Not to be confused with Don't Give Up.
- "I'll never give up"
—Grace Jones
"Never Give Up" is a song recorded by Sia, from the soundtrack of the Garth Davis-directed film Lion (2016). Written by Sia and her producer Greg Kurstin, the song was released as a single on 18 November 2016.[1] It was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2017.[2]
Critical reception
Jon Blistein from Rolling Stone called it an "inspirational anthem."[3] Sam Murphy from Music Feeds said, "Sia taps into the Indian roots of the film by delivering a Bollywood vibe beneath her characteristically sunny undertones."[4] Lars Brandle in Billboard described it as a "powerful and uplifting" number.[5] The song was nominated for the 2018 Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media.[2]
Lyric video
The accompanying lyric video was released on 3 January 2017. Inspired by the plot of the film,[6] the clip follows a child and an older child with their faces shrouded, wearing blonde-and-black Sia wigs, searching for each other in a deserted and ominous train station. As the video progresses, the kids reunite, scale a steely locomotive and follow the tracks out of the station and into the night.[3] The song's lyrics appear spray-painted on various surfaces in the yard.[7] Reviewing the clip, Vibe magazine staff wrote that the singer "envisioned a journey of hope and faith between two conjoined souls in the visual experience."[8]
Credits
Adapted from Lion (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) album liner.[9]
- Chris Allgood – assistant mastering
- Julian Burg – engineer
- Sia Furler – lead and background vocals
- Alex Pasco – engineer
- Greg Kurstin – mixing, engineer, producer, tambura [tanpura], keyboards, drums, programming, percussion
- Emily Lazar – mastering
Charts
Weekly charts
| Chart (2016–17) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA) | 29 |
| Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40) | 12 |
| Czech Republic (Rádio Top 100) | 11 |
| France (SNEP) | 17 |
| Germany (Official German Charts) | 8 |
| Germany (Airplay Chart) | 1 |
| Hungary (Rádiós Top 40) | 6 |
| Hungary (Single Top 40) | 16 |
| Luxembourg Digital Songs (Billboard) | 3 |
| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) | 22 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100) | 77 |
| Norway Digital Songs (Billboard) | 7 |
| Poland (Polish Airplay Top 100) | 51 |
| Romania (Media Forest) | 3 |
| Slovakia (Rádio Top 100) | 8 |
| Slovakia (Singles Digitál Top 100) | 97 |
| Slovenia (SloTop50) | 6 |
| Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade) | 33 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (2017) | Position |
|---|---|
| France (SNEP) | 149 |
| Germany (Official German Charts) | 92 |
| Hungary (Rádiós Top 40) | 95 |
| Hungary (Single Top 40) | 85 |
| Slovenia (SloTop50) | 12 |
| Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade) | 98 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA) | Gold | 35,000x |
| France (SNEP) | Platinum | 150,000x |
| Poland (ZPAV) | Gold | 10,000x |
|
xFigures based on certification alone | ||
Lyrics
I've battled demons that won't let me sleep
Called to the sea but she abandoned me
But I won't never give up, no, never give up, no, no
No, I won't never give up, no, never give up, no, no
And I won't let you get me down
I'll keep gettin' up when I hit the ground
Oh, never give up, no, never give up no, no, oh
I won't let you get me down
I'll keep gettin' up when I hit the ground
Oh, never give up, no, never give up no, no, oh
I'll find my way, find my way home, oh, oh, oh
I'll find my way, find my way home, oh, oh, oh
I'll find my way, find my way home, oh, oh, oh
I'll find my way, find my way home, oh, oh, oh
Oh yeah, I'm haunted by the distant past
Called to the skies but she was overcast
But I won't never give up, no, never give up, no, no
No, I won't never give up, no, never give up, no, no
And I won't let you get me down
I'll keep gettin' up when I hit the ground
Oh, never give up, no, never give up no, no, oh
I won't let you get me down
I'll keep gettin' up when I hit the ground
Oh, never give up, no, never give up no, no, oh
I'll find my way, find my way home, oh, oh, oh
I'll find my way, find my way home, oh, oh, oh
I'll find my way, find my way home, oh, oh, oh
I'll find my way, find my way home, oh, oh, oh
Never give up, never give up
Never give up, never give up
No, no, oh
And I won't let you get me down
I'll keep gettin' up when I hit the ground
Oh, I never give up, no, I never give up no, no, oh
I won't let you get me down
I'll keep gettin' up when I hit the ground
Oh, I'll never give up, no, I'll never give up no, no, oh
I'll find my way, find my way home, oh, oh, oh
I'll find my way, find my way home, oh, oh, oh
I'll find my way, find my way home, oh, oh, oh
I'll find my way, find my way home, oh, oh, oh
References
- ↑ http://www.deezer.com/album/14581774
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 https://variety.com/2017/music/news/2018-grammy-nominations-list-nominees-1202623881
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/watch-sias-stirring-never-give-up-video-w458757
- ↑ http://musicfeeds.com.au/news/hear-a-new-bollywood-inspired-sia-song-never-give-up/
- ↑ http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/7640824/sia-lyric-video-lion-never-give-up
- ↑ http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/sias-never-give-up-gets-a-lion-inspired-music-video-960566
- ↑ http://abcnewsradioonline.com/music-news/2017/1/4/see-faceless-characters-in-sia-wigs-run-through-train-yard-i.html
- ↑ http://www.vibe.com/2017/01/sias-never-give-up-lyric-video-is-a-journey-filled-with-hope/
- ↑ Lion (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack). Various artists including Sia. Scored by Dustin O'Halloran and Hauschka. Sony Classical & The Weinstein Company. Cat no. [[1]]. Track 1 "Never Give Up" appears courtesy of Monkey Puzzle Records.