Jon Batiste’s “It Never Went Away,” co-written with Dan Wilson, was released on November 24, 2023, in connection with the documentary American Symphony. Apple Music lists the single at 3:48, with Verve and Interscope release credits. The song’s release date was distinct from the documentary’s announced Netflix launch date of November 29, 2023.
What is “It Never Went Away”?
“It Never Went Away” is an original song by Jon Batiste for American Symphony, the documentary about Batiste composing a major symphonic work while his wife, writer Suleika Jaouad, underwent cancer treatment. Universal Music Canada announced the song on November 24, 2023, crediting Batiste and Dan Wilson as its writers. Universal Music Canada’s announcement describes it as expressing the enduring love shown in the film.
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In that announcement, Batiste framed the song around love, mortality, and what persists beyond physical hardship: “ ‘It Never Went Away’ details a love that outlasts any condition of the physical world. It probes the question of our mortality, while at the same time speaking to the enduring quality of our deepest callings and desires. That part of us that stands in protest to the ills of the physical world is, in fact, evidence of our perpetual nature.”
How the song connects to the documentary
A symphony becomes part of a larger story
American Symphony began with Batiste’s ambitious plan to compose a symphonic work blending musical genres for a one-night presentation at Carnegie Hall. As the film took shape, Jaouad’s cancer recurrence and treatment became central to its story alongside the work’s creation. Netflix Tudum’s film feature describes that intertwining of creative ambition and illness.
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Intimacy, honesty, and boundaries
Batiste told director Matthew Heineman he wanted the film to capture the symphony’s making in an intimate, candid way. In a Netflix Tudum interview published March 6, 2025, he recalled: “I told Matt Heineman that I wanted to film the making of American Symphony, that I wanted to capture it in a way that was very intimate and unflinchingly honest and not typical of other process or music films.”
Jaouad also discussed how her illness should appear in the film. She told Tudum: “I am okay with being a part of this film. However, I don’t want my illness to be treated as the dramatic counterpoint to Jon’s success.” That boundary helps explain why the documentary’s emotional context is not simply a backdrop for the music.
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Song and film release dates
The song was announced and listed as released on November 24, 2023. At the time, Universal Music Canada said the documentary would open in select cinemas in the United States and United Kingdom from November 24, then stream globally on Netflix starting November 29. Those were the film’s original launch plans, not confirmation of its present availability in any particular country.
| Release detail | Date or information | Source |
|---|---|---|
| “It Never Went Away” single | November 24, 2023; 3:48; Verve and Interscope release credits | Apple Music listing |
| American Symphony theatrical launch | Select cinemas in the US and UK from November 24, 2023, according to the label’s announcement | Universal Music Canada |
| American Symphony Netflix launch | Global streaming starting November 29, 2023, according to the label’s announcement; current regional availability is not established here | Universal Music Canada |
Where else did Batiste perform the song?
Batiste performed “It Never Went Away” at the 2024 Academy Awards. GRAMMY.com’s March 11, 2024 coverage records the performance in the context of the ceremony.
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