Never Going Back Again

"Never Going Back Again" is a song written by Lindsey Buckingham that was first released by the British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac on their eleventh studio album Rumours (1977). The song was also released as the B-side to the Top Ten single "Don't Stop" in the US and the "You Make Loving Fun" single in the UK. It was also the B-side of "Dreams" in the Netherlands. "Never Going Back Again" has been covered by other artists, including Colin Reid and Matchbox Twenty.

"Never Going Back Again"
Single by Fleetwood Mac
from the album Rumours
A-side
ReleasedJuly 1977
Recorded1976
StudioSound City Studios in Van Nuys, Los Angeles[1]
GenreFolk rock · country rock · soft rock · pop
Length2:02
LabelWarner Bros.
Songwriter(s)Lindsey Buckingham
Producer(s)Fleetwood Mac, Richard Dashut & Ken Caillat

Fleetwood Mac version

Music historian George Case described "Never Going Back Again" as a "gorgeous" song with "bubbly SoCal philosophies about relationships."[2] It is one of several songs on Rumours that Buckingham wrote in the wake of the breakup of his relationship with fellow Fleetwood Mac member Stevie Nicks. Buckingham recalls it being one of the last songs written for the album, after he had started a rebound relationship with another woman.[3][4] Buckingham regards it as a sweet and naive song and does not consider the lyrics to be very deep.[4] The song reflects a desire not to repeat previous mistakes.[5]

On "Never Going Back Again", Buckingham accompanies himself on acoustic guitar using a Travis picking technique.[6] Buckingham drew further inspiration from session guitarist Ry Cooder.[4] To capture the optimal sound, producer Ken Caillat suggested that Buckingham's acoustic guitar be restrung every 20 minutes. Even though Caillat pitied the guitar tech's job of restringing the acoustic guitar three times an hour for "the entire day", he approved of Buckingham's "magnificent" instrumental passages.[7] When he was overdubbing his vocals, Buckingham realized that he played his acoustic guitar parts in the wrong key, so he recorded the song from scratch the following day.[7]

"Never Going Back Again" is set in a 4
4 signature at a moderate tempo of 88 beats per minute, in the key of F sharp major. Buckingham's guitar is in drop D tuning with a capo on the fourth fret. Buckingham's voice spans from a C#3 to A#4.[8]

The working title for the song was "Brushes" because it was originally recorded with just Buckingham playing acoustic guitar and fellow band member Mick Fleetwood playing a snare drum using drum brushes.[9] In the song's final release, the snare drum was removed.[9][10] However, the drums and lead guitar parts that went unused on the original release were restored and included as a bonus track for the DVD-audio release of Rumours.[10][11] The alternate mix, created by Caillat, was received well by Fleetwood, who encouraged Caillat to place "Brushes" in the running order for the 2004 remaster of Rumours.[12] According to Billboard reviewer Christopher Walsh, these parts represent "a pleasant surprise that adds to the song's emotional punch."[11]

Critical reception and legacy

Rolling Stone critic John Swenson describes "Never Going Back Again" as "the prettiest thing on [Rumours]", noting that the "delightful" vocal "belies the bad-news subject matter."[13] Stylus Magazine critic Patrick McKay regards it as one of the "strongest tracks" on Rumours.[14] While Spin critic Chuck Eddy described "Never Going Back Again" as "an arty trance."[15] Fleetwood Mac biographer Cath Carroll praises "Never Going Back Again" as "a melodically uncluttered song with a simple chorus and a sharp resolve that says everything in a few elegant phrases."[16]

"Never Going Back Again" has appeared on several Fleetwood Mac compilation albums, including 25 Years – The Chain in 1992 and The Very Best of Fleetwood Mac in 2002.[17] The song has also appeared on several live albums.[17] An edited, twelve second shorter version appeared on some later vinyl and CD releases.

Personnel

Charts
Chart (2011) Peak
position
US Rock Digital Songs (Billboard)[18] 35

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[19] Gold 400,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Cover versions

Matchbox Twenty covered "Never Going Back Again" on Legacy: A Tribute to Fleetwood Mac's Rumours.[20] The Matchbox Twenty version is set in a minor key.[20] Billboard Magazine critic Steve Knopper describes this version as "gloomy."[21] Billboard writer Chuck Taylor describes this version as updating the original version's "unassuming demeanor with a subtly aggressive chug-along rock pulse."[22] According to Matchbox Twenty drummer Paul Doucette, the band intended to play around with the song before coming up with their dark interpretation of what Doucette calls "a sad record when you think about it."[21] Doucette felt that the version they came up with "turned out great."[23] Matchbox Twenty lead vocalist Rob Thomas stated that "we took drums from 'Tusk' and put them in there and at the end, turned it into 'The Chain.' We used all minor chords and made it real brooding."[22]

Guitarist Colin Reid covered "Never Going Back Again" on his 2001 album Tilt, with Eddi Reader providing the vocals.[24] AllMusic critic Ronnie D. Lankford Jr. described this version as "lovely," stating that it "offer[s] a fresh take on a perhaps overplayed classic."[24]

The guitar part from "Never Going Back Again" was used (albeit in a lower key than in the Fleetwood Mac version) in a 2014 television commercial for Bank of America.[25]

Danish experimental pop band Slaraffenland covered "Never Going Back Again", inserting free-form jazz figures and changing the instrumentation while keeping the "sunny" sound of the original.[26]

References
  1. Q staff (May 1997). "The recording of Fleetwood Mac's Rumours (February 1976 - February 1977)". Q magazine. No. 128. Retrieved 28 August 2013.
  2. Case, George (2010). Out of Our Heads: Rock 'n' Roll Before the Drugs Wore Off. Hal Leonard. p. 189. ISBN 9780879309671.
  3. Classic Albums - Fleetwood Mac - Rumours. Eagle Rock. 2005. ASIN B0007GADZE.
  4. DeMain, Bill (2004). In Their Own Words: Songwriters Talk about the Creative Process. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 102. ISBN 9780275984021.
  5. "'Never Going Back Again': Know Your 'Rumours': 'Glee' vs. Fleetwood Mac". Rolling Stone. 4 May 2011. Retrieved 2015-06-11.
  6. 25 Top Acoustic Songs - Tab. Tone. Technique. Hal Leonard. 2013. ISBN 9781480359376.
  7. Bosso, Joe (February 7, 2012). "Fleetwood Mac's Classic Album Rumours Track-By-Track: Never Going Back Again". MusicRadar. Retrieved May 14, 2019.
  8. "Never Going Back Again". Musicnotes. 10 June 2013. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
  9. Caillat, Ken & Stiefel, Steve (2012). Making Rumours: The Inside Story of the Classic Fleetwood Mac Album. Wiley & Sons. pp. 144–145. ISBN 9781118218082.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  10. Walsh, Christopher (December 23, 2000). "Surround Sound Demonstrations Impress Confab Attendees". Billboard Magazine. p. 44. Retrieved 2015-06-11.
  11. Walsh, Christopher (June 30, 2001). "DVD Audio". Billboard Magazine. p. 19. Retrieved 2015-06-11.
  12. "Ken Caillat Question and Answer Session". www.fleetwoodmac.net. Retrieved 2019-06-01.
  13. Swenson, John (April 21, 1977). "Rumours". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on June 20, 2008. Retrieved 2015-06-14.
  14. McKay, Patrick (August 14, 2007). "Fleetwood Mac Rumours". Stylus Magazine. Retrieved 2015-06-14.
  15. Eddy, Chuck (August 1992). "Blue Light Special". Spin. Retrieved 2015-06-11.
  16. Carroll, Cath (2004). Never Break the Chain: Fleetwood Mac and the Making of Rumours. Chicago Review Press. pp. 128–130. ISBN 9781556525452.
  17. "Never Going Back Again". AllMusic. Retrieved 2015-06-11.
  18. "Fleetwood Mac Chart History". Billboard Rock Digital Songs. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
  19. "British single certifications – Fleetwood Mac – Never Going Back Again". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
  20. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Legacy: A Tribute to Fleetwood Mac's Rumours". AllMusic. Retrieved 2015-06-11.
  21. Knopper, Steve (February 21, 1998). "Timing Could Be Big Boost for Lava/Atlantic's 'Legacy'". Billboard Magazine. pp. 15, 43. Retrieved 2015-06-11.
  22. Taylor, Chuck (May 9, 1998). "Atlantic's Matchbox 20 Accelerates from Zero to Sixty with 'Yourself' Set". Billboard Magazine. p. 78. Retrieved 2015-06-11.
  23. Sheffield, Skip (October 2, 1998). "Matchbox 20: Still on the Road". Boca Raton News. p. 4E. Retrieved 2015-06-11.
  24. Lankford Jr.; Ronnie D. "Tilt". AllMusic. Retrieved 2015-06-11.
  25. Swanson, Dave (January 19, 2014). "Fleetwood Mac's 'Never Going Back Again' Featured in Bank Commercial". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 2015-06-11.
  26. "The Very Best Covers of Fleetwood Mac's Rumours". Consequence of Sound. 2017-02-04. Retrieved 2019-05-15.
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