Never Let You Go

Album: Strange Clouds (2012)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • B.o.B collaborated with OneRepublic frontman Ryan Tedder on this track. The Tulsa native has also carved out a separate career as songwriter and producer for various artists, and the pair wrote several other songs together, including the hit single, "So Good." The Atlanta rhymer traveled up to Tedder's studio to write and record the song. Bobby Ray recalled to The Boombox: "His studio is nuts. It's in Denver. He got like prized wood from New Orleans [in his studio]. It's all made out of that type of wood. It has a vibe already in it. He had this guitar riff and we were just playing around with it on the guitar and looping it and singing it. I'm a picky person in the studio but luckily, you know, me and Ryan Tedder both, we have a good sense of what it takes to make a song. We kinda scratched our heads for awhile to figure out the lyrics and it came to us. I think it's definitely one of the best songs on the album, hands down."
  • Lyrically, the song is about a girl taking a fall for B.o.B. He explained to The Boombox: "Basically, the track is like running. It just moves in a way where you can just feel the passion running in the track. The story can be taken in many different ways but there's this girl who, whatever she did, she took the fall for me. Now she's on trial for something. This is me trying to get her out of the situation since she took the fall for me. It's a very infectious melody."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Scott Gorham of Thin Lizzy and Black Star Riders

Scott Gorham of Thin Lizzy and Black Star RidersSongwriter Interviews

Writing with Phil Lynott, Scott saw their ill-fated frontman move to a darker place in his life and lyrics.

Marc Campbell - "88 Lines About 44 Women"

Marc Campbell - "88 Lines About 44 Women"They're Playing My Song

The Nails lead singer Marc Campbell talks about those 44 women he sings about over a stock Casio keyboard track. He's married to one of them now - you might be surprised which.

Andrew Farriss of INXS

Andrew Farriss of INXSSongwriter Interviews

Andrew Farriss on writing with Michael Hutchence, the stories behind "Mystify" and other INXS hits, and his country-flavored debut solo album.

Chris Fehn of Slipknot

Chris Fehn of SlipknotSongwriter Interviews

A drummer for one of the most successful metal bands of the last decade, Chris talks about what it's like writing and performing with Slipknot. Metal-neck is a factor.

Thomas Dolby

Thomas DolbySongwriter Interviews

He wrote "She Blinded Me With Science" so he could direct a video about a home for deranged scientists.

Superman in Song

Superman in SongSong Writing

Not everyone can be a superhero, but that hasn't stopped generations of musicians from trying to be Superman.