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."
Look At You Now
Simply Red Lyrics
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But look at you now, behaving like a fool.
A long time ago you treated me so mean but
Look at you now.
Look at you now.
You threw me away like litter in the gutter.
Look at you now.
Look at you now.
I looked so hard, I'm looking hard now
Looking at your head.
Don't talk about birthdays, that don't mean a thing to me.
Don't throw it in my face, it's too sweet to sting.
Look at you now.
Look at you now.
I kept on looking hard
I kept on looking hard
Looking at your head, head!!!
The lyrics of Simply Red's "Look At You Now" tell a story of how an individual tries to hurt the singer from the start but now behaves like a fool. The song talks about how the individual treated the singer mean a long time ago and then threw the singer away like litter in the gutter. Despite all these, the singer picked himself up and found something better.
The lyrics as a whole convey an uplifting message of triumph over adversity. The singer is not bitter about the past, and he has moved on from the hurtful behavior of the other person. He seems to have found peace and happiness, achieving something better than what he had before, while the other person has remained foolish.
In the final stanza, we see the singer telling the other person not to talk about birthdays or throw anything in his face. However, by the end of the song, he is still looking hard at the other person's head, but it's unclear why.
Overall, "Look At You Now" is a redemption song that tells the story of how an individual overcomes their pain and ultimately finds joy in a better life.
Line by Line Meaning
Right from the start you tried to hurt me,
Since the beginning, you have attempted to cause me pain,
But look at you now, behaving like a fool.
Despite your effort to hurt me, you are now acting foolish,
A long time ago you treated me so mean but
You used to treat me terribly in the past, but
Look at you now.
Now you can see what has become of you,
Look at you now.
Your current state is visible,
You threw me away like litter in the gutter.
You discarded me like garbage in a dirty, unpleasant place,
I had to pick my self up and find something better.
I had to lift myself and search for something better,
Don't talk about birthdays, that don't mean a thing to me.
The topic of birthdays is meaningless to me,
Don't throw it in my face, it's too sweet to sting.
Please don't remind me of it since it generates pleasant memories,
I looked so hard, I'm looking hard now
I've searched extensively, I'm still investigating,
Looking at your head.
I'm focused on your mannerisms and reactions,
I kept on looking hard
I continued my exhaustive investigation,
Looking at your head, head!!!
Concentrating and analyzing your behavior.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: MICHAEL JAMES HUCKNALL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
kay
on Picture Book
Ive always heard it was a reference to the list of names of African Americans who were allowed to go to the cinema in around the desegregation era.
Lowell
on Wonderland
In my opinion this song is a commentary, and criticism, of British life under Margaret Thatcher, who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990, when this tune was released. "The end of an era / our future no clearer / my people no stronger / the blame I lay on her" might suggest disappointment with Thatcher's promised reforms of British government. The refrain "wonderland, wonderland / it's beautiful" sounds like a political slogan, promising a new life for all "...until tomorrow comes to haunt us all".