Never Let Go

"Never Let Go" is the third and final single from Elice Claire's second studio album Intimate Encounters. The singer announced her hiatus from music with the release of a single in dedication to her father who passed away and to her fans who's been supporting her career.

Background
The song was written by Claire for the re-issue of her first studio album, however the label decided to hold the track for the release of her second album. In an interview, the singer said that this song is part "the heart" of the record because of its classical sound and purely emotional quality. The producer of the record was La Manichansons, who also produced Claire's single Damn Wrong About Me. According to him, it's one of his most marvelous work, something he has never done before. He called the song "a classical piece of art that should be embraced with deep emotion when listening to it". Claire first performed an early demo of the song on her Strictly Censored Tour with singer China. Since then both the melody and the lyrics have been altered to give a raw but classical sound to it.

Reception
The song has been received positively among many. Entertainment Weekly writer Leah Greenblatt called the track a "lovely and nostalgic" ballad. Daily Record: "She obviously studied the song and applied such a heartfelt feeling to it. She was able to stripped it to a bare core. I think it sounds absolutely phenomenal. The classical and orchestral sound made the song feel so soothing, that i could close my eyes and easily reminisce, however the song presents that melancholy that will melt your heart as your eyes pour tears". "Never Let Go" received four stars out of five from Digital Spy, who said that Claire "wrings every last drop of emotion out of the lyrics". The Sentinel described the single as "so much better" than her previous releases.

Music Video
The music video for "Never Let Go" was filmed in France and was directed by Jake Nava. Claire herself described the plot of the video as eight-minute of pure fairy tale, she was quoted "It's going to be enchanting but very sad as well. It's definitely going to be picking up on different elements of the song.". Shooting for the video lasted for two days. Popshots got an exclusive sneak preview of the early director's cut performance scene of the music video on July 25. The video was premiered on 4Music August 1st. The music depicts Elice as a French royal lady during the French Revolution, who is not happy with her extravagant life. While She demonstrates lack of commitment towards her set up wedding with a French Archduke, Elice still goes on with the wedding after her secret lover tells her to do so. When Elice meets her lover in the woods on afternoon, they are caught by guards her parents sent after her. Her lover is put on a jail with orders to be hang. The night of Elice's wedding, is the same night her lover is meant to be hung. A few hours before the wedding however, Elice goes to visit her lover so they can run away and be happy, however her lover tells her to go on with the wedding and to live a happy life without him. He makes Elice promise to do all the things she always wanted to do and to always follow her heart. The video ends with Elice walking down the isle, but at the last minute she changes her mind and run out of the wedding trying to stop her lover's hanging. By the time she reaches the palace's door the clock strikes 8pm, which is the exact time her lover was hung. The video ends with both Elice watching the full moon from outside the palace and her lover also watching the moon as he is finally killed. Performance shots featuring Elice under a full moon and a dry up land is also seen throughout the video. In the end a final performance shot is shown as the dry up land turns into a beautiful paradise.

Track listings and formats
These are the formats and track listings of major single releases for the single

Promotional CD

 * 1) "Never Let Go" (Radio Edit)
 * 2) "Never Let Go" (Album Version)

CD Single

 * 1) "Never Let Go" (Radio Edit)
 * 2) "The Cry of Goodbye"
 * 3) "I'll Never Let Go" (Outro)

Digital Single

 * 1) "Cloud Nine"
 * 2) "Never Let Go" (Radio Edit)
 * 3) "Cloud Nine" (Acoustic Piano Version)
 * 4) "Never Let Go" (La Manichansons Orchestral Version)

Live performances
Elice Claire has performed the song at the following events


 * Channel 4 Presents: An Intimate Farewell with Elice - 20 August 2010

Chart Run
TOTAL: 432,888 [Platinum]
 * Week 01: #01 - 140,553
 * Week 02: #03 - 70,235
 * Week 03: #08 - 39,755
 * Week 04: #10 - 39,874
 * Week 05: #14 - 20,675
 * Week 06: #24 - 10,023
 * Week 07: #18 - 17,411
 * Week 08: #24 - 10,985
 * Week 09: #32 - 06,775
 * Week 10: #37 - 03,214
 * Week 11: #32 - 06,467
 * Week 12: #35 - 04,235
 * Week 13: #36 - 04,231
 * Week 14: #32 - 06,467
 * Week 15: #35 - 04,235
 * Week 16: #29 - 10,042
 * Week 17: #39 - 05,653
 * Week 18: #29 - 10,255
 * Week 19: #38 - 05,421
 * Week 20: #33 - 06,545
 * Week 21: #33 - 06,023
 * Week 22: #39 - 03,214