‘Never Enough’ from The Greatest Showman: who sings it and who wrote it?

3 November 2020, 15:08 | Updated: 3 November 2020, 15:19

‘Never Enough’ is the ear-wormy pop ballad which helped The Greatest Showman become the UK’s longest-running No. 1 soundtrack in 50 years. But who actually sings the song in the film?

‘Never Enough’ is performed by Jenny Lind, a Swedish virtuoso singer played by Rebecca Ferguson, in The Greatest Showman (2017).

Jenny Lind, a real-life opera singer, was considered one of the greatest soprano voices of the 1800s.

If you think it’s dubious that Ferguson – a great actress but by no means a trained singer – learned to sing well enough to pass for ‘the world’s best opera singer’, your suspicions are correct.

The belting ballad is actually dubbed by Loren Allred, who made it to the top 20 on season three of The Voice US.

Watch more: This harp cover of The Greatest Showman is even more beautiful than the original

On Allred dubbing her vocals, Ferguson told Collider: “She is the most incredible singer. I am an actress and that is what I trained to do at least.

“There is a difference in being able to sing a tune and hold it and do a fairly good job… [and to] play the world’s best opera singer. So I thought, ‘Loren, you just go for it, girl!’”

Who wrote ‘Never Enough’?

‘Never Enough’ was written by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul for the biopic on P.T. Barnum, a showman who invests his fortune in Lind and her voice.

It is performed during the character Jenny Lind’s debut concert in New York, which turns out to be a phenomenal success for both Lind’s career and Barnum’s bank account.

The song itself has also seen great success, with several talent show contestants covering the track. Katherine Jenkins also performed an operatic version of ‘Never Enough’ at the 2018 Classic BRIT Awards.

Composer Justin Paul explained to Genius: “It’s sort of meant to be a pop technique, that ‘Never, never, never.’ Something that was hooky and that was repetitive.

“We also thought it was kind of delicious to have this character who represents P.T., who’s striving for acceptance and fame. It feels extravagant and overwhelming, and it’s [a] sensory overload of her just harping on this.”

Never Enough - Loren Allred LIVE with David Foster on PBS “An Intimate Evening with David Foster”

What are the lyrics to ‘Never Enough’?

The lyrics to the chorus of ‘Never Enough’ are as follows:

All the shine of a thousand spotlights
All the stars we steal from the night sky
Will never be enough
Never be enough

Towers of gold are still too little
These hands could hold the world
But it’ll never be enough
Never be enough for me

See the full lyrics here.