Simply R… Read Full Bio ↴Simply Red is an English pop band, formed in the mid 1980s.
Simply Red's roots originate from the notorious 1976 Sex Pistols gig at the Lesser Free Trade Hall in Manchester. Manchester art student Mick Hucknall was one of the many young music fans present (along with original members of The Fall, Joy Division, The Smiths and Buzzcocks) who was inspired to form a band after witnessing that gig. The first incarnation of the band was a punk group called The Frantic Elevators. This band existed for 7 years, with limited releases on local labels, but split in 1984 with only limited local attention and critical acclaim for their final single, "Holding Back the Years".
After the demise of the Frantic Elevators, Hucknall linked up with manager Elliot Rashman. By early 1985 Hucknall and Rashman had assembled a band of local session musicians and began to attract record company attention. Around this time the group adopted the name Simply Red (after Hucknall's nickname, which denoted hair color, football allegiance to Manchester United and left-wing political affiliation). They signed to Elektra in 1985, with the somewhat changeable line-up of Hucknall, Tony Bowers (bass), Fritz McIntyre (keyboards), Tim Kellett (brass), Sylvan Richardson (guitar) and Chris Joyce (drums). Their first single, released in 1985, was "Money's Too Tight (To Mention)", a cover of a soul standard originally recorded by The Valentine Brothers. This single had moderate success, reaching the UK Top 20.
In 1986 the band re-recorded "Holding Back The Years", the Frantic Elevators' biggest hit, in a more accessible pop style with adjustments in lyrics and instrumentation. The tune became a major hit, peaking at #2 in Great Britain and later #1 in the United States, and established Simply Red as a household name. Their debut album, 'Picture Book', which had been released previously in 1985, began to sell more copies, and it became an international hit album, with multi-platinum certification.
Their second album, 1987's "Men and Women", saw the band adopting a more sober and professional image, with bowler hats and colorful suits replacing their earlier ragamuffin look, and the introspection and social commentary of their debut replaced by a blue-eyed soul sound with funk influences. Around this time Hucknall became a tabloid personality, drawing attention and criticism for his alleged womanising, and gaining a reputation as "a lecherous loudmouth" and bien pensant. Despite Hucknall's bad reputation and the album's bad reviews, or perhaps as a result of them, Men and Women was a commercial success.
With their third album "A New Flame", Simply Red adopted a yet more mainstream populist sound aimed for commercial rather than critical success, typified by their cover of Harold Melvin's pop classic "If You Don't Know Me By Now", which became their second U.S. #1 hit and one of the biggest singles of the year internationally. Hucknall was by this time an international superstar, being photographed with models and Hollywood celebrities. This seemed to harm the band's coherence as a unit, with Hucknall declaring in 1991 that Simply Red was "essentially a solo project".
The band's popular career peaked later that year with the release of "Stars", which became the best-selling album for two years running in Europe and the UK (though notably had far less success in the US than their previous albums). "Stars" mixed Hucknall's anti-Thatcherite political lyrics with an easy-listening lounge-jazz sound, apparently to avoid alienation of their existing fanbase.
After touring and promoting "Stars" for two years, Simply Red returned in 1995 with "Fairground", a dance-influenced track featuring prominently a sample from Zki & Dobri's Goodmen project. A massive radio hit, "Fairground" went on to become the band’s first British #1, amid critical panning. Its parent album 'Life' sold more than a million copies in the UK alone, making it the fourth-biggest seller of the year. The band followed this up with cover heavy 'Blue' in 1998 and 'Love and the Russian Winter'. After 'Love and the Russian Winter' they left EastWest and Hucknall set up his own record label simplyred.com where he released "Home" in 2003, a mixture of mostly original songs and covers, including a version of The Stylistics song "You Make Me Feel Brand New". "Simplified" followed in 2005, mainly an album of stripped down versions of their Classic hits.
The single "Oh! What A Girl!" released in September 2006 from their album Stay, their 10th, released on 12 March 2007. This was preceded by the single “So Not Over You”, released on 5 March 2007. The third single from the album was the title song "Stay", released on 28 May 2007. The fourth and the last single of Simply Red single , "The World And You Tonight", was released in November 2007.
Mick Hucknall announced that the band were due to split in 2009, after a farewell tour.
"I've kind of decided that the 25 years is going to be enough, so I intend that the 2009 will be the last Simply Red tour."
"I've just recorded an album that is a tribute to Bobby Bland, a blues and R'n'B artist. It's a solo project and I've really enjoyed it so much that I feel the time has come now to just put a book-end to the story and the album Stay will be the last Simply Red studio album."
Come on in My Kitchen
Simply Red Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
babe it's gonna be raining outdoors
The woman I love took to my best friend
Some joker got lucky took her back again.
You'd better come on in my kitchen,
babe it's gonna be raining outdoors
She's gone, I know she won't be coming back
I've taken the last nickel out of her station sack
You'd better come on in my kitchen,
babe it's gonna be raining outdoors
When a woman gets in trouble everybody throws her down
Look for her good friend none can be found
You'd better come on in my kitchen,
babe it's gonna be raining outdoors
The lyrics of Simply Red's song Come On In My Kitchen were originally written and performed by blues legend Robert Johnson in 1936. The song is about a man experiencing heartbreak after the woman he loves leaves him for his best friend. He is left alone and with no money, hence the line "I've taken the last nickel out of her station sack." The repetition of "You'd better come on in my kitchen, babe it's gonna be raining outdoors" can be seen as a metaphor for the singer's state of mind - he is inviting the woman back into his life but also warning her that he is not in a good place emotionally.
The lyrics also touch upon the idea of how society often abandons women who are going through difficult times. In the line "When a woman gets in trouble everybody throws her down, look for her good friend none can be found," Johnson is acknowledging the unfair treatment that women often face during times of hardship.
Overall, the song can be seen as a representation of the pain and heartbreak that comes with losing someone you love, as well as the societal pressures that often contribute to these circumstances.
Line by Line Meaning
You'd better come on in my kitchen, babe it's gonna be raining outdoors
I'm warning you, it's going to rain soon. You should seek shelter in my home.
The woman I love took to my best friend. Some joker got lucky took her back again.
The woman I loved left me for my best friend, but then that person also lost her and now she remains alone.
She's gone, I know she won't be coming back. I've taken the last nickel out of her station sack.
My love has left me for good, and I've even taken the last of her money as a result.
When a woman gets in trouble everybody throws her down. Look for her good friend none can be found.
When a woman is struggling, everyone abandons her instead of supporting her. And even when she needs a loyal friend, it's hard to find one.
You'd better come on in my kitchen, babe it's gonna be raining outdoors
Once again, I'm urging you to seek refuge in my kitchen because a storm is coming.
Contributed by Sydney G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@jwhitham2743
This has always been a favorite. Love Mick’s vocals on this old song❣️
@ramongarciafdez
But it has to be a kind of remix from the 1991 Session…
@amariev226
This is fantastic!!
@brentmartin8555
🎉🎉😢
@soledadrodriguez4157
Genial 🎉
@marialusiaperrone3966
Thanks Ramón García
Beautiful song!
@ramongarciafdez
Gracias a ti Maria Luisa…un abrazo desde Barcelona!!