The NeverEnding Story (song)

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This article is about the title song from the film. For the 2003 single by Within Temptation, see Never Ending Story (Within Temptation song).
"Never Ending Story"
The neverending story.jpg
Single by Limahl
from the album Don't Suppose and The NeverEnding Story soundtrack
B-side"Ivory Tower" or Instrumental version
Released25 July 1984
RecordedJanuary 1984
GenreSynthpop, new wave
Length3:31
LabelEMI
Songwriter(s)Giorgio Moroder, Keith Forsey
Producer(s)Giorgio Moroder
Limahl singles chronology
"Too Much Trouble"
(1984) 		"Never Ending Story"
(1984) 		"Tar Beach"
(1984)
Music video
"The NeverEnding Story" on YouTube

"Never Ending Story" is the title song from the English version of the 1984 film The NeverEnding Story. It was produced and composed by Italian musician Giorgio Moroder and performed by Limahl. Limahl released two versions of the song, one in English and one in French. The English version featured vocals by Beth Anderson, and the French version titled "L'Histoire Sans Fin" featured vocals by Ann Calvert.

Original version[]

Background and writing[]

The song was composed by Giorgio Moroder with lyrics by Keith Forsey, though it (and other electronic pop elements of the soundtrack) is not present in the German version of the film, which features Klaus Doldinger's score exclusively.

Beth Anderson recorded her words in America separately from Limahl's.[1] Anderson does not appear in the music video; frequent Limahl back-up singer Mandy Newton lip-syncs Anderson's part.

As a reference to the film and its title, the song has no distinctive beginning, nor an end. While many songs fade out, "The NeverEnding Story" not only fades out but also fades in, thus making it "never-ending".

Personnel[]

Track listings[]

7" single
  1. "Never Ending Story"
  2. "Ivory Tower" by Giorgio Moroder
12" single
  1. "Never Ending Story" (club mix) – 6:09
  2. "Never Ending Story" (instrumental version) – 5:28
12" maxi
  1. "Never Ending Story" (12" mix) – 5:17
  2. "Never Ending Story" (7" mix) – 3:30
  3. "Ivory Tower" (12" mix) (instrumental) by Giorgio Moroder – 5:54
iTunes single
  1. "Never Ending Story" (12" mix) – 5:20
  2. "Never Ending Story" (Giorgio 7" mix) – 3:31
  3. "Never Ending Story" (Rusty 7" mix) – 3:54
  4. "Never Ending Story" (12" dance mix) – 6:08
  5. "Never Ending Story" (12" dub mix) – 5:27
  6. "Ivory Tower" by Giorgio Moroder – 3:08
  7. "Ivory Tower" (12" mix) by Giorgio Moroder – 5:55

Official mixes[]

  • "Never Ending Story" (7" Mix) – 3:28
  • "Never Ending Story" (12" Mix) – 5:17
  • "Never Ending Story" (Club Mix) – 6:09
  • "Never Ending Story" (Instrumental Version) – 5:28

Certifications[]

Country Certification Date Sales certified
UK[2] Silver December 1, 1984 200,000

Charts[]

"The NeverEnding Story" was a success in many countries, reaching No. 1 in Norway and Sweden, No. 2 in Austria, Germany and Italy, No. 4 in the UK, No. 6 in Australia and No. 6 in the US Billboard Adult Contemporary chart.

1 "The NeverEnding Story"/"L'Histoire Sans Fin"

Cover versions[]

Legacy[]

In the final episode of the third season of Stranger Things, set in 1985, "Never Ending Story" is sung by Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) and his long-distance girlfriend Suzie (Gabriella Pizzolo) as a way to reconnect after not seeing each other for some time.[14] Following the season's release on July 4, 2019, interest in "The NeverEnding Story" surged; viewership of the original music video had increased by 800% within a few days according to YouTube, while Spotify reported an 825% increase in stream requests for the song. Limahl expressed gratitude towards Netflix for this; while he had not watched the series, he was told of the song's inclusion by his nephews and watched clips of the duet. Limahl had previously found a similar increase in his past work when Netflix used his band Kajagoogoo's song "Too Shy" in Black Mirror: Bandersnatch.[15][16]

References[]

  1. ^ "'NeverEnding Story' Release Info". Limahl.co.uk. Archived from the original on October 10, 1999. Retrieved June 17, 2010. (dead)
  2. ^ UK certifications Bpi.co.uk (Retrieved 3 September 2008)
  3. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b c d "NeverEnding Story", various singles charts Lescharts.com (Retrieved 24 February 2008)
  5. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-04-12. Retrieved 2017-03-31.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. ^ German Singles Chart Charts-surfer.de Archived 2008-12-16 at the Wayback Machine (Retrieved 1 September 2008)
  7. ^ Irish Singles Chart Irishcharts.ie (Retrieved 24 February 2008)
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b "Limahl – The Never Ending Story (song)". Norwegiancharts.com. Retrieved July 15, 2010.
  9. ^ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  10. ^ UK Singles Chart Official Charts Company (Retrieved 1 September 2008)
  11. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Billboard Allmusic.com (Retrieved 1 September 2008)
  12. ^ "Forum – ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts – 1984". Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 16 May 2017. Retrieved 21 May 2017.
  13. ^ 1984 Austrian Singles Chart Austriancharts.at (Retrieved 1 September 2008)
  14. ^ Gooden, Tai (July 4, 2019). "The Song Dustin & Suzie Sing In 'Stranger Things' From 'The Neverending Story' Was An Epic Choice For The Teen Couple". Bustle. Retrieved July 4, 2019.
  15. ^ Codero, Rosy (July 9, 2019). "The NeverEnding Story theme singer Limahl celebrates newfound interest thanks to 'Stranger Things'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved July 12, 2019.
  16. ^ Kaufman, Gil (July 18, 2019). "Limahl 'Gobsmacked' by Explosion of Interest in 'Neverending Story' Thanks to 'Stranger Things'". Billboard. Retrieved July 18, 2019.
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