By: Farah Khaled

Great songs don’t expire; they bide their time. In May 1995, The Sway debuted “Twice In A Lifetime” at what would unexpectedly become their final gig at the BBC Festival in Birmingham City Centre.

Nearly three decades later, the now-reunited band has finally given the song a proper studio polish and, in doing so, turned a relic of their ending into a statement of return.

---

This exclusive listen reveals a heartbroken love ballad that bridges the gap between modern urgency and the emotional, electric anthems of the ’80s and ’90s.

If your record collection leans toward The Cure, The Smiths, U2, or Echo & The Bunnymen, their music will feel like stepping back into a familiar, shadowed room. “Twice In A Lifetime” lives in that same emotional architecture: minor-key longing, melodic restraint, and guitars that shimmer just on the edge of collapse.

To hear “Twice In A Lifetime” now is a moving experience; it is steeped in the bittersweet sadness of the band’s history and carries a profound sense of longing. Yet, the reunited band breathes fierce new life into it. The song radiates raw feeling, driven by passionate instrumentation, dynamic mixing, and soaring vocals. The heartbreak isn’t just audible—it’s palpable, demanding an immediate emotional reaction from the very first note.

“Forget the past, ’cause it’ll never last, and you know that she’ll destroy you, if you let her, get under your skin”

As Casson holds strong, the arrangement intensifies. Kook’s lead guitar kicks the outro, Hogan’s bass and Kelly’s drums anchor the emotion, transforming the track into something highly cinematic—it’s easy to picture this playing in a film during a devastating realization of fleeting love.

Then comes the climax. At the 3:57 mark, the track pauses, taking a breath before plunging back in. One of the greatest strengths of a classic ballad is giving every instrument room to shine, and here, The Sway showcases dual lead guitars. A descending scale conveys a heavy mix of frustration and pain, adding to the song’s emotional storm before Casson’s heartfelt vocals re-emerge.

No one overpowers; every member amplifies the collective ache. This perfect balance makes it one of the most emotionally resonant tracks in their catalog—channeling pure ’90s melancholy while feeling entirely relevant for a new generation discovering The Sway.

---

Tracks like this are a reminder of why we dig into the archives in the first place. “Twice In A Lifetime” doesn’t just survive its ’90s origins; it transcends them. It is a beautifully melancholy piece of history that refuses to stay buried, striking an urgent chord with an entirely new generation of listeners.