Corey Hart remakes classic ’80s hit 'Never Surrender' for pandemic era

A classic song never gets old.

But they sometimes get remade.

Canadian singer-songwriter Corey Hart is responsible for one of the more classic hits from the 1980s: “Never Surrender,” a Top 10 hit from 1985.

Inspired by the world’s response to the covid-19 pandemic, Hart has revisited the famous track and recorded an update: “Never Surrender (Angels) 2020.”

“Since the pandemic began, I’ve received so many heartfelt messages from people all over the world telling me how much ‘Never Surrender’ has meant to them during the journey of their lives, including into this new crucible we are all facing,” the Montreal-born singer said in a statement shared by The Toronto Star. “It thus spurred me on to release a reworked single and video.”

Hart’s new version has a slower, more quiet tone. He’s changed up the melody and added a few new lyrics that seem to fit the moment.

“You’re calling all angels, calling all angels to receive you, to believe you, my friend.”

The video, which debuted May 29, follows Hart as he walks alone down a road in Nassau, Bahamas, where he lives with his family.

As he walks, Hart begins to shed pieces of his suit — first his jacket, then his tie, then his white button-down shirt. He ends the video in just an undershirt, likely symbolizing this pandemic has left us all exposed and vulnerable.

“Dedicated to all of us trying to do our best” appears on the screen at the start of the video.

The Toronto Star reports Hart said the new song was recorded at Sanctuary Studio in Nassau. And his family was called into service with filming the video, which was directed by his wife, Julie Masse.

“As we are in a stringent lockdown here in the Bahamas, we had no other alternative but do it ourselves,” he said.

It was recorded in one take.

“Aspirational dreams of youth coupled with naive, unaffected simplicity led me to write a song called ‘Never Surrender’ some 35 years ago,” Hart wrote on a Facebook post announcing the song. “Today as I gaze out onto the uncertain sea of change, I’m reminded of the kind, resilient people in our world who keep moving forward with steely determination and steady stride — that yes, indeed, “just a little more time is all we’re asking for.”