Never Gonna Dance Again

## **Never Gonna Dance Again** by Sugababes

**Never Gonna Dance Again** is the second track of the Sugababes' fifth album, *Change*. The song is written by the Sugababes and Xenomania, who also produced the track.

## Background

"Never Gonna Dance Again" was originally written and recorded with former group member Mutya Buena for the group's previous album *Taller in More Ways*, but was cut from the final track listing due to the girls not being fond of the song. During production of the fifth album, they came back to the song and grew to like it, prompting the group to add it to the track listing of *Change*.

The song is a midtempo pop song that displays musical elements of dance-pop. Nick Levine of Digital Spy wrote that the song's "desperately sad disco lament" is composed "almost entirely at mid-tempo." Fraser McAlpine of the BBC characterized the track as a "dancefloor tearjerker", similar to "Closer" by Ne-Yo and "Teardrops" by Womack & Womack, whereas *The Trades* writer Paul Schultz called it a "break-up ode".

Lyrically, "Never Gonna Dance Again" is about the break-up of a relationship which is set on a dancefloor. During the chorus, Sugababes sing the lines "I lost the rhythm when you said it's over / As the final record starts to fade, I feel the dancefloor turning colder". *The Guardian'*s Alexis Petridis and Schultz have both noted that the song's lyrical content is reminiscent to that of George Michael's song, "Careless Whisper".

### Reception

"Never Gonna Dance Again" garnered a mixed reception from music critics. McAlpine wrote that the song "immediately feels like the girls have struck gold again". Levine suggested that "Never Gonna Dance Again", along with the album's singles "Denial" and "Change", demonstrates the group has "managed to grow up without losing their way with a melody". He elaborated that the song "seems to showcase a more reflective Sugababes". Petridis called it a "classy" example of the group's "trademark clever, referential pop", while *The Independent'*s Andy Gill praised Xenomania's production of the song, saying that it "makes the most of its winningly logical melody".

Ally Carnwath of *The Observer* wrote that the track is a "surprisingly energetic mope around the disco", although admitted that the "elegiac tone" of the song's lyrics is a "real comedown". A writer for *The Scotsman* criticized it as a "dreary, formulaic break-up song", additionally noting that the track is not catchy like "About You Now". An editor for *Stornoway Gazette* admitted that although disco-friendly, "Never Gonna Dance Again" is the album's starting point of "disappointment", while saying that it "has the feeling of being tired and slightly jaded in comparison to the strength of the previous offering", referring to the album's lead single "About You Now". *NME* wrote that it seems "less than a threat and more of a promise."

## Personnel

* Guitar – Nick Coler
* Keyboards, Programmed By – Brian Higgins, Matt Gray, Miranda Cooper, Tim Powell
* Mixed By – Jeremy Wheatley
* Mixed By [Assisted By] – Richard Edgeler
* Producer – Brian Higgins, Xenomania
* Vocals – Sugababes
* Written-By – Brian Higgins, Heidi Range, Keisha Buchanan, Lisa Cowling, Miranda Cooper, Nick Coler, Tim Powell

## References

1. ↑ Sugababes "Change". Digital Spy. http://www.digitalspy.com.au/music/albumreviews/a77325/sugababes-change.html
2. ↑ Change. Discogs. https://www.discogs.com/release/1208389-Sugababes-Change

This page uses Creative Commons Licensed content from Wikipedia (view authors)