"Never on Sunday" was written by Manos Hadjidakis as "Ta Pedia tou Pirea" (The Children of Piraeus). His original Greek lyrics, along with the foreign translations in German, French, Italian and Spanish do not mention "Never on Sunday" (as found in the English lyrics), but rather tell the story of the main female character of the film, Illya (Mercouri).
The song "Never on Sunday," written by Manos Hadjidakis as "Ta Pedia tou Pirea" (The Children of Piraeus), originally featured Greek lyrics that did not include the English title. The translations into German, French, Italian, and Spanish also omitted the phrase "Never on Sunday." Instead, they focused on the story of Illya, the main female character in the film.