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."
Positively 4th Street
Simply Red Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To say you are my friend
When I was down
You just stood there grinning
You got a lotta nerve
To say you gotta helping hand to lend
You just want to be on
You say I let you down
You know it's not like that
If you're so hurt
Why then don't you show it
You say you lost your faith
But that's not where it's at
You had no faith to lose
And you know it
I know the reason
That you talk behind my back
I used to be among the crowd
You're in with
Do you take me for such a fool
To think I'd make contact
With the one who tries to hide
What he don't know to begin with
You see me on the street
You always act surprised
You say, "How are you?" "Good luck"
But you don't mean it
When you know as well as me
You'd rather see me paralyzed
Why don't you just come out once
And scream it
No, I do not feel that good
When I see the heartbreaks you embrace
If I was a master thief
Perhaps I'd rob them
And now I know you're dissatisfied
With your position and your place
Don't you understand
It's not my problem
I wish that for just one time
You could stand inside my shoes
And just for that one moment
I could be you
Yes, I wish that for just one time
You could stand inside my shoes
You'd know what a drag it is
To see you
Positively 4th Street by Simply Red is a cover of Bob Dylan's original song, released in 1965. In this song, the lyrics are addressing a former friend or acquaintance who has betrayed the singer. The song expresses the singer's frustration and anger towards the person who claims to be a friend but did not help when they were down. The person, instead of supporting the singer, just wanted to be on the winning side. The singer is hurt because the person talks behind their back and pretends to be surprised when they see the singer on the street. The singer wishes that for just one moment, the person could stand inside their shoes and understand how hurtful their actions have been.
The first stanza, "You got a lotta nerve, to say you are my friend, When I was down, you just stood there grinning," implies that the person is trying to hide their true intentions behind their false claim of friendship. In the second stanza, "You say I let you down, You know it's not like that, If you're so hurt, Why then don't you show it?" the singer confronts the person about their accusations of letting them down while reminding them that they are not hurt. The third stanza, "I know the reason, that you talk behind my back, I used to be among the crowd, You're in with," suggests that the person is talking behind the singer's back because they are no longer part of their social circle. In the fourth stanza, "Do you take me for such a fool, To think I'd make contact, With the one who tries to hide, What he don't know to begin with," the singer suggests that they are not foolish enough to connect with such a devious person.
The song appears to be a direct and personal attack on a particular individual. However, the lyrics have wider implications and can apply to various social situations where individuals betray their friends or associates. Additionally, the song is often interpreted as a response to the negative reaction of the folk music community towards Dylan when he started making electric music. Dylan's original version of the song was rumored to be directed at journalist and critic, Jann Wenner, who Dylan believed sold out by giving a negative review of his music.
Line by Line Meaning
You got a lotta nerve
You are audacious
To say you are my friend
To claim a friendly relationship with me
When I was down
During my state of misfortune
You just stood there grinning
You remained with a wide smile on your face
You got a lotta nerve
You are audacious
To say you gotta helping hand to lend
To offer assistance when I'm in need
You just want to be on
You only want to support
The side that's winning
Whichever group that comes out victorious
You say I let you down
You claim I disappointed you
You know it's not like that
It's not the truth
If you're so hurt
If you're experiencing significant harm
Why then don't you show it
Why don't you express it openly
You say you lost your faith
You claim that your trust or belief is gone
But that's not where it's at
That's not the root cause
You had no faith to lose
You never had any trust or belief
And you know it
You're aware of it
I know the reason
I'm aware of the motive
That you talk behind my back
That you gossip about me behind my back
I used to be among the crowd
I previously belonged with the same group as you
You're in with
You're currently accepted by that group
Do you take me for such a fool
Are you regarding me as a foolish person
To think I'd make contact
To believe that I would reach out to
With the one who tries to hide
With someone who conceals
What he don't know to begin with
What he lacked awareness of right from the start
You see me on the street
You witness me outside
You always act surprised
You act as though you're taken aback
You say, "How are you?" "Good luck"
You utter questions or well-wishes
But you don't mean it
But you are insincere
When you know as well as me
When you're fully aware
You'd rather see me paralyzed
You would prefer me to be immobilized
Why don't you just come out once
Why don't you openly express
And scream it
And shout it loudly
No, I do not feel that good
No, I'm not feeling great
When I see the heartbreaks you embrace
When I witness the sadness or pain you accept
If I was a master thief
If I was a skilled burglar
Perhaps I'd rob them
Maybe I'd steal from them
And now I know you're dissatisfied
And now I realize you're discontent
With your position and your place
With your current situation
Don't you understand
Don't you comprehend
It's not my problem
It's not my responsibility
I wish that for just one time
I desire that, for once
You could stand inside my shoes
You could empathize with me
And just for that one moment
Even if just briefly
I could be you
I could experience what you're going through
Yes, I wish that for just one time
Indeed, I wish that, just once
You could stand inside my shoes
You could comprehend my feelings
You'd know what a drag it is
You would understand how difficult it is
To see you
To look at you
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Bob Dylan
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@rangeltavares4041
You got a lotta nerve To say you are my friend
When I was down
You just stood there, grinning
You got a lotta nerve To say you gota helping hand to lend
You just want to be on The side that's winning
You say I let you down You know it's not like that
If you're so hurt
Why then don't you show it?
You say you lost your faith But that's not where it's a
You had no faith to lose
And you know it
I know the reason That you talk behind my backI used to be among the crowd
You're in with
Do you take me for such a fool To think I'd make contact
With the one who tries to hide
What he don't know to begin with
You see me on the street You always act surprised
You say "How are you?", "Good luck
"But you don't mean it
When you know as well as me
You'd rather see me paralyzed
Why don't you just come out once
And scream it
No, I do not feel that good When I see the heartbreaks you embraceIf
I was a master thief
Perhaps I'd rob them
And now I know you're dissatisfied With your position and your place
Don't you understandIt's not my problem
I wish that for just one time
You could stand inside my shoe
And just for that one momentI could be you
Yes, I wish that for just one time You could stand inside my shoes
You'd know what a drag it is
To see you
@mcc5638
the horn section makes this rendition come alive
@MrRonnieG
This is a terrific cover. The first time I heard Bob sing this song was in the Fall of '65. I was 18 and had just graduated from Santa Fe High School in Santa Fe Springs, California. I was rolling in my '57 Chevy Bel Air as this came on AM radio station KRLA/AM (L.A.) and I have loved this song ever since. Funny how a song can be the vehicle used to travel back to another time & place in one's life. The 60's were the musical & lyrical decade for the ages, so glad I was there & of my youth.
@vitordragon
Bob sent his message - And I think the person the song was addressed to understood it clearly! Love this song! Greetings from São Paulo, Brazil.
@papabarney
absolutely amazing rendition. love dylan. love simply red.
@MsRiccig
great cover of my fav dylan song at the ancient greek theater in my my familys home town taromina
@mickmahoney956
Mick's voice is perfect.
@kim123792
when I was 15 yrs young in "86 the radio stations in Charlotte N.C. the r&b stations played all his songs we assumed he was a brother. Then later we was shock like hell wow that man can blow.
@MMCFilm
The perceived strings at beginning and horns add such a great jazzy-soulful feel to this version
@LuizinhoPapadoc
Simply Red... Mick is a great singer! Simply the best!
@JDLamps1
A+ for the life and soul he put into the song...