"Not Over Yet" is a song by British dance act Grace. Originally released in 1993 under the band name State of Grace, it was re-released in March 1995 as the first single from their only album, If I Could Fly (1996). It received critical acclaim from music critics, peaking at number six on the UK Singles Chart and number-one on the US BillboardHot Dance Music/Club Play chart. Lead vocals and backing vocals were performed by singer Patti Low. In 1995, the lead vocals were replaced by new frontwoman and singer, Dominique Atkins for the album release, although Low's backing vocals remained in place. This Atkins/Low combination appeared on all subsequent re-releases and remixes of the track. The woman who appears in the accompanying music video is Low.
In 1999, "Not Over Yet" was remixed by Planet Perfecto, a pseudonym of Paul Oakenfold, a co-writer of the song. It again reached the Top 20, peaking at number 16. Oakenfold also used it with much less singing in another remix called "Not Over", which appeared on his second album, A Lively Mind (2006).
"Not Over Yet" was a top-10 hit in Ireland (4) and the United Kingdom. In the latter, it reached number six on 9 April 1995,[4] in its second week on the UK Singles Chart. But the song went to number-one on both the UK Dance Singles Chart and Music Week's Club Chart. Additionally, it was a top-40 hit in Iceland (31) and Sweden (33). On the Eurochart Hot 100, "Not Over Yet" reached its peak of number 12 on 22 April. Outside Europe, it reached number one on the US BillboardHot Dance Club Play chart and number 144 in Australia.
Scottish Aberdeen Press and Journal described the song as "uplifting".[5]AllMusic editor Michael Gallucci felt that it "makes any sort of lasting impression".[6]J.D. Considine from The Baltimore Sun remarked in his review of If I Could Fly, "But rather than try to make the listener dance, as so many divas do, Grace would rather entice us — and there's something wonderfully inviting about that."[7]Larry Flick from Billboard wrote, "Grace has it all—a highly videogenic image, an angelic voice, and the ability to write material that deftly straddles commercial viability and underground hipness. She has already wooed punters in her native U.K. with this silky slice of trance/disco, and early reaction from tastemaking radio-programmers hints that even greater stateside success is on the horizon."[8] In his weekly UK chart commentary, James Masterton viewed it as "another dance hit from the Perfecto stable, wildly commercial and sending clubgoers wild the country over".[9] Later, writing for Dotmusic, he felt it is "easily one of the best dance hits of the year so far".[10]
Mixmag named it Single of the Week, adding, "Quite simply the best record I have heard in months. Vibrant, passionate and ultimately spiritual."[11] Pan-European magazine Music & Media commented, "Not over yet? No way, it's only just beginning, the renewed appreciation of synth or electro pop—of course in a fashionable new dance coat. The girl sings gracefully in a sea of sequencers."[12]James Hamilton from Music Week's RM Dance Update called it a "sweetly cooed commercial techno scamperer"[13] and a "haunting sweet girl cooed and fluttery synth chugged attractive simple burbling old raver".[14]Iestyn George from NME praised it as an "epic soundscape of uplifting deep-house". He added, "This is dance music in widescreen with surround sound — plaintive vocal melody, lush piano sounds, crisp percussion, minimalistic trance interludes and random whale noises for all the Orb fans in the, er, house. A contender for single of the year so far? You betcha."[15]
In 1996, Mixmag ranked "Not Over Yet" number 91 in its "100 Greatest Dance Singles of All Time" list.[16] It was also included as number 15 in their "Mixmag End of Year Lists: 1995".[17] In 1998, DJ Magazine ranked it number 38 in their list of "Top 100 Club Tunes".[18][19] In November 2011, MTV Dance ranked it number 64 in their list of "The 100 Biggest 90's Dance Anthems of All Time".[20] In 2016, Attitude ranked it number five on their list of "The Top 10 Dance Tunes of the '90s", writing, "There are some beautiful '90s tracks that got lost in the 'novelty' of the '90s, and this is one of them."[21] In 2018, Mixmag ranked it as one of "The 15 best mid-90s trance tracks", adding, "Dominique Wilkins' soaring vocals steal the show and she delivers one of dance's most recognisable earworms on the hook in a storm of sonic, melody-driven madness."[22] In 2020, RedBull.com ranked it number five in their "10 Underrated Dance Songs from the 1990s That Still Sound Amazing", writing, "Sometimes, you just want a big hands-in-the-air singalong. That's where this trancey pop dinger comes in. [...] What. A. Tune."[23] Same year, Tomorrowland featured the song in their official list of "The Ibiza 500".[24] In 2022, Classic Pop ranked "Not Over Yet" number 21 in their list of the top 40 dance tracks from the 90's, naming it a "90s chart trance cornerstone".[3]
In 1999, "Not Over Yet" was re-released by Planet Perfecto, a supergroup consisting of Paul Oakenfold, Ian Masterson and Jake Williams which featured re-recorded vocals and new mixes. It again reached the top 20, peaking at number 16. In 2001, BT released the album R&R (Rare & Remixed). A remix of "Not Over Yet" was included on this album, credited as 'Grace (BT's Spirit of Grace)'. A remixed version with new vocals (by Ryan Tedder of OneRepublic), only featuring the words "not over yet" from the original appeared on Oakenfold's 2006 album A Lively Mind as "Not Over". In 2011, new remixes by Perfecto Records were released under the name Grace. The song was sampled by UK live drum act The Stickmen Project on their 2023 track "Not Over Yet" (Spinnin' Records).[25]
"Not Over Yet" was covered by British band Klaxons as "It's Not Over Yet" and released as the fifth official single from their debut album, Myths of the Near Future (2007).[46] The track was released as a single on 25 June 2007 featuring an exclusive B-side, "The Night" (a cover of a song by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons) as well as an exclusive remix by Blende (available through the iTunes Store).
The song, upon its release, entered the UK Singles Chart at number 28 before peaking at number 13 on 7 July 2007.[47] It received extensive airplay on a number of the United Kingdom's top radio stations, such as Xfm, as well as receiving moderate airplay on the MTV Two/NME Chart.
The song has been remixed by dubstep artist Skream. The song featured in the Channel 4 advertisement for the finale of the first series of Ugly Betty, and is also featured in many episodes of Hollyoaks.
The accompanying music video for the track was released in May 2007. It features the band dressed up as samurai, wielding swords to destroy flying prism shaped objects.
