Never Gone (Andee song)

"Never Gone" is a song written and recorded by Canadian singer-songwriter Andee for her debut studio album, Black and White Heart (2015). The song was co-written and produced by Sébastien Lefebvre, best known as the rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist for Canadian band Simple Plan. "Never Gone" was released May 19, 2014 as Andee's debut single and the lead single for the album. Upon release, the single was available in both English and French, as a tribute to the co-writers' French Canadian heritage.

"Never Gone"
Single by Andee
from the album Black and White Heart
ReleasedMay 19, 2014 (2014-05-19)
Recorded2013 in Montréal, Québec
(Man of the Hour Studio)
Genre
Length2:52
LabelUniversal Canada
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Sébastien Lefebvre
Andee singles chronology
"Never Gone"
(2014)
"Sorries"
(2014)
Music video
"Never Gone" on YouTube

"Never Gone" experienced commercial success in Canada, reaching number 40 on the Canadian Hot 100 in August 2014 and also peaking within the top 10 on the national adult contemporary airplay chart. The song's success at the format garnered Andee a nomination for Best New Group or Solo Artist at the 2015 Canadian Radio Music Awards.

Background

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Andee, then going by her birth name Andrée-Anne Leclerc, first gained exposure by competing on the fifth edition of Québecois reality singing competition Star Académie in 2012 where she placed in the top eight and drew the attention of Paul Jessop, the vice-president of promotions at Universal Music Canada.[1][2] In early 2013, Andee encountered Sébastien Lefebvre, who would work with her over the next year as the executive producer of her debut album.[3][4] In January 2014, Leclerc signed a record deal with Universal Music Canada and adopted the stage name Andee, an anglophone derivative of Andrée-Anne.[2] "Never Gone" was released as the first single from the project in May 2014.[5]

Reception

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Critical

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Noah Siegel of New Canadian Music wrote that the song is "a forceful Adele-inspired single that's effective pop in both its' [sic] English and French versions."[6] Andee was nominated for Best New Group or Solo Artist in the category of AC (adult contemporary radio) at the 2015 Canadian Radio Music Awards for the song.[7]

Commercial

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"Never Gone" debuted at number 94 on the Canadian Hot 100 chart dated June 28, 2014.[8] It entered the top 50 in its sixth week, rising 53–43 on the chart dated August 2, 2014.[9] The song reached its peak position of 40 on the chart dated August 23, 2014.[10] "Never Gone" is Andee's only top fifty single to date and spent a total of 20 weeks on the chart.[11] The song was also a multi-format radio hit, peaking at numbers 6, 25, and 15 on the Billboard Canada AC, CHR/Top 40, and Hot AC charts, respectively.[12][13][14]

Music video

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An accompanying music video was directed by Alon Isocianu and premiered June 26, 2016.[15] A French version was released the same day.[16]

Track listings

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Digital download[17]
  1. "Never Gone" – 2:52
Digital download (French)[18]
  1. "Never Gone" (Version Française) – 2:50

Credits and personnel

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Credits adapted from liner notes.[19]

Technical
Musicians
  • Andee (Andrée-Anne Leclerc) – vocals
  • Sébastien Lefebvre – guitar, bass, keyboards, programming
  • Chantal Bergeron – violin
  • Brian Bacon – violin alto
  • Christine Giguère – cello
  • Nathalie Bonin – violin
Additional personnel
  • Strings recorded by Patrick Goyette at Planet Studio
    • Strings arranged by Sébastien Lefebvre and Jay Lefebvre

Charts

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Weekly charts

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Chart (2014) Peak
position
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[11] 40
Canada AC (Billboard)[12] 6
Canada CHR/Top 40 (Billboard)[13] 25
Canada Hot AC (Billboard)[14] 15

Year end charts

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Chart (2014) Position
Canada AC (Billboard)[20] 30

Release history

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Country Date Format Version Label Ref.
Canada May 19, 2014 Digital download Original Universal Canada [17]
Version Française [18]

References

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  1. ^ "Andrée-Anne Leclerc- | Star Académie". Star Académie. Québecor Média. Retrieved January 1, 2017.
  2. ^ a b Verge, Isabelle. "Andrée-Anne Leclerc signe avec Universal Music". Le Journal de Montréal (in French). Canoe Sun Media. Retrieved January 1, 2017.
  3. ^ Lepage-Boily, Elizabeth (26 May 2015). "Lancement de l'album Black and White Heart d'Andee". Showbizz.net (in French). Média Happy Geeks. Retrieved January 1, 2017.
  4. ^ "Never Gone by Andee". Sébastien Lefebvre. Retrieved January 1, 2017.
  5. ^ PT, Shawn (June 9, 2014). "Andee Releases Lyric MV For "Never Gone"". Music Canada. Retrieved January 1, 2017.
  6. ^ Siegel, Noah (August 12, 2014). "Andee - Never Gone - Single Review". New Canadian Music. Retrieved January 1, 2017.
  7. ^ Delmar, Sari. "NOMINEES AND PERFORMERS ANNOUNCED 2015 CANADIAN RADIO MUSIC AWARDS". Canadian Radio Music Awards. Canadian Music Week. Archived from the original on May 18, 2015. Retrieved January 1, 2017.
  8. ^ "Canada Singles Top 100 (June 28, 2014)". aCharts.co via Billboard. Retrieved January 1, 2017.
  9. ^ "Billboard Canadian Hot 100" (The Week Of: August 2, 2014). Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2 January 2013. Retrieved January 1, 2017.
  10. ^ "Billboard Canadian Hot 100" (The Week Of: August 23, 2014). Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2 January 2013. Retrieved January 1, 2017.
  11. ^ a b "Andee Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved January 1, 2017.
  12. ^ a b "Andee Chart History (Canada AC)". Billboard. Retrieved January 1, 2017.
  13. ^ a b "Andee Chart History (Canada CHR/Top 40)". Billboard. Retrieved January 1, 2017.
  14. ^ a b "Andee Chart History (Canada Hot AC)". Billboard. Retrieved January 1, 2017.
  15. ^ "Andee - Never Gone (2016)". IMVDb. 26 June 2014. Retrieved January 1, 2017.
  16. ^ AndeeVEVO (June 26, 2014). "Andee - Never Gone (Version Française)" (video). YouTube. Retrieved January 1, 2017.
  17. ^ a b "Never Gone - Andee | Release Info". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved January 1, 2017.
  18. ^ a b "Never Gone - Andee | Release Info" (Version Française). AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved January 1, 2017.
  19. ^ Black and White Heart (booklet). Andee. Universal Music Canada Inc. 2015. B00WRLK5HS.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  20. ^ "Billboard Top 40 AC Airplay Tunes in Canada, 2014". Music Canada. December 23, 2014. Retrieved January 1, 2017.