Never Let Me Go (Florence and the Machine song)

"Never Let Me Go"
Single by Florence and the Machine
from the album Ceremonials
B-side"Never Let Me Go" (Clams Casino Remix)
Released30 March 2012 (2012-03-30)
Recorded2011
Genre
Length4:31
LabelIsland
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Paul Epworth
Florence and the Machine singles chronology
"No Light, No Light"
(2012)
"Never Let Me Go"
(2012)
"Breath of Life"
(2012)
Music video
"Never Let Me Go" on YouTube

"Never Let Me Go" is a song by English indie rock band Florence and the Machine from their second studio album, Ceremonials (2011). The song was written by Florence Welch and Paul Epworth while production was handled by Epworth. Island Records released the song as the third single from the album on 30 March 2012. The band first premiered the song during one of their concerts before the release of the album on 15 October 2011. A Clams Casino remix of the song was placed on the 12" white vinyl single which was available for pre-order on 22 March 2012.

Musically, "Never Let Me Go" is a downtempo baroque pop and indie pop ballad in the key of A major completed with piano and drums while backing vocals repeatedly sing "never let me go" throughout the song. Many critics noted similarities between the song's composition and materials by other artists including Enya, Evanescence and Ryan Tedder-produced songs. The song received acclaim by critics who praised Welch's vocals and its balladry nature. Commercially, "Never Let Me Go" reached the top 10 in Israel and Australia, where it has been certified multi-platinum.

An accompanying music video for the song was released online on 8 March 2012. It was directed by Tabitha Denholm and stars actor Jamie Campbell Bower, who plays Welch's love interest. The video features the pair together skating and shots of a dirty water trickling down Welch's face and hands are shown. Upon the release of the video, critics praised Welch's gothic look and the video's dark atmosphere. Florence and the Machine added the song to the set list of their second worldwide Ceremonials Tour (2011–2012) where the song was performed during the encore of the concerts along with "No Light, No Light".

  1. ^ "Florence and the Machine Ceremonials". Clash. 24 October 2011. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
  2. ^ "Florence + The Machine, 'Ceremonials': Track-By-Track Review". Billboard. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
  3. ^ "Florence & The Machine 'Ceremonials' (Island)". The Fly. Archived from the original on 29 December 2011. Retrieved 5 May 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)