Instead, she wrote a new note, slipped it inside the sleeve, and sent the album to Cassian’s gallery address. The note said:

. It holds historical significance as the first album by a British female solo artist to top the UK Albums Chart and the first by any female solo artist to debut at number one. Artistic Direction and Themes

"A whisper of impermanence in a sonic storm. Never for Ever is an exploration of the ‘conflicting emotions’ that pass through us—telling our hearts to be happy that nothing lasts forever. It is a world where unborn children watch nuclear fallout and wives test fidelity through anonymous letters, all set to the pioneering clicks and whirrs of early digital synthesis." Key Highlights for Your Draft

It is the sound of an artist learning to fly by jumping off the cliff of commercial safety. Without Never for Ever , there is no Hounds of Love . Without the terrifying fetal perspective of "Breathing," there is no "Running Up That Hill."

In the small, rain-streaked town of Verlore, there was a legend about an album that no one had ever heard. It was called Never for Ever , and the story went like this: