"Never Gonna Fall" is a song recorded by British singer, songwriter and actress Lisa Stansfield for her 1997 eponymous album. It was written by Stansfield and Ian Devaney, and produced by Devaney and Peter Mokran. The single was released in the United States on 27 October 1997 and included remixes created by two prominent US producers: Junior Vasquez and Victor Calderone. In December 1997, it topped the Billboard's Hot Dance Club Songs for two weeks and became Stansfield's sixth song to reach number one on this chart and third from Lisa Stansfield to do so. Stansfield performed "Never Gonna Fall" live on The Rosie O'Donnell Show. In January 1998, the song was released as a promotional single in Spain. In June 1998, two remixes of "Never Gonna Fall" were included on The Remix Album. The song was also featured on the US edition of Biography: The Greatest Hits (2003) and Junior Vasquez Mix was added to the European bonus CD of this album.

"Never Gonna Fall"
Single by Lisa Stansfield
from the album Lisa Stansfield
Released27 October 1997 (1997-10-27)
Recorded1997
Genre
Length5:16
LabelArista
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Lisa Stansfield singles chronology
"The Line"
(1997)
"Never Gonna Fall"
(1997)
"Don't Cry for Me"
(1997)

In 2014, "Never Gonna Fall" (Junior's Return To 27th & 10th Anthem) was included on the deluxe 2CD + DVD re-release of Lisa Stansfield. Additional previously unreleased Wyclef Remix was featured on People Hold On ... The Remix Anthology (2014). Both remixes were also featured on The Collection 1989–2003 in 2014.[1][2]

Critical reception

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The song received favorable reviews from many music critics. Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic said it is "uniformly strong", adding that Stansfield's voice is "seductive and sexy".[3] Larry Flick from Billboard wrote that the song will have a few longtime listeners initially reaching for comparisons to "All Around The World". He explained further that "while there are mild similarities, closer inspection shows a more jazzy feel and a keen eye on jeep soul à la Mary J. Blige and Faith Evans. Stansfield's voice is a beautiful instrument that she never stops strengthening and developing. Her performance here is a prime example of that, as she flutters to tingly heights and then drops to sultry whispers in the space of a few seconds." He also complimented the "immediate chorus".[4] Dominic Pride from Music & Media felt that it "sees her emulating the best of American soul divas".[5] A reviewer from Press of Atlantic City stated that Stansfield "shines" on such tracks as the "breezy" "Never Gonna Fall".[6]

Track listings

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Charts

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Chart performance for "Never Gonna Fall"
Chart (1997–1998) Peak
position
Spain Radio (PROMUSICAE)[7] 38
US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)[8] 1

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Lisa Stansfield – The Collection: tracklists". lisa-stansfield.com. 2 October 2014. Archived from the original on 27 October 2014. Retrieved 27 October 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  2. ^ "Exclusive: First pictures takes you inside the reissues 'The Collection 1989–2003'". lisastansfield.net. 16 October 2014. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
  3. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Lisa Stansfield – Lisa Stansfield". AllMusic. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  4. ^ Flick, Larry (1 November 1997). "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. p. 77. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
  5. ^ Pride, Dominic (8 March 1997). "Reviews: Albums" (PDF). Music & Media. p. 18. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  6. ^ "Lisa Stansfield Focused With Her Latest Release". Press of Atlantic City. 10 August 1997.
  7. ^ Fernando Salaverri (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  8. ^ "Lisa Stansfield Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 20 May 2015.