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Never Gonna Let You Go (Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil song)

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"Never Gonna Let You Go"
Song by Dionne Warwick
from the album Friends in Love
ReleasedApril 14, 1982
GenreAdult contemporary, R&B
Length4:50
LabelArista
Songwriter(s)Cynthia Weil, Barry Mann
Producer(s)Jay Graydon
"Never Gonna Let You Go"
Song by Stevie Woods
from the album The Woman in My Life
Released1982
GenreSoul, R&B
Length4:54
LabelCotillion
Songwriter(s)Cynthia Weil, Barry Mann
"Never Gonna Let You Go"
Single by Sérgio Mendes
from the album Sérgio Mendes
B-side"Carnaval"
ReleasedApril 1983
Length4:15
LabelA&M
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Sérgio Mendes
Sérgio Mendes singles chronology
"Bridges"
(1978) 		"Never Gonna Let You Go"
(1983) 		"Voodoo"
(1983)

"Never Gonna Let You Go" is a popular song from 1982, written by the husband-and-wife songwriting team of Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann. Weil wrote the lyrics, while Mann wrote the music. It was first recorded by Dionne Warwick for her 1982 album Friends in Love, and then by singer Stevie Woods for his 1982 album The Woman in My Life. Its best known rendition is by Brazilian bandleader Sérgio Mendes, on his 1983 self-titled album, sung by Joe Pizzulo and Leeza Miller.

Weil and Mann had originally submitted "Never Gonna Let You Go" to American funk band Earth, Wind & Fire, but they decided not to record the song.[1][page needed]

Mendes, preparing for the release of his 1983 album, was quoted as saying, "All the other songs on the album were up and festive. I needed a ballad on the album, just to change the pace a bit."[1] Mendes' version was a hit, matching the No. 4 peak of his previous best showing on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, "The Look of Love", in 1968.[2] It spent four weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart and peaked at No. 28 on the Billboard R&B chart.[1]

On the Radio & Records airplay chart the song debuted #26 on the May 13, 1983 issue; after six weeks it reached and peaked at #7 for one week; the single stayed on the top 10 for three weeks and remained on the chart for twelve weeks.[3] The song was successful, especially in Brazil, being played on Rede Globo's soap opera Final Feliz.

In a June 2021 video posted on YouTube, record producer Rick Beato called "Never Gonna Let You Go" "the most complex pop song of all time", due to its use of frequent key changes, inverted chords and unusual chord progressions.[4] Beato's discussion includes a detailed harmonic analysis of the Sérgio Mendes arrangement.

Chart performance

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Weekly charts

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Weekly chart performance for "Never Gonna Let You Go" by Sérgio Mendes
Chart (1983) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[5] 17
Belgium[6] 35
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[7] 5
Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[8] 3
Ireland (IRMA)[9] 14
Netherlands[6] 26
South Africa (Springbok)[10] 23
UK Singles (OCC)[11] 45
US Billboard Hot 100[12] 4
US Radio & Records CHR/Pop Airplay Chart[13] 7
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[14] 1
US Hot Black Singles (Billboard)[15] 28
US Cash Box Top 100[16] 3

Year-end charts

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Year-end chart performance for "Never Gonna Let You Go" by Sérgio Mendes
Chart (1983) Rank
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[17] 52
US Billboard Hot 100[18] 16
US Billboard Adult Contemporary[19] 2

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Hyatt, Wesley (1999). The Billboard Book of No. 1 Adult Contemporary Hits (Billboard Publications)
  2. ^ Whitburn, Joel (1996). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 6th Edition (Billboard Publications)
  3. ^ "Never gonna let you go". wweb.uta.edu. Retrieved 2017-06-25.
  4. ^ Beato, Rick. "The Most COMPLEX Pop Song of All Time". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-15. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
  5. ^ "australian-charts.com - Forum - Top 100 End of Year AMR Charts - 1980s (ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts)". australian-charts.com.
  6. ^ a b "Sergio Mendes - Never Gonna Let You Go". Charts.nz.
  7. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 4309." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved June 25, 2017.
  8. ^ "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 6282." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved June 25, 2017.
  9. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Never Gonna Let You Go". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved July 12, 2018.
  10. ^ "South African Rock Lists Website SA Charts 1969 – 1989 Acts (M)". Rock.co.za. Retrieved 8 September 2018.
  11. ^ "Sergio Mendes: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 25, 2017.
  12. ^ "Sergio Mendes Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved June 25, 2017.
  13. ^ "Sergio Mendes". Wweb.uta.edu.
  14. ^ "Sergio Mendes Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved June 25, 2017.
  15. ^ "Sergio Mendes Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved June 25, 2017.
  16. ^ "Cash Box Top 100 8/06/83". Tropicalglen.com.
  17. ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Archived from the original on 2012-10-21.
  18. ^ "Top 100 Hits of 1983/Top 100 Songs of 1983". Musicoutfitters.com.
  19. ^ "Top 50 Adult Contemporary Hits of 1983 - 45cat". 45cat.com.
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