Simply Red are a British soul and pop band formed in Manchester in 1984. The band is led by singer and songwriter Mick Hucknall, who, by the time the band initially disbanded in 2010, was the only original member left. They have released thirteen studio albums, spanning from Picture Book (1985) through Time (2023), all of which have peaked within the top ten on the UK Albums Chart; with the albums A New Flame (1989), Stars (1991), Life (1995) and Blue (1998), along with their Greatest Hits (1996) album, reaching number one. Their 1991 album Stars is one of the best-selling albums in the United Kingdom.
"Tha Crossroads" is a song written and performed by hip hop group Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, released as a single in April 1996. The song is dedicated to the group's mentor, the late gangsta rap icon Eazy-E, and other family members. The song was the highest-debuting rap single when it debuted at number two on the US Billboard Hot 100, reaching number one the following week and staying there for eight consecutive weeks. It also reached number one in New Zealand, where it was the most successful single of 1996. In 1997, the song won a Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group.
"Something Got Me Started" is a song by British soul and pop band Simply Red, released in September 1991 as the first single from their fourth album, Stars (1991). It was released in several forms: a 7-inch single, a 12-inch single, and a CD single, that includes a remix by Perfecto.
"Last Resort" is the debut single by American rock band Papa Roach. The song first appeared on the soundtrack to the 2000 film Ready to Rumble and appeared on Papa Roach's second studio album, Infest, shortly after. "Last Resort" was released as the album's lead single on March 7, 2000, and reached number 57 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in December 2000. It also topped the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart for seven weeks and became a top-10 hit in Austria, Germany, Portugal, and the United Kingdom.
"Think" is a song written by American singer Aretha Franklin and Ted White, and first recorded by Franklin. It was released as a single in 1968, from her Aretha Now album. The song reached No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Franklin's seventh top 10 hit in the United States. The song also reached number 1 on the magazine's Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles, becoming her sixth single to top the chart. The song was written by Franklin and her then husband Ted White. Franklin re-recorded the song in the Atlantic Records New York studio for the soundtrack of the 1980 film The Blues Brothers and in 1989 for the album Through the Storm. Pitchfork placed it at number 15 on its list of "The 200 Greatest Songs of the 1960s".
"Stereotypes" is a song by English alternative rock band Blur and is the opening track to their fourth studio album, The Great Escape (1995). It was released on 12 February 1996 as the third single from that album, charting at number seven on the UK Singles Chart. It also became a minor hit in Australia, peaking at number 95 on the ARIA Singles Chart in June 1996. The accompanying UK B-sides—"The Man Who Left Himself", "Tame" and "Ludwig"—demonstrated a dramatic change in style for Blur, being stark and raw, foreshadowing the stylistic shift that would realize itself on their eponymous follow-up album.
"Not That Kind" is a song by American recording artist Anastacia from her debut album, Not That Kind (2000). Written by Will Wheaton, Marvin Young and Anastacia, the song was performed originally on the MTV talent show The Cut in 1998, which in turn helped the singer receive a record deal. The song was released as the album's second single on October 2, 2000, by Daylight Records and Epic Records, reaching the top 20 in nine European countries.
"One by One" is a song by American singer Cher from her twenty-first studio album, It's a Man's World (1995). Co-written by Cher and Anthony Griffiths, two versions of the song were recorded for the album: the original, included on British pressings, is a soul song with elements of rock and was produced by Stephen Lipson. The American mix was produced by Sam Ward and has an R&B feel with slight alterations; additional remixes were created by DJ Junior Vasquez. In the United Kingdom, WEA released the song as the second single from the album on January 6, 1996; in the United States it was issued through Reprise Records as the lead single on May 21.
"Stars" is a song by British soul and pop band Simply Red, released in November 1991 as the second single from their fourth album of the same name (1991). Written by lead singer Mick Hucknall and produced by Stewart Levine, it became the first single from the album to enter the UK top 10, reaching number eight in December 1991. Outside the UK, "Stars" reached the top 10 in Denmark, Italy, Luxembourg, and Zimbabwe. In the United States, it climbed to number 44 on the Billboard Hot 100, marking the band's last appearance on the listing.
"Ooh Aah... Just a Little Bit" is the debut solo single of Australian singer Gina G. The song was written by British songwriters Simon Caldwell and Steve Rodway, and released on 25 March 1996 as the first single from her debut album, Fresh! (1997). It reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart almost two months later and was also a number-one hit in Israel. In the US, the song peaked at No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was the United Kingdom's entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1996, held in Oslo, Norway, where it finished in eighth place. It was successful on the charts in Europe, Australia and the US, and was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording.
"Caught a Lite Sneeze" is a song by American singer-songwriter Tori Amos, released by Atlantic and EastWest as the first single from her third studio album, Boys for Pele (1996), on January 1, 1996. The song is about wanting to do anything to keep a relationship going, knowing that it is over. It references Nine Inch Nails's album Pretty Hate Machine in the lyrics "Caught a lite sneeze / Dreamed a little dream / Made my own pretty hate machine." On December 11, 1995, Atlantic made the song available for streaming on their website, one of the earliest examples of a major label implementing such a feature.
"Fairground" is a song by British soul and pop band Simply Red, released on 18 September 1995 by EastWest as the first single from the band's fifth album, Life (1995). Co-written and co-produced by frontman Mick Hucknall, the song makes extensive use of a sample of Dutch duo the Goodmen's 1993 hit "Give It Up". It became Simply Red's first and only No. 1 single on the UK Singles Chart, staying at the top for four weeks in September and October 1995, and was also a chart hit in mainland Europe and Australia but failed to generate long-term success in North America. The accompanying music video for "Fairground" was directed by Michael Geoghegan.
"Sunrise" is a song by English musical group Simply Red. It was released on 17 March 2003 as the first single from their eighth studio album, Home (2003), as well as the first single from frontman Mick Hucknall's new record label, simplyred.com. The song peaked at number seven on the UK Singles Chart, number three in Canada, and number one on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart.
"A Different Beat" is a song by Irish boy band Boyzone from their second studio album of the same name (1996). The song was written by Ronan Keating, Stephen Gately, Shane Lynch, Keith Duffy, Martin Brannigan, and Ray Hedges, and it was produced by Hedges with additional production by Trevor Horn on the radio edit. It was released as the album's second single on 2 December 1996 by Polydor Records, becoming their only UK number-one hit to be co-written by members of the group.
"1, 2, 3, 4 " is a song by American rapper Coolio. It was the third single released from his second studio album, Gangsta's Paradise (1995), in February 1996. Initially entitled "Sumpin' New", the song uses a sample from "Thighs High ", recorded in 1981 by American jazz trumpeter Tom Browne, and also includes a vocal sample from "Wikka Wrap" by the Evasions, from 1981. The song achieved success in several countries, including the United States, France, Iceland, and New Zealand, where it was a top-10 hit.
"Big River" is a song written and performed by English singer and actor Jimmy Nail, included on his fourth studio album of the same name. The song was released as a single on 16 October 1995, reaching number 18 on the UK Singles Chart and number 10 in Hungary. In 2011, it was recorded by Joe McElderry for the DVD, Big River Big Songs: The Tyne. McElderry also performed it for Sunday for Sammy in 2012.
"For Your Babies" is a song by British soul and pop band Simply Red. Written by Mick Hucknall, it was released in January 1992 as the third single from the band's forth album, Stars (1991). The song reached number nine on the UK Singles Chart in February same year. It also reached the top 20 in Ireland and the top 30 in Austria and Belgium. The track was included on the band's compilation albums, Greatest Hits in 1996, Simply Red 25: The Greatest Hits in 2008 and Songs of Love in 2010. It was also featured on the band's acoustic album Simplified in a new version.
"A Rose Is Still a Rose" is a song recorded by American singer Aretha Franklin. It was written and produced by singer Lauryn Hill for Franklin's album of the same name (1998). The song focused on a motherly figure giving advice to a younger woman who keeps getting into bad relationships. Throughout "A Rose Is Still a Rose", Franklin advises that in spite of everything and despite the woman's "scorned roses and thorn crowns," the woman is "still a rose". Elements of the song "What I Am" by Edie Brickell and the New Bohemians were sung throughout the song by Hill herself.
"Here We Go Again" is a song by American singer and songwriter Aretha Franklin. It was written by Trina Broussard, Jermaine Dupri and Trey Lorenz for Franklin's thirty-fourth studio album, A Rose Is Still a Rose (1998), while production was helmed by Dupri and Manuel Seal. The song is built around replayed portions of "The Glow of Love" (1980) by Italian-American post-disco group Change. Due to the inclusion of the sample, Mauro Malavasi, David Romani and Wayne K. Garfield are also credited as songwriters. The song was the second single released from A Rose Is Still a Rose in June 1998 and reached number 76 on the Billboard Hot 100, also becoming Franklin's fifth number one on the US Dance Club Songs.
"Rumble in the Jungle" is a song recorded for the 1996 documentary film When We Were Kings, which depicts the 1974 boxing match between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman that the song is named after: The Rumble in the Jungle. The song was written and performed by American hip hop group Fugees along with fellow hip hop artists A Tribe Called Quest, Busta Rhymes, and John Forté. Additional writers credited on the song are Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus, Stig Anderson, and Chip Taylor since "Rumble in the Jungle" samples recordings written by them. The lyrics of the song focus mostly on Ali and his life, as well as the boxing match itself.
