Never Go Back (song)

""Never Go Back"" Evanescence Synthesis Released October 11, 2011 (Evanescence) November 10, 2017 (Synthesis) Length 4:27 (Evanescence) 4:50 (Synthesis) Producers Nick Raskulinecz (Evanescence) Will Hunt, Amy Lee (Synthesis) Label Wind-up Records Chronology "Oceans" "Never Go Back" "Swimming Home"

"Never Go Back" is the eleventh track on American band Evanescence's self-titled third album. An alternate, stripped-down version of the song is also included on Synthesis.

Background

In an interview with MTV News, Amy Lee revealed that the song is about the 2011 Tōhoku disasters in Japan: "Never Go Back was actually inspired by the earthquakes and tsunami in Japan. While we were writing a bunch of music at pre-production that was going on. And I just remember, you know, we were just watching the news and looking at all these pictures on the internet, and just like... I was just inspired and feeling a lot of feelings, just of empathy and sympathy, and just sort of like 'wow, what would that be like'... you know. Putting myself in the situation in my head. Sort of accidentally I guess, when I do the thing where I go home and do my homework, and work on the lyrics. I just sort of was writing without thinking about why and after a minute I was like 'oh okay, I'm thinking about Japan, and I'm singing about Japan'. Like, why not just let this song be that story. So, it's about losing everything, you know, and about life beyond your control."

The song was chosen to be reworked on the 2017 orchestral album Synthesis. Amy explained why this song was chosen:

We were writing the song as the 2011 earthquake and tsunami was hitting Tohoku, Japan. We needed some lyrics for a very dramatic, very heavy-sounding song. Watching those images on the news, we had this empathy, so those feelings just came out of me, wondering what I would feel like in that position. The reason it’s on this album is because of its nature. That bridge piano part is one of the most dramatic classical elements in our music, and I always visualized it as a piece. To take it, accentuate it, and go all the way with that idea was really satisfying. We took that piano bridge part and used it as the intro to this new version, then allowed the orchestra to really take over, just as I always heard it in my head. It wasn’t supposed to be the first song on the album, but I realized using that one piano note was the simplest place to start. It gave the album so much room to grow, sonically and musically. And the vocal, singing from a dark place, leading to the light, was exactly the right way to start. That was a last-minute choice, instead of what we’d planned originally, using the Unraveling intro into Imaginary.

Controversy

When Bring Me the Horizon released "Nihilist Blues" featuring Grimes off their sixth album amo in 2019, fans have noticed a similiarity of the vocal melody of the song to that of "Never Go Back". It is unknown if Evanescence claimed that BMTH plagiarised their song, released nine years prior. However, Evanescence acquired songwriting credits on "Nihilist Blues".

BMTH commented on this fact on their song "Underground Big" off their 2019 EP:

Like, like, uh, "nihilist blues", that melody

Someone said, "Oh, that's like Evanescence" I'm like, "Yeah, must have been" Must have, we fuckin' subconsciously ripped it off It's not like, I'm like not a fucking genius whatsoever

Just gettin' on and feel stuff and vibe

Lyrics

Everything is so dark, and I know there's something wrong But I can't turn the light on In that split second change, when you knew we couldn't hold on I realized I live to love you Save yourself, don't look back Tearing us apart until it's all gone The only world I've ever known sleeps beneath the waves But I remember I won't give up on you, I can feel you in my heart Just show me the way, I don't belong here alone I can still see your face where it's burned into my mind I die every time I close my eyes, you're always there Save yourself, don't look back Tearing us apart until it's all gone The only world I've ever known sleeps beneath the waves But I'm the one who's drowning Without your love, I am lost And I can never go back home All across the ocean We are calling, calling Are, are you there? Nothing left for me 'til I find you Because it's all gone The only world I've ever known Sleeps beneath the waves But I'm the one who's drowning Without your love I am lost And I can never go back, ah I can never go back home

References

• home • Songs

The Bitter Truth Artifact/The Turn • Broken Pieces Shine • The Game is Over • Yeah Right • Feeding The Dark • Wasted On You • Better Without You • Use My Voice • Take Cover • Far From Heaven • Part of Me • Blind Belief Synthesis Overture • Never Go Back • Hi-Lo • My Heart Is Broken • Lacrymosa • The End of the Dream • Bring Me To Life • Unraveling (Interlude) • Imaginary • Secret Door • Lithium • Lost In Paradise • Your Star • My Immortal • The In-Between (Piano Solo) • Imperfection Evanescence What You Want • Made Of Stone • The Change • My Heart Is Broken • The Other Side • Erase This • Lost In Paradise • Sick • End Of The Dream • Oceans • Never Go Back • Swimming Home Deluxe Edition A New Way To Bleed • Say You Will • Disappear • Secret Door Outtakes (2010 sessions) Perfect Dream • You Got a Lot to Learn • Take Cover • Baby Did a Bad, Bad Thing The Open Door Sweet Sacrifice • Call Me When You're Sober • Weight of the World • Lithium • Cloud Nine • Snow White Queen • Lacrymosa • Like You • Lose Control • The Only One • Your Star • All That I'm Living For • Good Enough iTunes pre-order bonus track The Last Song I'm Wasting On You B-Sides Together Again • If You Don't Mind Fallen Going Under • Bring Me To Life • Everybody's Fool • My Immortal • Haunted • Tourniquet • Imaginary • Taking Over Me • Hello • My Last Breath • Whisper B-Sides Farther Away • Missing • Breathe No More Pre-Fallen Material Mystary EP (2003) My Last Breath (Mystary EP Version) • My Immortal (Mystary EP Version) • Farther Away (Mystary EP Version) • Everybody's Fool (Mystary EP Version) • My Immortal Origin (2000) Origin • Whisper • Imaginary (Origin Version) • My Immortal • Where Will You Go (Origin Version) • Field Of Innocence • Even In Death • Anywhere • Lies • Away From Me • Eternal Whisper/Sound Asleep EP (1999) Give Unto Me (Sound Asleep Version) • Whisper (Demo Version #1) • Understanding (Sound Asleep version) • Forgive Me • Ascension Of The Spirit Evanescence EP (1998) Where Will You Go? (Evanescence EP Version) • Solitude • Imaginary (Evanescence EP version) • Exodus • So Close • Understanding (Evanescence EP version) • The End Evanescence EP Outtakes My Immortal (Evanescence EP Version) • Give Unto Me (Evanescence EP version) • October • Untitled Song