Never Enough

Album: The Greatest Showman (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (2018)
Charted: 24 88
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • "Never Enough" was written by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul for the P.T. Barnum musical biopic The Greatest Showman. In the film, the Swedish opera singer Jenny Lind uses it to express her excitement following her successful Barnum-promoted American debut.

    For Me
    Never enough
    Never enough
    Never enough
    For me
    For me
    For me


    Justin Paul explained to Genius: "It's sort of meant to be a pop technique, that 'Never, never, never.' Something that was hooky and that was repetitive. We also thought it was kind of delicious to have this character who represents PT, who's striving for acceptance and fame. It feels extravagant and overwhelming, and it's sensory overload of her just harping on this.

    'Never, never, never enough'. It felt like you could imagine someone in a castle trying to count all of their riches and it still doesn't add up to enough. It's that kind of that moment where somebody isn't really satisfied."
  • "Never Enough" is sung by Loren Allred, who is best known for being on Adam Levine's team in season three of The Voice, making it to the Top 20. Rebecca Ferguson portrayed Jenny Lind in The Greatest Showman, but despite going to music school in Stockholm, the actress felt there was a too large a gap between her experience and playing one of the opera greats. So Allred dubbed her voice for the movie. She explained to Collider:

    "(Loren) is the most incredible singer. I'm an actress and that's what I tried to do at least. There is a difference in being able to sing a tune and hold it and do a fairly good job. It is another thing playing the world's best opera singer. If I would f--k that up, I would be quite embarrassed. So I thought, 'Loren, you just go for it, girl!'"
  • Kelly Clarkson covered this for The Greatest Showman – Reimagined, an album containing songs from the movie covered by various top musical artists. Clarkson told Billboard she recorded three different versions. The big voiced singer started with a "more classic" vocal interpretation before moving onto a rockier version and she ended up with something in between.

    "I tried to walk the line of keeping it classic and being a bit adventurous with however I was feeling while recording it, so that the end product would be the reimagined version," she added. "It's a beast of a song!"

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

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 Robinson of The Black Crowes

Chris Robinson of The Black CrowesSongwriter Interviews

"Great songwriters don't necessarily have hit songs," says Chris. He's written a bunch, but his fans are more interested in the intricate jams.

Brandi Carlile

Brandi CarlileSongwriter Interviews

As a 5-year-old, Brandi was writing lyrics to instrumental versions lullabies. She still puts her heart into her songs, including the one Elton John sings on.

Fire On The Stage

Fire On The StageSong Writing

When you have a song called "Fire," it's tempting to set one - these guys did.

Barry Dean ("Pontoon," "Diamond Rings And Old Barstools")

Barry Dean ("Pontoon," "Diamond Rings And Old Barstools")Songwriter Interviews

A top country songwriter, Barry talks about writing hits for Little Big Town, Tim McGraw and Jason Aldean.

Penny Ford of Snap!

Penny Ford of Snap!Songwriter Interviews

The original voice of Snap! this story is filled with angry drag queens, video impersonators and Chaka Khan.