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Ariana_Grande_-_Almost_Is_Never_Enough_ft._Nathan_Sykes

Ariana Grande - Almost Is Never Enough ft. Nathan Sykes

"Almost Is Never Enough" is the tenth track from Ariana Grande's debut album Yours Truly. It features singer Nathan Sykes. It was released as a promotional single one day before the release of The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones to capitalise on Grande's popularity in order to drum up anticipation for the film. The song was well-received, with most critics praising Grande's vocal range and control; it debuted at #85 on the Billboard Hot 100 and peaked at #82. A longer version is included on Grande's debut studio album Yours Truly.

Background

"Almost Is Never Enough" was written by Grande, Harmony Samuels, Carmen Reece, Al Sherrod Lambert, Olaniyi-Akinpelu, and its producer, Moses Samuels. Ariana originally recorded "Almost Is Never Enough" as a solo ballad for her album. Roughly a week later, she received an email from her manager Scooter Braun, who also manages the English boy band The Wanted. In the email was a new version of the song that had Nathan Sykes's vocal added to it. Ariana loved the new version and decided to keep it for her album.[1] Especially at 4:39 when Nathan sings that riff. First time she heard it she spent the whole day trying to sing it.[2]

Critical reception

The duet received positive reception. Idolator editor Mike Wass called "Almost Is Never Enough" a "glorious" and "soulful" anthem and praised the collaboration between the two artists; "The simple production is timeless and showcases Ariana's powerful pipes superbly. And who knew Nathan could sing like that? 'Almost Is Never Enough' is a revelation all around and promises very good things for Grande's debut album." Brent Faulkner of Star Pulse found the duet to be a pleasantly surprising blend of modern and classical elements and noted that the song "should be sappy but isn't". This sentiment was mirrored by Popdust's Andrew Unterberger, who observed that the song "manages to mostly stay out of the way of its two talented young vocalists... and lets them carry it with the strength of their voices, and of the song itself. The result is a ballad that’s surprisingly mature and classic sounding." Unterberger also drew comparisons to Mariah Carey, and her Boyz II Men duet "One Sweet Day" in particular.

Music video

The music video of "Almost Is Never Enough" was filmed on August 4, 2013[3] and released on YouTube on August 19. The video features Grande and Sykes performing the song in a recording studio. It also featured a few scenes from the movie The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones.

Live performances

Sykes and Grande sung the song in the Believe Tour several times. It was also performed on September 5, 2013 in the talk show Live! With Kelly and Michael.

Lyrics

[Verse 1: Ariana Grande]
I'd like to say we gave it a try
I'd like to blame it all on life
Maybe we just weren't right
But that's a lie, that's a lie

[Pre-Chorus]
And we can deny it as much as we want
But in time our feelings will show
Cause sooner or later we'll wonder why we gave up
The truth is, everyone knows

[Chorus]
Almost, almost is never enough
So close to being in love
If I would have known that you wanted me
The way I wanted you
Then maybe we wouldn't be two worlds apart
But right here in each other's arms
And we almost, we almost knew what love was
But almost is never enough

[Verse 2: Nathan Sykes]
If I could change the world overnight
There'd be no such thing as goodbye
You'll be standing right where you were
We'd get the chance we deserve

[Pre-Chorus]
Try to deny it as much as you want
But in time our feelings will show
Cause sooner or later
We'll wonder why we gave up
The truth is, everyone knows

[Chorus: Ariana Grande & Nathan Sykes]
Almost, almost is never enough
So close to being in love
If I would have known that you wanted me
The way I wanted you
Then maybe we wouldn't be two worlds apart
But right here in each other's arms
And we almost, we almost knew what love was
But almost is never enough

[Bridge]
Huh, huh, baby
You know, you know, baby
Almost is never enough, baby (baby, baby, baby)
You know, hey

[Pre-Chorus]
And we can deny it as much as we want
But in time our feelings will show
Cause sooner or later
We'll wonder why we gave up
Truth is, everyone knows that

[Chorus]
Almost, almost is never enough (is never enough, babe)
We were close to being in love (so close)
If I would have known that you wanted me the way I wanted you (baby)
Then maybe we wouldn't be two worlds apart
But right here in each other's arms
And we almost, we almost knew what love was
But almost is never enough

[Outro]
Huh, huh, baby... (almost)
You know, you know, baby
Almost is never enough, baby (never)
You know, hey

[Verse 1: Ariana Grande]
I'd like to say we gave it a try
I'd like to blame it all on life
Maybe we just weren't right
But that's a lie, that's a lie

[Pre-Chorus]
And we can deny it as much as we want
But in time our feelings will show
Cause sooner or later we'll wonder why we gave up
The truth is, everyone knows

[Chorus]
Almost, almost is never enough
So close to being in love
If I would have known that you wanted me
The way I wanted you
Then maybe we wouldn't be two worlds apart
But right here in each other's arms
And we almost, we almost knew what love was
But almost is never enough

[Verse 2: Nathan Sykes]
If I could change the world overnight
There'd be no such thing as goodbye
You'd be standing right where you were
And we'd get the chance we deserve

[Pre-Chorus: Ariana Grande & Nathan Sykes]
Try to deny it as much as you want
But in time our feelings will show
Cause sooner or later
We'll wonder why we gave up
Truth is, everyone knows (ohhh)

[Chorus]
Almost, almost is never enough (is never enough, babe)
We were close to being in love (so close)
If I would have known that you wanted me the way I wanted you (babe)
Then maybe we wouldn't be two worlds apart
But right here in each other's arms
And we almost, we almost knew what love was
But almost is never enough

Gallery

References

Yours Truly
August 30, 2013 • 46:28 • Republic Records
Songs
Released Almost Is Never EnoughBaby IBetter Left UnsaidDaydreamin'Honeymoon AvenueLovin' ItPianoPopular SongRight ThereTattooed HeartThe WayYou'll Never Know
Unreleased 3OH!3 Outtake 13OH!3 Outtake 2Boyfriend MaterialButterfliesDo You Love MeFirst TimeHumanILABLa Vie En RoseNobody Does It BetterOh, DarlingParachutePink ChampagnePlease Don't Let Me GoPut Your Hearts UpRealSandmanSaturday Love'Til We Finally MeetUnknown Nick Jonas DuetUnknown Nick Jonas BalladUnknown Sean Kingston CollaborationVoodoo LoveYoung LoveYou're My Only Shawty
Artists
Ariana GrandeBig SeanDemi LovatoGreyson ChanceJ BalvinJade NovahKing LosMac MillerMIKANathan SykesPebe SebertSean KingstonSky BluTaro HakaseThe Dap Kings
Tour
The Listening Sessions
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