Simply Red are an English soul and pop band formed in Manchester in 1985. Band leader, singer and songwriter Mick Hucknall was the only original member left by the time Simply Red initially disbanded in 2010. They have released thirteen studio albums, 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.
"Something Got Me Started" is a song by British soul and pop band Simply Red, released in September 1991 by East West Records 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.
Stars is the fourth album by British-based pop/soul/jazz band Simply Red, released on 30 September 1991. Five singles were released from the album, including the UK top ten hits "Stars" and "For Your Babies". The album was a worldwide success, particularly in the band's home country where it has been certified twelve times platinum and was the best-selling album of the year in the UK for both 1991 and 1992, the first album to be the best-seller in two consecutive years since Simon & Garfunkel's Bridge over Troubled Water in 1970–1971. As of April 2019 it is the 14th best-selling album of all time in the UK.
Life is the fifth studio album by British pop and soul band Simply Red, released in 1995. The lead single "Fairground" became their first number 1 hit in the UK. Due to this success, the album also made #1 on the UK album chart. It also included "We're in This Together", the official theme song for Euro '96. This was also the last album to feature band members Fritz McIntyre and Heitor TP.
Picture Book is the debut album by British pop and soul group Simply Red, released in October 1985. It contains the US number-one single "Holding Back the Years", and covers of The Valentine Brothers' "Money's Too Tight " and Talking Heads’ “Heaven”. Three more singles were released from the album: "Come to My Aid", "Jericho", and "Open Up the Red Box".
"No Good (Start the Dance)" is a song by English electronic music group the Prodigy. Written and produced by group member Liam Howlett, it was released on 16 May 1994 by XL Recordings as the second single from the group's second studio album, Music for the Jilted Generation (1994). Commercially, the track was presented with the slogan, "Hard dance with attitude" and is built around a repeated vocal sample from "You're No Good for Me", a song released by American singer Kelly Charles in 1987. Howlett initially had doubts whether to use the sample because he thought it was too pop for his taste. The song also contains samples from "Funky Nassau" by Bahamian funk group the Beginning of the End. It was certified Gold in Germany for 250,000 sold copies. The music video for the song was directed by Walter Stern and filmed in London.
"Voodoo People" is a song by British electronic music group The Prodigy, released on 12 September 1994 as the third single from their second studio album, Music for the Jilted Generation (1994), and as their eighth single overall. It was released as a 12-inch single and in EP format in the United States in 1995 through Mute Records. The guitar riff, based on "Very Ape" by Nirvana, is played by Lance Riddler. The music video for "Voodoo People" was directed by Walter Stern and Russell Curtis.
"Holding Back the Years" is a song by the British soul and pop band Simply Red, released as the third single from their debut studio album, Picture Book (1985). In 1986, the ballad reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number two on the UK Singles Chart. "Holding Back the Years" had initially been released in the UK the year before, reaching number 51. The song was nominated in the category of Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals at the 29th Annual Grammy Awards.
"Everytime You Touch Me" is a song by American electronica musician Moby, released on February 13, 1995 by Mute and Elektra, as the third single from his third studio album, Everything Is Wrong (1995). Guest vocals on the song are performed by Rozz Morehead and Kochie Banton. It became a number-one hit in Finland and reached the top 20 in Ireland, the Netherlands, and Scotland, as well as on the Canadian RPM Dance chart. Its music video was directed by Julie Hermelin.
"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.
"For Your Love" is a song written and performed by American musician Stevie Wonder, released in February 1995 by Motown as the first single from his 22nd album, Conversation Peace (1995). It won two Grammy awards for Best R&B Male Vocal Performance and Best R&B Song at the 38th Grammy Awards.
"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 and filmed in Blackpool Pleasure Beach, Lancashire.
"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.
"Angel" is a soul ballad recorded by American singer Aretha Franklin. The song was co-written by Aretha's sister, Carolyn, and Sonny Sanders. Aretha co-produced the song with Quincy Jones and it originally appeared on Aretha's nineteenth album, Hey Now Hey (1973). It was released as a single by Atlantic in June 1973 and went on to top the US R&B Singles chart for two weeks while reaching number twenty on the Pop chart. The single sold over 900,000 copies.
"Secret Garden" is a song by American musician Bruce Springsteen. It was originally released as a single from his Greatest Hits album on February 27, 1995, on Columbia Records. Upon its initial release, it peaked at number 63 on the Billboard Hot 100. Two years later, after being featured on the soundtrack for the 1996 movie Jerry Maguire, it was re-released as a two-track single, which featured a live version of "Thunder Road". This re-issue returned the song to the Hot 100, where it peaked at number 19 and remains Springsteen's final top-40 hit in the United States to date. It also charted on the Adult Top 40 and Top 40 Mainstream, peaking at number 12 and number 15 respectively.
"We're in This Together" is a song by British soul and pop band Simply Red. It was released by East West Records in June 1996 as the fourth and last single from their fifth album, Life (1996). The song was written and co-produced by frontman Mick Hucknall, and chosen as the official song for UEFA Euro 1996 held in England. Simply Red performed at both the opening and closing ceremony. The single reached number eight in the Czech Republic, number eleven in the UK and number thirteen in Scotland. On the Eurochart Hot 100, it peaked at number 39 in July 1996. The music video for the song was directed by London-based director Zanna.
"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.
"Thrill Me" is a song by British soul and pop band Simply Red. Written by lead singer Mick Hucknall and Fritz McIntyre, it was released in April 1992 as the fourth single from their fourth album, Stars (1991). The song reached number 33 on the UK chart in May 1992. It also reached number five in Zimbabwe, number 30 in Ireland and number 58 in the Netherlands, as well as number six on the European Dance Radio Chart. It was later included on the band's compilation albums, Greatest Hits in 1996, Simply Red 25: The Greatest Hits in 2008 and Song Book 1985–2010 in 2013.
"Never Never Love" is a song by British soul and pop band Simply Red. Written by frontman Mick Hucknall, it was featured on their fifth album, Life (1996), and reached number 18 on the UK chart when released in February 1996 by EastWest. The song additionally peaked at number seven in Hungary and number 26 in Iceland. On the Eurochart Hot 100, it reached number 93 in March 1996.
"A New Flame" is a song by the British soul and pop band Simply Red, released in June 1989 by Elektra and WEA as the third single from the band's third studio album by the same name (1989). The song was written by Mick Hucknall and produced by Stewart Levine. It was a top-20 hit in the UK, peaking at number 17 on the UK Singles Chart, and reached the top 30 in Ireland, the Netherlands, and New Zealand. Vaughan Arnell and Anthea Benton directed its music video.
