Simply Red is a English soul and pop band formed in Manchester in 1985. The band are 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.
"Radio Song" is a song by American rock band R.E.M., released as the fourth single from their seventh album, Out of Time (1991), where it appears as the opening track. Lead singer Michael Stipe once said that he hoped everyone had enough sense of humor to realize that he was "kind of taking the piss of everyone," himself included. Stipe also asked KRS-One, leader of Boogie Down Productions, to contribute to the track. He provides some backing vocals for the track, as well as a closing rap, and appears prominently in the video.
"Work It" is a single by American rapper Nelly featuring American singer-songwriter Justin Timberlake. It was released on February 24, 2003, as the fourth single from Nelly's 2002 album, Nellyville. It peaked at number 68 on the Billboard Hot 100, and number seven on the UK Singles Chart.
"This Is How We Do It" is the debut single of American singer-songwriter Montell Jordan. It was released by Def Jam Recordings on February 6, 1995, as the lead single from his debut studio album of the same name (1995). The single was Def Jam's first R&B release, and is Jordan's signature song.
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.
"Your Mirror" is a song by British soul and pop band Simply Red. Written by Mick Hucknall, it was released in July 1992 as the fifth single from their fourth album, Stars (1991), and reached number 17 on the UK Singles Chart. The song 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.
"Motownphilly" is a song by American vocal harmony group Boyz II Men, released in April 1991 by Motown as the first single from their debut album, Cooleyhighharmony (1991). Co-written and produced by Dallas Austin, the song was a success, peaking at number three on the US Billboard Hot 100. Michael Bivins, who co-wrote the song, provides a guest rap during the bridge. The song's title is a portmanteau of two of the group's main musical influences: 1960s Motown and 1970s Philly soul.
"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.
"7 Seconds" is a song composed by Senegalese and Swedish singer-songwriters Youssou N'Dour and Neneh Cherry with Cameron McVey and Jonathan Sharp. It was released in June 1994 by Columbia as a single performed by N'Dour and Cherry, and achieved success, reaching the number-one position in numerous countries; in France, it stayed at number one for 16 weeks, a record at the time. N'Dour featured the song on his seventh album, The Guide (Wommat) (1994), while Cherry included it on her 1996 album Man. "7 Seconds" also won the MTV Europe Music Award in the category for Best Song of 1994. Its music video was directed by French director Stéphane Sednaoui. NME magazine ranked the song number 40 in their list of the 50 best songs of 1994.
"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.
"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.
"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.
"Remembering the First Time" is a song by British soul and pop band Simply Red. Written by frontman Mick Hucknall, it was featured on their fifth album, Life (1995), and released by EastWest in December 1995 in a new remix for the single. It reached number 22 on the UK Singles Chart and number three on the UK Club Chart. The song also peaked at number seven in Iceland, number 19 in Spain, and number 23 in the Netherlands. On the Eurochart Hot 100, it reached number 80. The music video for the song was directed by Irish filmmaker Michael Geoghegan.
"United" is a song recorded by Dominican-American reggae/ragga recording artist Prince Ital Joe and American rapper Marky Mark. It was released in March 1994 as the third single from their debut album, Life in the Streets (1994). The song was co-written and produced by Alex Christensen and Frank Peterson. It reached number one in Germany and the top 10 in Austria, Denmark, Finland, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Switzerland.
"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.
"Woman" is a song by Swedish singer-songwriter Neneh Cherry from her third studio album, Man (1996). Written by Cherry, her husband Cameron McVey, and Jonathan Sharp, the song was created as a take on American singer James Brown's 1966 hit "It's a Man's Man's Man's World". The song's lyrics describe the difficulties women face in life, allowing Cherry to be seen as an empowering female recording artist. Released on 22 July 1996, "Woman" became a chart hit in Europe and Australia, reaching the top 10 in Finland, Hungary, Iceland, the United Kingdom, and the Wallonia region of Belgium.
"Thank You for Hearing Me" is a song by Irish singer-songwriter Sinéad O'Connor, released in 1994 by Chrysalis and Ensign as the first single from her fourth album, Universal Mother (1994). Co-written with her first husband John Reynolds and based on her recent breakup with English singer-songwriter Peter Gabriel, they also co-produced the song with English musician, composer and record producer Tim Simenon. It received positive reviews from music critics and was a sizeable hit in Europe. In Iceland, the song peaked at number five, and was a top 10 hit also in Poland, while it peaked at number 13 in the UK and number 14 in Scotland. The song's music video was directed by Richard Heslop.
"Out of the Sinking" is a song by British singer-songwriter Paul Weller, released in 1994 by Go! Discs as the first single from his third solo album, Stanley Road (1995). Weller wrote the song and produced it with Brendan Lynch. The B-side to the single is a cover of the Beatles' "Sexy Sadie".
"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.
