Never Again (The Dancer)

"Never Again (The Dancer)"
Single by A Flock of Seagulls
from the album The Story of a Young Heart
B-side"Living in Heaven"
Released1 October 1984
Length
  • 5:05 (album version)
  • 3:42 (single version)
LabelJive
Songwriters
ProducerSteve Lovell
A Flock of Seagulls singles chronology
"The More You Live, the More You Love"
(1984)		 "Never Again (The Dancer)"
(1984)		 "Remember David"
(1985)
Music video
"Never Again (The Dancer)" on YouTube

"Never Again (The Dancer)" is a song by English new wave band A Flock of Seagulls, released by Jive Records on 1 October 1984 as the second single from their third studio album, The Story of a Young Heart (1984). It was written by all four band members and was produced by Steve Lovell.

Background

At the time of the album's release, lead vocalist and keyboardist Mike Score considered "Never Again (The Dancer)" to be one of the tracks from The Story of a Young Heart that presented the band's "newer direction".[1] In a 2021 interview with Goldmine, Score recalled that he was "quite a romantically minded boy" at the age when he co-wrote the song. He described the idea behind the lyrics: "I imagined if you had no one and went to a dance club and basically you dance on your own and go into a dream state. At the end of the night, you would walk off and think, never again will I be in love again, but at least I'm a good dancer, ha ha."[2]

Release

"Never Again (The Dancer)" was released as a single in the UK on 1 October 1984.[3] The first 10,000 copies of the 7-inch format were issued in a fold out poster bag.[4] The song failed to enter the top 100 of the UK singles chart, but it did appear on Music Week Airplay Action listings based on the airplay it received on both BBC Radio 1 and regional radio stations during October 1984.[5][6]

An orchestral version of the song was re-recorded for the band's 2021 album String Theory.[7]

Music video

The song's accompanying music video achieved play on the pan-European television channel Music Box.[8]

Critical reception

Upon its release as a single, reviews were mixed. Paul Bursche of Number One noted that the band's previous single, "The More You Live, the More You Love", was a "slow-burning, smouldering number that never set the charts on fire but hung around for a long time" and predicted "Never Again" would do the same.[9] A reviewer for the Lurgan Mail praised it as a "great record [that] should do well". They added that it was "unmistakably a song from the Seagulls" and "very much in the same vein as previous singles".[10] Music Week listed it as one of their "chart certs" in their 6 October 1984 issue.[11]

A reviewer for the North Wales Weekly News did not consider the single to be "as good as its predecessor".[12] Peter Trollope, writing for the Liverpool Echo, it "should find its way into the lower charts", but added that he "still can't help thinking that within them they have something better to offer".[13]

Danny Kelly of the NME was negative in his review, calling it a "dodgy love song" which is "less interesting than the hairstyle of drummer Ali, and he's bald!"[14] Eleanor Levy of Record Mirror remarked, "Everyone knows what A Flock of Seagulls sound like and all the insults that could be hurled at them have been, so why reopen old wounds?"[15] Frank Edmonds of the Bury Free Press gave the single a 3 out of 10 rating. He described it as "just so boring no one can reasonably be expected to derive enjoyment from it".[16]

Track listings

7-inch single (UK, Germany, Netherlands, South Africa, Canada and Australasia)[17][18][19][20][21][22]

  1. "Never Again (The Dancer)" – 3:42
  2. "Living in Heaven" – 5:30

12-inch single (UK, Germany, Netherlands and Australia)[23][24][25][26]

  1. "Never Again (The Dancer)" (dance mix) – 5:12
  2. "Living in Heaven" – 5:30
  3. "Never Again (The Dancer)" (7" version) – 3:42

12-inch single (Canada)[27]

  1. "Never Again (The Dancer)" (LP mix) – 5:05
  2. "Never Again (The Dancer)" (dance mix) – 5:12
  3. "The More You Live, the More You Love" (Full Moon mix) – 6:10

Personnel

A Flock of Seagulls

  • Mike Score – lead vocals, keyboards
  • Paul Reynolds – lead guitar
  • Frank Maudsley – bass guitar
  • Ali Score – drums

Production

  • Steve Lovell – production

Other

  • Johnathan Elliott – sleeve design

References

  1. ↑ Krewen, Nick (2 November 1984). "Soaring after much bigger fish now". The Hamilton Spectator. p. D9. Retrieved 2 June 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ↑ Kurtz, Warren (23 August 2021). "Fabulous Flip Sides of A Flock of Seagulls with Mike Score". Goldmine. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  3. ↑ "New Singles". Music Week. 29 September 1984. p. 28. ISSN 0265-1548.
  4. ↑ "A Flock of Seagulls – Never Again (The Dancer) advert". Music Week. 29 September 1984. p. 27. ISSN 0265-1548.
  5. ↑ "Airplay Action: Radio 1". Music Week. 6 October 1984. p. 10. ISSN 0265-1548.
  6. ↑ "Airplay Action: Regional". Music Week. 13 October 1984. p. 11. ISSN 0265-1548.
  7. ↑ "String Theory – A Flock of Seagulls". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  8. ↑ "TV News: Music Box Playlist Rotations". Eurotipsheet. No. 30. 22 October 1984. p. 11. ISSN 1385-612X.
  9. ↑ Bursche, Paul (6 October 1984). "Singles". Number One. No. 69. p. 52.
  10. ↑ "The latest pop singles on release". Lurgan Mail. 1 November 1984. p. 19. Retrieved 2 June 2026 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  11. ↑ "Singles". Music Week. 6 October 1984. p. 28. ISSN 0265-1548.
  12. ↑ "Singles". North Wales Weekly News. 11 October 1984. p. 26. Retrieved 2 June 2026 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  13. ↑ Trollope, Peter (13 October 1984). "Discs and Videos: Singles". Liverpool Echo. p. 11. Retrieved 2 June 2026 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  14. ↑ Kelly, Danny (6 October 1984). "Singles". New Musical Express. p. 17. ISSN 0028-6362.
  15. ↑ Levy, Eleanor (13 October 1984). "Singles". Record Mirror. p. 18. ISSN 0144-5804.
  16. ↑ Edmonds, Frank (12 October 1984). "Soundscene". Bury Free Press. p. 10. Retrieved 2 June 2026 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  17. ↑ Never Again (The Dancer) (UK 7-inch single). Jive Records. 1984. JIVE 78.
  18. ↑ Never Again (The Dancer) (German 7-inch single). Jive Records. 1984. 6.14 237.
  19. ↑ Never Again (The Dancer) (Netherlands 7-inch single). Jive Records. 1984. 145.129.
  20. ↑ Never Again (The Dancer) (Canadian 7-inch single). Jive Records. 1984. JIVE 78X.
  21. ↑ Never Again (The Dancer) (Australian 7-inch single). Jive Records. 1985. LS1429.
  22. ↑ Never Again (The Dancer) (New Zealand 7-inch single). Jive Records. 1985. K 9705.
  23. ↑ Never Again (The Dancer) (UK 12-inch single). Jive Records. 1984. JIVE T 78.
  24. ↑ Never Again (The Dancer) (German 12-inch single). Jive Records. 1984. 6.20 373.
  25. ↑ Never Again (The Dancer) (Netherlands 12-inch single). Jive Records. 1984. 151.178.
  26. ↑ Never Again (The Dancer) (Australian 12-inch single). Jive Records. 1985. LMD-334.
  27. ↑ Never Again (The Dancer) (Canadian 12-inch single). Jive Records. 1984. JVD 028.
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