Australian singer-songwriter
Mark Holden's 1975 debut studio album
Dawn in Darkness, which consisted entirely of original songs, was a commercial failure, selling only approximately 2,000 copies. In April 1976, Holden received a call from
Colin Petersen,
EMI Music Australia's A&R, who suggested he cover "Never Gonna Fall in Love Again". In his 2017 autobiography, Holden said recording it "was a chance for me to have a hit". He promoted the song by performing it on the Australian music television program
Countdown while handing out red carnations to the audience. It became an infamous performance which led to Holden's nickname of "The Carnation Kid" His version, released in April 1976 as his debut single, peaked at No.13 on the
Kent Music Report, becoming a commercial success. It was the 71st-biggest selling single in Australia in 1976. Unlike "
All by Myself," Carmen's version of "Never Gonna Fall in Love Again" was not released in Australia and therefore did not chart. Also in 1976,
Dana reached No.31 in the UK with her cover of the song. Her British release charted concurrently with the versions by Carmen and Holden. ==See also==