If I Never See Your Face Again
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"If I Never See Your Face Again" is a song by American
pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, earl ...
band Maroon 5 from the June 2008 re-release of the group's second studio album, ''
It Won't Be Soon Before Long ''It Won't Be Soon Before Long'' is the second studio album by American pop rock band Maroon 5. It was released on May 16, 2007, by A&M Octone Records, as the follow-up to their debut album, ''Songs About Jane'' (2002). The name was inspired by a ...
'' (2007), which serves as the band's fourth and final single from the album. It was also included on the June 2008 re-release of Rihanna's third studio album entitled '' Good Girl Gone Bad: Reloaded'' (2008), which also serving as the second single from the reloaded edition of her album. The song was originally included on the standard version of the band's album without the inclusion of Rihanna. It was written by band members Adam Levine and James Valentine, with production of the song helmed by
Christopher "Tricky" Stewart Christopher Alan "Tricky" Stewart (born January 4, 1974) is an American record producer, record executive, songwriter, and music publisher. In a career spanning over 30 years, Stewart has won 5 Grammys and is responsible for over 50 million rec ...
,
Mike Elizondo Mike Elizondo (born October 22, 1972) is an American producer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. A protege of Dr. Dre, Elizondo has worked with 50 Cent, Eminem, Carrie Underwood, Fiona Apple, Mastodon, Ry Cooder, Skylar Grey, Twenty ...
,
Mark Endert Mark Endert is a Grammy award winning American music producer, mixer, arranger and musician. Biography From the early 1990s to the present, Endert is credited on albums spanning a wide array of musical genres with sales totaling more than 90 mil ...
,
Mark "Spike" Stent Mark "Spike" Stent (born 3 August 1965) is an English record producer and mixing engineer who has worked with many international artists including Madonna, Marshmello, U2, Beyoncé, Björk, Depeche Mode, Echo & The Bunnymen, Grimes, Ed She ...
and Maroon 5. It was released as an
extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.
(EP) in Australia on May 22, 2007, and as an official single on May 2, 2008, in the United States. "If I Never See Your Face Again" was originally intended to be a duet with Janet Jackson and appear on her '' Discipline'' album, although label problems interfered. The collaboration with Rihanna later came to fruition when Levine asked her to add her vocal to the remix version, which she accepted. "If I Never See Your Face Again" is a pop and R&B song featuring
instrumentation Instrumentation a collective term for measuring instruments that are used for indicating, measuring and recording physical quantities. The term has its origins in the art and science of scientific instrument-making. Instrumentation can refer to ...
provided by synthesizers and a
guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strin ...
. The song received a mixed response from
music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...
, who praised the song's composition but criticized Levine and Rihanna's vocal performance. The song's accompanying
music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...
was directed by Anthony Mandler and shot on an indoor soundstage in
Castaic, California Castaic () (Chumash: ''Kaštiq''; Spanish: ''Castéc'') is an unincorporated community in the northwestern part of Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 19,015. For statistical purposes the Census Bureau h ...
. The song was nominated for Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals at the
2009 Grammy Awards The 51st Annual Grammy Awards took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, on February 8, 2009, honoring the best in music for the recording year beginning October 1, 2007, through September 30, 2008. Robert Plant and Alison Krauss were the b ...
, marking the first nomination in the category for both artists. It was also featured on '' The Hills'' and '' He's Just Not That Into You'', as the song's original version.


Background

"If I Never See Your Face Again" was written by Adam Levine and James Valentine, two of the five band members from Maroon 5. Production of the song was helmed by Mike Elizondo, Mike Endert, Mike "Spike" Stent,
Christopher "Tricky" Stewart Christopher Alan "Tricky" Stewart (born January 4, 1974) is an American record producer, record executive, songwriter, and music publisher. In a career spanning over 30 years, Stewart has won 5 Grammys and is responsible for over 50 million rec ...
and Maroon 5. It was recorded by "Spike" Stent at Conway Studios, Hollywood, CA; Glenwood Place Studios, Burbank, CA and Phantom Studios,
Westlake Village Westlake Village is a city in Los Angeles County on its western border with Ventura County. The City of Westlake Village incorporated in 1981 becoming the 82nd municipality of Los Angeles County.Baker, Pam (2002). ''Thousand Oaks Westlake Vill ...
, CA. The song was originally intended to be a duet with Janet Jackson and appear on her '' Discipline'' album, but due to label problems Rihanna later appeared on the song. The song was included on the standard version of ''
It Won't Be Soon Before Long ''It Won't Be Soon Before Long'' is the second studio album by American pop rock band Maroon 5. It was released on May 16, 2007, by A&M Octone Records, as the follow-up to their debut album, ''Songs About Jane'' (2002). The name was inspired by a ...
'' without the inclusion of Rihanna, however, Levine stated in an interview with James Montgomery for '' MTV News'' whilst on set of the accompanying music video that he wanted to try something different for the album's re-release. The singer continued, saying that he asked Rihanna to do some "bits and pieces" in the recording studio and that it came together very “quickly”. Levine stated that if there is "magic" between two artists, then "you don't even have to think about it." During the interview, Rihanna confirmed that the song would be the only one to feature a collaboration on her re-release of ''
Good Girl Gone Bad ''Good Girl Gone Bad'' is the third studio album by Barbadian singer Rihanna. It was released on May 31, 2007, by Def Jam Recordings and SRP Records. Rihanna worked with various producers on the album, including Tricky Stewart, The-Dream, Neo d ...
'', revealing that she had always wanted to work with the group and was honored when they contacted her. "If I Never See Your Face Again" was released as a single in the United States on May 2, 2008.


Composition

"If I Never See Your Face Again" is a pop and R&B song, which lasts for 3:18 (3 minutes, 18 seconds). The song was composed using
common time The time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, or measure signature) is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats (pulses) are contained in each measure (bar), and which note val ...
in the key of
G-sharp minor G-sharp minor is a minor scale based on G, consisting of the pitches G, A, B, C, D, E, and F. Its key signature has five sharps. Its relative major is B major. Its parallel major, G-sharp major, is usually replaced by its enharmonic equi ...
, with a moderate
groove Groove or Grooves may refer to: Music * Groove (music) * Groove (drumming) * The Groove (band), an Australian rock/pop band of the 1960s * The Groove (Sirius XM), a US radio station * Groove 101.7FM, a former Perth, Australia, radio station ...
of 106
beats per minute Beat, beats or beating may refer to: Common uses * Patrol, or beat, a group of personnel assigned to monitor a specific area ** Beat (police), the territory that a police officer patrols ** Gay beat, an area frequented by gay men * Battery ...
.
Instrumentation Instrumentation a collective term for measuring instruments that are used for indicating, measuring and recording physical quantities. The term has its origins in the art and science of scientific instrument-making. Instrumentation can refer to ...
is provided by synths, and a
guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strin ...
. A reviewer for ''
IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
'' noted that "If I Never See Your Face Again" is complete with "slinky synth insinuations," whilst Jerome Blakeney for
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
wrote that it is a "guitar drenched" and "synth-crunching" song. Alex Fletcher for Digital Spy commented that the song incorporated a "jagged" use of synthesizers. For the most part of the song, Levine sings in his falsetto register, whilst Rihanna adopts "silky tone".


Critical reception

Upon the release of ''It Won't Be Soon Before Long'',
music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...
commented on the original version of the song, which does not include guest vocals by Rihanna. Jerome Blakeney for BBC wrote that "If I Never See Your Face Again", along with another ''It Won't Be Soon Before Long'' track "
Makes Me Wonder "Makes Me Wonder" is a song by American pop rock band Maroon 5. It was released on March 27, 2007, as the first single from their second studio album, ''It Won't Be Soon Before Long'' (2007). Upon its release, the song set a record for the bigg ...
", were "monster weapons of mass-marketing aimed at the feet and riding on swathes of string-drenched, synth-crunching disco." A reviewer for IGN was complimentary of 'If I Never See Your Face Again', writing that it is hard to resist listening to the song. The reviewer also noted that Levine appeared to adopt a vocal style reminiscent of techniques employed by Justin Timberlake, writing "Like Justin Timberlake it's all about the high pitched tenor falsetto and some sinewy grooves." Bill Lamb for
About.com Dotdash Meredith (formerly About.com) is an American digital media company based in New York City. The company publishes online articles and videos about various subjects across categories including health, home, food, finance, tech, beauty, ...
noted that "If I Never See Your Face Again" and "Makes Me Wonder" appeared to be inspired by British
jazz funk Jazz-funk is a subgenre of jazz music characterized by a strong back beat (groove), electrified sounds, and an early prevalence of analog synthesizers. The integration of funk, soul, and R&B music and styles into jazz resulted in the creati ...
and acid jazz
band Band or BAND may refer to: Places *Bánd, a village in Hungary *Band, Iran, a village in Urmia County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran * Band, Mureș, a commune in Romania *Band-e Majid Khan, a village in Bukan County, West Azerbaijan Province, I ...
Jamiroquai Jamiroquai () are an English funk and acid jazz band from London. Formed in 1992, they are fronted by vocalist Jay Kay, and were prominent in the London-based funk and acid jazz movement of the 1990s. They built on their acid jazz sound in th ...
, writing "Any Jamiroquai fan may call foul if they listen to 'If I Never See Your Face Again' or 'Makes Me Wonder'." Sal Cinquemani was critical of the song, labeling it as "nasty." Alex Fletcher for Digital Spy disapproved of the collaboration between the band and Rihanna, with specific thoughts on Levine and Rihanna's pairing. Fletcher was critical of their vocal performance, writing that their voices clashed with one another and that "the sexual chemistry radar for the pairing registers at zero." Fletcher commented about the song further, writing that it should never have left the recording studio.


Accolades


Chart performance

"If I Never See Your Face Again" achieved moderate chart success on singles charts around the world. It debuted on the Australian Singles Chart at number 28 June 1, 2008, and peaked at number 11 in its sixth week. The song debuted on the
New Zealand Singles Chart The Official New Zealand Music Chart ( mi, Te Papa Tātai Waiata Matua o Aotearoa) is the weekly New Zealand top 40 singles and albums charts, issued weekly by Recorded Music NZ (formerly Recording Industry Association of New Zealand). The Music ...
at number 37 on June 9, 2008, and peaked at number 21 the following week. In Europe, the song debuted and peaked at number 15 on the
Italian Singles Chart The Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana (FIMI) is an umbrella organization that keeps track of virtually all aspects of the music recording industry in Italy. It was established in 1992, when major corporate labels left the previously exist ...
on July 17, 2008. The song remained on the chart for one week. It debuted on the
Dutch Singles Chart The Dutch Top 40 ( nl, Nederlandse Top 40) is a weekly music chart compiled by ''Stichting Nederlandse Top 40''. It started as a radio program titled "Veronica Top 40", on the offshore station Radio Veronica in 1965. It remained "The Veroni ...
at number 35 on June 14, 2008, and peaked at number 20 the following week. The song fluctuated between positions in the twenties and seventies for 13 weeks. It debuted on the
Danish Singles Chart Hitlisten, also known as Tracklisten, is a Danish top 40 record chart that is updated every Thursday midnight on the website hitlisten.nu. The weekly Danish singles chart Track Top-40 combines the 40 best-selling tracks from legal music downloads ...
at number 36 on July 27, 2008, and peaked at number 31 in its sixth week. "If I Never See Your Face Again" debuted on the Swiss Singles Chart at number 61 on June 29, 2008, and peaked at number 52 the following week, where it remained in its third week. It debuted on the
Austrian Singles Chart Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen, see Austrian nationality law * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ...
at number 67 on September 5, 2008, and peaked at number 54 the following week. "If I Never See Your Face Again" debuted and peaked on the
UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
at number 28 on June 14, 2008. Over the following two weeks, the song descend down the top-forty, before falling out in its third week. The song made a re-entry on the chart at number 36 on July 7, 2008. In the United States, the song peaked at number 51 on the '' Billboard'' Hot 100 chart on July 26, 2008. It peaked at number 10 on the
Adult Pop Songs The Adult Pop Airplay (formerly known as Adult Pop Songs and Adult Top 40) chart is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and ranks "the most popular adult top 40 as based on radio airplay detections measured by Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems ...
chart; number 30 on the
Pop Songs Pop Airplay (also called Mainstream Top 40, Pop Songs, and Top 40/ CHR) is a 40-song music chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' Magazine that ranks the most popular songs of pop music being played on a panel of Top 40 radio stations in the Un ...
chart and 21 on the
Hot Digital Songs The Digital Songs or Digital Song Sales chart (previously named Hot Digital Songs) ranks the best-selling digital songs in the United States, as compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published by ''Billboard'' magazine. Although it originally starte ...
chart.


Music video

The song's accompanying
music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...
was directed by Anthony Mandler, and shot on an indoor soundstage in
Castaic, California Castaic () (Chumash: ''Kaštiq''; Spanish: ''Castéc'') is an unincorporated community in the northwestern part of Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 19,015. For statistical purposes the Census Bureau h ...
on April 23, 2008. The concept for the video was "high-end erotica". In an interview with James Montgomery for MTV News whilst on set of the music video, Levine provided a summary of what the video would entail, saying: "It's this kind of ultra-glamorous, photography-based, late-'70s/ early-'80s situation. It's really stylish and really beautiful ... It's the most choreographed thing I've ever done, because usually I just get up there and screw around. But with Rihanna, it's completely different and so cool." In response, Rihanna continued to say that "I don't do a lot of videos where I have so much chemistry with the other artist, and this is only my second duet in a video ... It's really intense, because you have to work with each other so much. It's new for me, but I'm enjoying it." The video was made available to download digitally via iTunes on May 13, 2008.


Synopsis

The video begins with the sound of a ticking clock and Levine and Rihanna sitting opposite each other at a table, tapping their hands and staring at one another. Maroon 5 start to play their instruments as Rihanna sits and watches them. The table and band scenes are intercut with each other for the first verse and chorus. In the second verse, Levine and Rihanna appear to argue and try to ignore the other's advances. Rihanna lies suggestively on a bed while Levine sits on a chair with his head turned in the opposite direction for the
bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...
. For the final chorus, the pair appear to reconcile, ending with Levine finally giving in to temptation. He walks to the end of the table where Rihanna sits and caresses her neck, causing her to lean towards him seductively. The two nearly kiss as the video ends.


Japan Tour 2008 video

Another music video for the song's original version titled Japan Tour 2008, was released on July 11, 2008 by Amnesty International. The video which is mainly an animated slideshow with photographs of Maroon 5 heading to Japan, during the
It Won't Be Soon Before Long Tour The It Won't Be Soon Before Long Tour was the third concert tour by the American pop rock band Maroon 5, in support of their second studio album, ''It Won't Be Soon Before Long'' (2007). The tour began on September 29, 2007 in Auburn Hills, Mic ...
in March 2008. This video was directed by Bob Carmichael.


Formats and track listings

* Album versions # "If I Never See Your Face Again" – 3:21 # "If I Never See Your Face Again" (feat. Rihanna) – 3:18 * Digital download # "If I Never See Your Face Again" (feat. Rihanna) – 3:18 * Australian extended play (EP) # "If I Never See Your Face Again" – 3:18 # "If I Never See Your Face Again" (
Paul Oakenfold Paul Mark Oakenfold (born 30 August 1963), formerly known mononymously as Oakenfold, is an English record producer, remixer and trance DJ. He has provided over 100 remixes for over 100 artists including U2, Moby, Madonna, Britney Spears, Mas ...
Remix Edit) – 3:30 # "If I Never See Your Face Again" (Live from
MSN MSN (meaning Microsoft Network) is a web portal and related collection of Internet services and apps for Windows and mobile devices, provided by Microsoft and launched on August 24, 1995, alongside the release of Windows 95. The Microsoft Net ...
Control Room) – 4:11


Credits and personnel

Recording * Recorded at Conway Studios, Hollywood, CA; Glenwood Place Studios, Burbank, CA; Phantom Studios,
Westlake Village Westlake Village is a city in Los Angeles County on its western border with Ventura County. The City of Westlake Village incorporated in 1981 becoming the 82nd municipality of Los Angeles County.Baker, Pam (2002). ''Thousand Oaks Westlake Vill ...
, CA; House of Blues Studios, Encino, CA and Henson Studios, Hollywood, CA. * Mixed at Scream Studios,
Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...
, FL. Personnel Credits are adapted from the liner notes of ''Good Girl Gone Bad: Reloaded'',
Def Jam Recordings Def Jam Recordings (also simply known as Def Jam) is an American multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It is based in Manhattan, New York City, specializing predominantly in hip hop, contemporary R&B, soul and pop. The l ...
. *
Songwriting A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music gen ...
 – Adam Levine, James Valentine *
Production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stati ...
 –
Christopher "Tricky" Stewart Christopher Alan "Tricky" Stewart (born January 4, 1974) is an American record producer, record executive, songwriter, and music publisher. In a career spanning over 30 years, Stewart has won 5 Grammys and is responsible for over 50 million rec ...
,
Mike Elizondo Mike Elizondo (born October 22, 1972) is an American producer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. A protege of Dr. Dre, Elizondo has worked with 50 Cent, Eminem, Carrie Underwood, Fiona Apple, Mastodon, Ry Cooder, Skylar Grey, Twenty ...
,
Mark Endert Mark Endert is a Grammy award winning American music producer, mixer, arranger and musician. Biography From the early 1990s to the present, Endert is credited on albums spanning a wide array of musical genres with sales totaling more than 90 mil ...
,
Mark "Spike" Stent Mark "Spike" Stent (born 3 August 1965) is an English record producer and mixing engineer who has worked with many international artists including Madonna, Marshmello, U2, Beyoncé, Björk, Depeche Mode, Echo & The Bunnymen, Grimes, Ed She ...
, Maroon 5 * Recording – Mark "Spike" Stent * Mixing – Mike Endert * Mixing assistant – Doug Johnson * Adam Levine - lead vocals, rhythm guitar * James Valentine - lead guitar, backing vocals *
Mickey Madden Michael Allen Madden (born May 13, 1979) is an American musician and a former bassist for the pop rock band Maroon 5. Life and music career Madden was born in Austin, Texas. He began playing in junior high school at the Brentwood School in L ...
- bass guitar *
Matt Flynn Matthew Clayton Flynn (born June 20, 1985) is a former American football quarterback. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the seventh round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He was a member of the Packers when they won Super Bowl XLV over the Pitts ...
- drums, percussion


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Certifications


Release history


References

{{Authority control 2008 singles Maroon 5 songs Music videos directed by Anthony Mandler Rihanna songs Songs written by Adam Levine Songs written by James Valentine (musician) Song recordings produced by Spike Stent 2007 songs A&M Octone Records singles Song recordings produced by Mike Elizondo Torch songs Male–female vocal duets