Never Gonna Say I'm Sorry

J.D. Considine from The Baltimore Sun said that "Never Gonna Say I'm Sorry" "tops its "All That She Wants"-style arrangement with a vocal so tinged with regret that it's hard not to wince at the irony in lines like "I will make you happy, make you laugh.""[2] Larry Flick from Billboard described the song as a "wise single selection from the act's current album, "The Bridge"". He added that it "takes this Swedish foursome right back where they began—chirping atop a glossy reggae/pop melody that instantly triggers memories of the breakthrough hit "All That She Wants". It worked once, and chances are good that it will work again. Even the act's harshest critics will have to admit that the hook is instantly memorable."[3] Dave Sholin from the Gavin Report commented that "by providing the planet with all that it wants in the realm of Pop music, this Swedish foursome has yet to disappoint its ever-growing legion of fans. Thanks to the creative power of Jonas Berggren, the Ace of Base sound remains distinctive without getting stale. Early spins paint a positive future for single number three from The Bridge."[4] Robbie Daw from Idolator described it as a "bouncy" tune.[5] Brian A. Gnatt from The Michigan Daily stated that the song "carries through with the good ol' familiar style".[6] Music & Media noted it as a "mid-tempo dance tune with a dominant, deep beat and the bouncy melodies which have become Ace of Base's musical trademark. Short and snappy, this single can be played at any time of the day."[7] Bob Waliszewski of Plugged In commented in his review, that on the song, "the singer refuses to compromise who she is".[8] Chuck Campbell from Scripps Howard News Service wrote that "Never Gonna Say I'm Sorry" "is an unapologetic and propulsive reworking of the band's "All That She Wants". It stands to be another smash."[9]

"Never Gonna Say I'm Sorry" didn't reach the same level of success as "Lucky Love" and "Beautiful Life", but was a moderate success in Europe. It managed to climb into the Top 10 in Hungary, where it hit number 6. Additionally, the single was a Top 20 hit in Denmark and Finland, a Top 30 hit in the band's native Sweden and a Top 40 hit in Iceland. It didn't chart on the UK Singles Chart in the UK, but peaked at number 78 on the Eurochart Hot 100. Outside Europe, "Never Gonna Say I'm Sorry" reached number 7 on the RPM Dance Chart and number 53 on the Canadian Hot 100 in Canada, number 6 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles and number 18 on the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales in the United States, number 18 in Chile and number 79 in Australia.

The music video for the song was directed by British director Richard Heslop in late 1995, who had earlier directed the band's video for "Beautiful Life". The video includes computer-generated imagery and mirror effects designed to make the video feel like a funhouse, much like the video for ABBA's "SOS". In the USA the video was never released as Arista Records was dissatisfied with the video and opted not to release one to accompany the single release.

In March 1996,[10] several months after the video had been filmed, the single was at last released. In Europe the single was accompanied by a short promotion tour by the band and two alternate videos. In the USA the only promotion consisted of tiny misspelled stickers on the CD packaging, although the record company did send out promotional copies of the Sweetbox Radio Mix to radio stations. With the band members away in Europe and with no other form of promotion, the single failed to enter the official USA charts, peaking at #106. It was the first Ace of Base single to fail to chart inside of the Top 40 in the USA.

Though the U.S. version of the "Lucky Love" video was filmed later, "Never Gonna Say I'm Sorry" was chronologically the last video that was released with major participation from Malin. It was uploaded to YouTube in January 2015. As of September 2020, the video has got more than 15,2 million views.[11]

• Album version / short version / original version – 3:16
• Lenny B's club mix – 8:24
• Lenny B's Organ-ic House mix – 7:14
• Long version / extended – 6:34
• Rock version – 4:02
• Sweetbox funky mix / Sweetbox extended mix – 6:46
• Sweetbox radio edit

• Vocals by Linn Berggren and Jenny Berggren
• StabGuitar by Chuck Anthony
• Music by Jonas Berggren
• Lyrics by Jonas Berggren
• Produced by Denniz Pop, Max Martin and Jonas Berggren
• Recorded and produced at Cheiron Studios

• "Never Gonna Say I'm Sorry" Official music video on YouTube
• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics