Never Gonna Fall in Love Again

"Never Gonna Fall in Love Again" is a song co-written and recorded by American pop rock artist Eric Carmen. It was released as the second single from Carmen's self-titled debut solo album and peaked at No.11 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart in June 1976, remaining in the Top 40 for ten weeks.[1] The song reached No.1 on the Billboard Easy Listening chart. In Canada, it was a hit at No. 1 on both charts.[2][3]

"Never Gonna Fall in Love Again"
Side-A vinyl label
Side A of the US single
Single by Eric Carmen
from the album Eric Carmen
B-side"No Hard Feelings"
ReleasedApril 1976
Recorded1975
GenreSoft rock
Length3:45 (Album Version)
2:48 (Single Version)
LabelArista 0184
Songwriter(s)Eric Carmen, Sergei Rachmaninoff
Producer(s)Jimmy Ienner
Eric Carmen singles chronology
"All by Myself"
(1975)
"Never Gonna Fall in Love Again"
(1976)
"Sunrise"
(1976)
Audio
"Never Gonna Fall in Love Again" by Eric Carmen on YouTube

The melody of "Never Gonna Fall in Love Again" is based on the third movement (Adagio) from Symphony No. 2 by Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninoff.

Billboard described the song as a "ballad with characteristically good Carmen lyrics and vocals and lush orchestration."[4] Cash Box said that it "has a hook-filled melody and chorus" and that "the tune will doubtless be covered by many artists, but the others will have to work hard to measure up to Carmen's version of his own song."[5] Record World called it a "lush offering driven by an emotive performance."[6]

On his second solo LP, Boats Against the Current, Carmen had a subsequent Top 40 hit entitled "She Did It", a happy answer to the loneliness and lovelessness described in this song and its equally melancholy predecessor, "All By Myself".

Television performance

Carmen performed "Never Gonna Fall in Love Again" and his prior hit, "All By Myself" on The Midnight Special television program on July 23, 1976 (season 4, episode 37). The show was hosted by The Spinners.[7]

Charts

Notable cover versions

Australian singer-songwriter Mark Holden's 1975 debut studio album Dawn in Darkness, which consisted entirely of original songs, was a commercial failure, selling only approximately 2,000 copies.[15] In April 1976, Holden received a call from Colin Petersen, EMI Music Australia's A&R, who suggested he cover "Never Gonna Fall in Love Again". In his 2017 autobiography, Holden said recording it "was a chance for me to have a hit". He promoted the song by performing it on the Australian music television program Countdown while handing out red carnations to the audience. It became an infamous performance which led to Holden's nickname of "The Carnation Kid"[16] His version, released in April 1976 as his debut single, peaked at No.13 on the Kent Music Report, becoming a commercial success.[17][18] It was the 71st-biggest selling single in Australia in 1976.[19]

Unlike "All by Myself," Carmen's version of "Never Gonna Fall in Love Again" was not released in Australia and therefore did not chart. Also in 1976, Dana reached No.31 in the UK with her cover of the song.[20] Her British release charted concurrently with the versions by Carmen and Holden.

See also

References

  1. Whitburn, Joel (1996). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 6th Edition (Billboard Publications)
  2. Canada, Library and Archives (17 July 2013). "Image : RPM Weekly". Bac-lac.gc.ca. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
  3. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Archived from the original on 2016-05-05. Retrieved 2016-10-11.
  4. "Top Single Picks" (PDF). Billboard. April 24, 1976. p. 58. Retrieved 2023-06-03.
  5. "CashBox Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. April 24, 1976. p. 20. Retrieved 2023-06-03.
  6. "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. April 24, 1976. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-06-02.
  7. "The Midnight Special". Archived from the original on 2020-08-08. Retrieved 2017-08-13.
  8. "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart | The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Nztop40.co.nz. 1976-07-05. Retrieved 2016-10-11.
  9. Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
  10. "Adult Contemporary Music Chart". Billboard. 1976-06-19. Retrieved 2016-10-11.
  11. "CASH BOX Top 100 Singles, June 26, 1976". Archived from the original on March 22, 2016. Retrieved January 13, 2017.
  12. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Archived from the original on 2016-01-23. Retrieved 2016-10-11.
  13. Billboard. 1977-12-24. p. Front cover. Retrieved 2016-10-11.
  14. Whitburn, Joel (1999). Pop Annual. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. ISBN 0-89820-142-X.
  15. "Talking Heads Mark Holden (transcript)". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 3 May 2010. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
  16. Holden, Mark (May 2017). My Idol Years. Melbourne, Australia: Transit Lounge. pp. 38โ€“39. ISBN 978-0-9953594-7-5.
  17. "Mark Holden - Never Gonna Fall In Love Again (1976)". Pop Archives. Retrieved 2016-10-11.
  18. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970โ€“1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book Ltd. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  19. "National Top 100 Singles for 1976". Kent Music Report. 27 December 1976. Retrieved 15 January 2022 โ€“ via Imgur.
  20. "DANA | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
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