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."
If You Don't Know Me By Now
Simply Red Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You will never, never, never know me, ooh
All the things that we've been through
You should understand me like I understand you
Now, girl, I know the difference between right and wrong
I ain't gonna do nothing to break up our happy home
Oh, don't get so excited when I come home a little late at night
If you don't know me by now (if you don't know me)
You will never, never, never know me (no, you won't)
If you don't know me by now
You will never, never, never know me, ooh
We all got our own funny moods
I've got mine, woman, you got yours too
Just trust in me like I trust in you
As long as we've been together it should be so easy to do
Just get yourself together or we might as well say goodbye
What good is a love affair when you can't see eye to eye, oh
If you don't know me by now (if you don't know me)
You will never, never, never know me (no, you won't)
If you don't know me by now
You will never, never, never know me (ooh)
If you don't know me by now (mmm)
You will never, never, never know me, ooh
The first verse of the song, "If you don't know me by now, you will never, never, never know me," sets up the theme of the song which is essentially a plea for understanding and acceptance from the singer towards the person he is addressing. The song suggests that after all the time they've spent together, if the person still doesn't know the singer, they never will. The singer then goes on to state that the two have been through a lot together and that they should understand each other based on those experiences. He describes himself as someone who knows the difference between right and wrong and who wouldn't do anything to damage their relationship. The second verse then goes on to address the fact that every couple has their own unique moods but that they need to trust each other and communicate well in order to sustain the relationship.
In the chorus, the singer repeats the line "If you don't know me by now" emphasizing the point that the longer they've been together, the less likely it is that the person will ever truly know the singer. The final lines suggest that love isn't enough to sustain a relationship if the two don't see eye to eye, and that they might as well say goodbye if they can't get their issues resolved.
Line by Line Meaning
If you don't know me by now
If after all we've been through, you still don't understand who I am
You will never, never, never know me, ooh
It's impossible to truly know me if you haven't made the effort by now
All the things that we've been through
We've shared a lot of experiences and moments together
You should understand me like I understand you
The understanding between us should be mutual
Now, girl, I know the difference between right and wrong
I'm aware of what's right and what's wrong and I won't cross that line
I ain't gonna do nothing to break up our happy home
I won't do anything that could risk our happiness and stability together
Oh, don't get so excited when I come home a little late at night
Don't jump to conclusions and assume the worst when something's not as expected
'Cause we only act like children when we argue, fuss and fight
Our fights are childish and not worth jeopardizing our relationship over
We all got our own funny moods
We each have our own quirks and tendencies
I've got mine, woman, you got yours too
I have my own idiosyncrasies, just like you do
Just trust in me like I trust in you
We need to have complete trust and faith in one another
As long as we've been together it should be so easy to do
After all this time, it should come naturally to us to trust each other
Just get yourself together or we might as well say goodbye
If you can't manage your emotions and work with me, it's time to let go
What good is a love affair when you can't see eye to eye, oh
Our love won't flourish if we can't agree on things and see things from each other's perspectives
Lyrics © TuneCore Inc., BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Royalty Network, ONErpm, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Kenneth Gamble, Leon Huff
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@simplyred
Time ⌛ The new album from Simply Red. Coming 26th May. Pre-order your copy now at https://simplyred.tmstor.es
@benvasilinda9729
3 decades later and this man’s voice is still as vibrant as it was back then.
@nathanjones4039
I’m 41 and remember this song on the radio as a kid, damn the passion in his voice still echos in my heart today! Damn this was/is great music!
@user-oc2cm1yb2f
This is what music all about : passion and great lyrics . No naked girls, only one man with all his heart .
@robertsargeant890
This is one of the best written love songs of all time. Also Mic Mucknel has one of the smoothest voices I've ever heard . A clssic that will forever live on.
@jeansales9090
Música de verdade toca no coração te faz viajar em pensamento. Amores perdidos, amores conquistados
@toddstackhouse1314
Sometimes music needs to travel through the ages to find the right time to touch your soul. thanks for catching up to me.
@gardnerbell6071
This song will forever be on my playlist
@grisellerodriguez1585
Nada lo supera. La mejor época musical 80 .😍
@alexescobarm351
Griselle Rodriguez
Así es!