| "Guaranteed" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Level 42 | ||||
| from the album Guaranteed | ||||
| Released | August 1991 [1] | |||
| Genre | Jazz-funk | |||
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| Label | RCA | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
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| Level 42 singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Guaranteed" on YouTube | ||||
"Guaranteed" is a song by English jazz-funk band Level 42. It was released in August 1991 by RCA Records as part of the band's album Guaranteed (1991). This was the band's first single of the 1990s, following their previous single, "Take Care of Yourself," released two years earlier.
The song was written by Mark King, Mike Lindup, Gary Husband, and Wally Badarou, who was also the producer and a secondary composer and musician for the group. The guitar parts were performed by Allan Holdsworth, the band's guitarist at the time. Mark King provided lead vocals on the verses, with a duet featuring Mike Lindup’s falsetto on the chorus. The song follows a similar structure to "Two Hearts Collide," released in 1988 on the album Staring at the Sun .
This song has two different music videos, both directed by "The Mill." Each version features the band performing the song in two distinct settings: the first version is set outdoors in the mountains, while the second takes place in a white room. The second version also includes some scenes from the first. Both versions feature Jakko Jakszyk on guitar, as guitarist Allan Holdsworth left the group after the album was completed.
It was the most successful track from the Guaranteed album, reaching the top 20 in the UK and achieving chart success in Europe as well.
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Level 42 are an English jazz-funk band formed on the Isle of Wight in 1979. They had a number of UK and worldwide hits during the 1980s and 1990s.
Allan Holdsworth was a British jazz and rock guitarist, violinist and composer. He contributed to numerous bands, including Soft Machine, U.K., The Tony Williams Lifetime, Pierre Moerlen's Gong and Bruford, in addition to solo work.
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Running in the Family is the seventh studio album by British band Level 42, released in 1987. It features the UK hit singles: "Lessons in Love", "Running in the Family", "To Be with You Again", "It's Over" and "Children Say". All five singles peaked in the Top 10 in the Netherlands. "Lessons in Love" peaked at No. 1 in Germany, South Africa, Switzerland and Denmark. This was the last Level 42 album of the 1980s to feature brothers Phil (drums) and Rowland 'Boon' Gould (guitar) who had cited dissatisfaction with the musical direction of the band and exhaustion as departure reasons.
Guaranteed is the ninth studio album by the British musical group Level 42, released in 1991, their first album of the 1990s. The album was released by RCA records and it was the first Level 42 studio album released by a label other than Polydor.
True Colours is the fifth studio album by the English jazz-funk band Level 42, released on 5 October 1984 by Polydor Records. Beyond the band's native United Kingdom, the album was released in 10-plus other countries, including Japan, Germany and the United States of America. The album peaked at #14 in the UK Albums Chart.
Staring at the Sun is the eighth studio album by British jazz/funk band Level 42, released in 1988. The album includes the singles "Heaven in My Hands", "Take a Look" and "Tracie".
"Something About You" is a single released by English jazz-funk band Level 42 in 1985, in advance of its inclusion on the album World Machine the same year. The song was written by Mark King, Mike Lindup, Phil Gould, Boon Gould, and Wally Badarou. Hugh Thompson sung backing vocals on the 12" remix.
"Leaving Me Now" is a single released in 1985 by English jazz-funk band Level 42. It was the second single from their sixth studio album World Machine. The song was written by Mark King, Phil Gould and Wally Badarou. A slow, emotive ballad written about the end of a relationship, it contains a piano solo by Mike Lindup in the middle and at the end, though this is edited down for the single edit.
"Take a Look" is a song by English jazz-funk band Level 42, released in October 1988 as the second single from their eighth studio album, Staring at the Sun (1988). It reached number 32 on the UK Singles Chart.
"Hot Water" is a single released in 1984 by the English jazz-funk band Level 42. It was released a couple of weeks before the band's studio album True Colours (1984). The single reached #18 on the UK Singles Chart and was a top ten hit in the Netherlands and Norway. The song was produced by Ken Scott.
"Heaven in My Hands" is a song by English jazz-funk band Level 42, released in August 1988 as the first single from their eighth studio album, Staring at the Sun (1988). It reached number 12 on the UK Singles Chart. It was the first Level 42 single not to feature the Gould brothers, Boon and Phil, following their departure from the band the previous year. However, Boon did write the song's lyrics.
"To Be with You Again" is a single released in 1987 by English jazz-funk band Level 42, from their album Running in the Family. The song was written by Mark King and Boon Gould, and was released as a single in other countries such as Australia, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and others by the record label Polydor.
"Overtime" is a song by English jazz-funk band Level 42, released as a single from the 1991 album, Guaranteed. It was written by Mike Lindup, Mark King and Drew Barfield. It reached number 62 on the UK Singles Chart.
"Children Say" is a song by English jazz-funk band Level 42. Written by Mark King, Mike Lindup and Phil Gould, it was the final single to be issued from their album, Running in the Family (1987). The song made the top 30 in the UK, and the top 10 in the Netherlands, and followed a series of successes with the hits "Lessons in Love", "Running in the Family", "To Be with You Again" and "It's Over".
"Tracie" is a song by English jazz-funk band Level 42, written by Gary Husband and Mark King, and recounts King's times with his childhood sweetheart, Tracie Wilson. It appeared on the band's 1988 album Staring at the Sun, and features keyboardist Mike Lindup playing harmonica.
Past Lives – The Best of the RCA Years is a compilation released in 2007 by English jazz-funk band Level 42. The compilation has the greatest songs of the period 1991–1996, in which the band was with the label RCA/BMG. All songs were released on the studio albums Guaranteed (1991) and Forever Now (1994).
"Take Care of Yourself" is a song by English jazz-funk band Level 42, released on the compilation album Level Best in 1989. It was the last song recorded with guitarist Alan Murphy, who died on 19 October 1989, three days after the single was issued. The music video is a retrospective of rock styles from the 1960s through to the '80s, and features state-of-the-art animation. In some ways it is reminiscent of the video "We Close Our Eyes" by Go West. Mike Lindup, Gary Husband and Mark King appear several times dressed as hippies, punks and heavy metal musicians. Murphy did not appear in this video, but does appear in a video alongside King, Lindup and Husband recorded for RTL Veronique a few days before his death.
"My Father's Shoes" is a song by English jazz-funk band Level 42, released in 1992 as a single from the 1991 album, Guaranteed. It was released in only two countries—United Kingdom and Spain.