Never Ever (The Rubens song)
"Never Ever" is a song by Australian alternative rock group The Rubens featuring Sarah. The song was released on 13 April 2018 as the second single from the group's third studio album, Lo La Ru.
| "Never Ever" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by The Rubens featuring Sarah | ||||
| from the album Lo La Ru | ||||
| Released | 13 April 2018 | |||
| Length | 3:19 | |||
| Label | Ivy League | |||
| Composer(s) | Sarah Aarons, Elliott Margin, Sam Margin | |||
| Producer(s) | Eric J | |||
| The Rubens singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Never Ever" on YouTube | ||||
Background and release
The Rubens received an email from Sarah Aarons who advised she was going to be in Sydney, was a fan of theirs and was keen to write a song with them. At that time, the group were putting the finishing touches on the album that would become Lo La Ru.[1]
The Rubens keyboardist Elliott Margin said "The day we met Sarah in the studio, she told us that her year 10 teacher introduced her to our song "Lay It Down" and that is what inspired her to do music in year 11 and 12". Margin said the song wasn't meant to be on the album saying "We actually thought with the album completed we would be writing a song for someone else. The main chord structure and melody was something I had been fiddling with for a while but couldn't find the words or story for. After meeting Sarah and having a chat we got stuck into the song... Pretty quickly we realised it needed to be a duet and from there the story started to take shape."[2]
The song is a tale of heartbreak that begins as a stripped back piano ballad but builds into a back-and-forth of blame shifting of a relationship in decay, voiced in a duet between Sam Margin and Sarah Aarons.[3]
At the APRA Music Awards of 2019, the song won Rock Work of the Year.[4]
Music video
The music video was directed by Anna Phillips and released on 11 May 2018.[5]
Reception
A staff writer from The Music described the song as "smooth as silk" adding "the collaboration between the Menangle band and Aarons came together as if it was meant to be."[2]
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[7] | 3× Platinum | 210,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
- "Single Bio: The Rubens – Never Ever (Feat. Sarah) [Ivy League Records]". Mushroom Promotions. 9 May 2018. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
- "ICYMI: The Rubens Debuted A Heartbreaking New Single From Their Upcoming Album". The Music. 13 April 2018. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
- "First Spin: The Rubens detail new album with curveball duet 'Never Ever'". ABC. 12 April 2018. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
- "Sarah Aarons wins Four APRA Awards The Complete Winners List". noise11. 30 April 2019. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
- "The Rubens - Never Ever (feat. Sarah) (Official Video)". 11 May 2018. Retrieved 17 July 2018 – via YouTube.
- "The Rubens feat. Sarah – Never Ever". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
- "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2021 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 3 February 2022.