in January 2015. As of August 2023, the video has amassed more than 22 million views on Youtube.[11]

Track listings

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Official versions/remixes

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  • Album version / short version / original version – 3:16
  • Lenny B's club mix – 8:24
  • Lenny B's Organ-ic House mix – 7:14
  • Long version / extended – 6:34
  • Rock version – 4:02
  • Sweetbox funky mix / Sweetbox extended mix – 6:46
  • Sweetbox radio edit

Charts

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Chart Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[12][13] 79
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40) 38
Canada Top Singles (RPM) 53
Canada Dance/Urban (RPM)[14] 7
Chile (Chilean Singles Chart) 12
Denmark (Tracklisten) 12
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[15] 78
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista) 17
France (SNEP) 41
Germany (GfK)[16] 44
Hungary (Mahasz)[17] 6
Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)[18] 40
Israel (IBA) 11
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40 Tipparade)[19] 16
Netherlands (Dutch Single Tip)[20] 12
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[21] 24
US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (Billboard) 6
US Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales (Billboard) 18

Personnel

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  • Vocals by Linn Berggren and Jenny Berggren
  • StabGuitar by Chuck Anthony
  • Music by Jonas Berggren
  • Lyrics by Jonas Berggren
  • Produced by Denniz Pop, Max Martin and Jonas Berggren
  • Recorded and produced at Cheiron Studios

Release history

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Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref(s).
Europe 11 March 1996 — Mega [citation needed]
United States 9 July 1996
Arista [22]
22 July 1996
  • 12-inch vinyl
  • CD
  • cassette
 [23][24][25]
Japan 24 July 1996 CD
[26]

Notes

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  1. ^ Berggren, Jonas: The Bridge (album booklet), page 2. Arista Records, 1995
  2. ^ Considine, J.D. (14 November 1995). "'Bridge' puts Ace of Base on the path to new respect Music review: With "The Bridge," the Swedish band shows it goes far deeper than the catchy lyrics that made its reputation". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
  3. ^ Baltin, Steve (23 December 1995). "Pop Albums" (PDF). Cash Box. p. 9. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
  4. ^ Flick, Larry (23 March 1996). "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  5. ^ Sholin, Dave (26 July 1996). "Gavin Picks > Singles" (PDF). Gavin Report. No. 2115. p. 78. Retrieved 16 April 2018.
  6. ^ Daw, Robbie (18 December 2009). "Ace Of Base 'The Bridge': Backtracking". Idolator. Retrieved 6 April 2020.
  7. ^ Gnatt, Brian A. (17 January 1996). "Records: Ace of Base - The Bridge". The Michigan Daily. p. 8. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  8. ^ "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. 23 March 1996. p. 8. Retrieved 5 February 2018.
  9. ^ Waliszewski, Bob. "The Bridge – Plugged In Online Album Reviews". Plugged In (publication). Focus on the Family. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  10. ^ Campbell, Chuck (28 November 1995). "New Releases: Ace Of Base, The Amps, Ozzy Osbourne". Scripps Howard News Service.
  11. ^ "Ace of Base - Never Gonna Say I'm Sorry (Official Music Video)". YouTube. 15 January 2015. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
  12. ^ "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles Chart – Week Ending 09 Jun 1996". ARIA. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
  13. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988-2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
  14. ^ "RPM Dance (Dec 02, 1996)". RPM. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
  15. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. 27 April 1996. Retrieved 24 November 2021.
  16. ^ "Ace of Base – Never Gonna Say I'm Sorry" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
  17. ^ "Top National Sellers" (PDF). Music & Media. 8 June 1996. Retrieved 6 March 2018.
  18. ^ "Íslenski Listinn Nr. 164: Vikuna 6.4. - 12.4. '96" (PDF). Dagblaðið Vísir. 3 April 1996. p. 60. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  19. ^ "Ace Of Base - Never Gonna Say I'm Sorry" (in Dutch). top40.nl. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
  20. ^ "Dutch Single Tip 20/04/1996" (in Dutch). dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
  21. ^ Swedish Singles Chart (Retrieved October 21, 2012)
  22. ^ "Selected New Releases" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1153. 5 July 1996. pp. 36, 42. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  23. ^ "Never Gonna Say I'm Sorry [Vinyl]". Amazon. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  24. ^ "Never Gonna Say I'm Sorry". Amazon. 1996. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  25. ^ "Never Gonna Say I'm Sorry". Amazon. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  26. ^ "ネバー・ゴナ・セイ・アイム・ソーリー | エイス・オブ・ベイス" [Never Gonna Say I'm Sorry | Ace of Base] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
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