- Written, produced, mixed & mastered by Blake Robinson
- Recorded at Synthetic Orchestra Studios, 2022
- Vocals & lyrics by Gloom Darkheart & Blake Robinson
A story of life, love and dedication that knows no bounds and transcends all boundaries. A veritably velvet-gloved vice grip of a song, "Never Let You Go" wraps possessive devotion in the sugar-dusted glow of doo-wop and 60s pop before quietly tightening its finJers around your throat.
(Verse - Gloom)
Ooh, they say this is not how should I act
And I know it's not okay for me to be so bad
But I see how they look at you, those girls at the dance
And I knew what I had to do to make you my man
It was easier than when I pushed sweet Jolene off the cliff
Or that time that poor old Milly didn't see the car until—
(Chorus)
And now I will never let you go
And I truly, really hope
That you see that you're mine
And that I'm your only friend
So don't cry, no, don't cry
Anymore, or you'll die
(Verse - Blake)
I'm feeling like you're better off now you've got me in your life
And all it took was a little persuasion with a twist of my knife
And your blood runs so fast, fast, fast
When you open your veins to me
Oh sometimes when I look at you, your face looks full of fear
Then I realize all I have to do is hold your dead body near me
(Chorus)
And now I will never let you go
And I truly, really hope
That you see that you're mine
And that I'm your only friend
So don't cry, no, don't cry
Anymore, or you'll die
(Outro)
No don't cry, no don't cry
Please don't cry, oh don't cry
Guitar tabs
Learn the song's guitar tabs below!
All parts are played with the guitar tuned to Drop-D (so tune that low E string down to a D) and a capo on the 2nd fret
Run it through a good tremolo pedal or FX and you're good to go!
A sprinkling of theory
We always loved those classic early-Motown and 60s pop ballads. The Marvelettes, The Shirelles, The Drifters. So when Gloom sent through the original demo, late one night, I knew we had something special.
On the surface, "Never Let You Go" is just that: a throwback to the era. Tremolo guitar, walking basslines, sweeping string sections and twinkling piano ostinatos, swaying like a dusty old doo-wop love song.
But in true Gloom Theory style, something odd lurks just under the hood. A slightly crooked chord structure that never quite settles where you expect it to. Strange ambient synths build a bed of sound beneath 8-bit blips and bloops, leaving the whole thing feeling sweet, synthetic and just a little bit wrong.
Harmonically it has the familiar fingerprints of the genre, but it's always slipping sideways into a chord that does not quite resolve the way a classic pop progression normally would. Your brain expects something warm and natural, like an A major chord, but instead the floor tilts into a cheeky E diminished over Bb.
Add the lyrics into the mix, and beneath the school-prom slow-dance shimmer, "Never Let You Go" spins an unsettling tale of devotion, curdled just that little bit too far.
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