Never Again (Kelly Clarkson Song) - Critical Reception

Critical Reception

Sarah Rodman of The Boston Globe comments that the song "comes much closer, pleasingly so, to the polished angst and power chords of Alanis Morissette and Pat Benatar than it does to, say, "Gimme Shelter" or "Nebraska."" Bill Lamb of About.com praised "Never Again" for its production, which he stated let Clarkson's voice to take center stage, and for its message, which Lamb describes as "a serious warning without sounding on the edge of breakdown". He, however, found the lyrics to be less powerful than those of Carrie Underwood's 200 single "Before He Cheats" (Some Hearts, 2005). He ultimate labeled it as a song of strength and power and gave a four-star rating. Allmusic writer Stephen Thomas Erlewine selected it among others as one of the album's best tracks. Chris Willman, a writer for Entertainment Weekly, comments "There was subversive fun to be had in witnessing America's sweetheart using Never Again, the he-done-me-wrong first single, to reinvent herself as a banshee (wishing gangrene on an enemy, no less)." Spence D. of IGN praised the song as an intriguing departure for Clarkson, writing that "she's kicking out the verbals with gusto."

J. Freedom du Lac, a writer for The Washington Post, commented on the song's poor performance on the charts compared to singles off of Breakaway, writing that it lacks a memorable melody. Cinema Blend's Brendan Butler lauded it as the only radio-friendly tune on My December, writing that "There’s no denying it’s a hot tune that would be better accompanied by tracks not trying to repeat its identical magic." Susan Frances of Hybrid Magazine described it as having the "pop-rock propulson of Chevalle." Tony Heywood of musicOMH labeled it as "A smart mini pop metal explosion of angst and rage." "Never Again" ranked number ninety-nine on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 Best Songs of 2007 and number sixty-three on AT40's 100 Most Played Songs of 2007. It also ranked at number seventy on Billboard's 2007 Year End Chart. On March 5, 2013 Billboard ranked the song #26 in its list of Top 100 American Idol Hits of All Time.