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."
Thrill Me
Simply Red Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm the one who took you for granted
I've made my mistakes
wake up let's not, break up
Thrill me, you've got a love so strong
Thrill me, you really turn me on
Thrill me, wait till tomorrow night
You said that I would never let you be alone
How many times have you been on your own
Worked all the days to find the things you try to do
If only my heart will never let you through
Because you
Thrill me, you've got a love so strong
Thrill me, you just can't do me wrong
Thrill me, wait till tomorrow night
Thrill me, I'm gonna treat you right
Feels so good
Your hands feel like silk down my back
Come on, come on
Oh yeah
Feel it, baby
The truth is you've gone and left me on my own
How can I face the fact you're really gone
Love was a phase we'd have to pray to make it true
If only my heart would've never let you through
Because you
Thrill me, you've got a love so strong
Thrill me, you really turn me on
Thrill me, wait till tomorrow night
Thrill me, I'm gonna treat you right
(Thrill me)
(Thrill me)
(Thrill me)
(Thrill me)
(Thrill)
The song "Thrill Me" by Simply Red speaks about a man who took his partner for granted and made mistakes in the relationship. He realized his mistakes and does not want to break up with her. He asks his partner to "thrill" him with her love, which he acknowledges is strong and irresistible. He pleads with her to wait for tomorrow night, and he promises to treat her right. He acknowledges that he had promised to be there for her but did not keep his promise, leaving her to be alone most of the time. He wishes he had not let his heart let her go, the implication being that he regrets not having been there for her when he should have.
Throughout the song, the plea to be thrilled is reinforced. The man is asking his partner to excite him and breathe life back into their relationship, which has gone stale. There is a strong sexual undertone to the song with the man describing his partner's hands feeling like silk down his back, and he urges her to come on. His desperation for his partner to stay with him is evident throughout the song, with him acknowledging that he has been in the wrong.
In conclusion, the song's lyrics are straightforward as it describes a man who realizes the mistakes he made and seeks to make amends with his partner. He emphasizes the need for his partner to excite him and breathe life back into their relationship while acknowledging that he had let her down in the past.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm the one who took you for granted
I'm the one who didn't appreciate you enough
I've made my mistakes
I've done things wrong in our relationship
wake up let's not, break up
Let's work through our issues and not end things
Thrill me, you've got a love so strong
Your love is exhilarating
Thrill me, you really turn me on
You excite me
Thrill me, wait till tomorrow night
I'm anticipating being with you again tomorrow
Thrill, me I'm gonna treat you right
I'm going to treat you well
You said that I would never let you be alone
You thought I would always be there for you
How many times have you been on your own
How often have you been without anyone else around
Worked all the days to find the things you try to do
You've put in a lot of effort to achieve your goals
If only my heart will never let you through
If only I hadn't let you into my heart
Feels so good
It feels amazing
Your hands feel like silk down my back
Your touch is smooth and gentle
Come on, come on
Let's keep going
Oh yeah
Definitely
Feel it, baby
Experience this with me
The truth is you've gone and left me on my own
The reality is you've left me by myself
How can I face the fact you're really gone
How can I deal with the fact that you're really not here anymore
Love was a phase we'd have to pray to make it true
Love felt like something we had to hope for to be real
If only my heart would've never let you through
If only I hadn't opened my heart to you
Thrill me, you just can't do me wrong
You can't do anything to disappoint me
(Thrill me)
Excite me
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Fritz McIntyre, Michael Hucknall
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@FreddieFreethinking
This Is Music For The Human Soul. 😇
@happyfunny5086
440k clicks? This songs should have millions of views
@maribelsuanzes9955
Simply the best
@daredevilplayz9311
Better than the rest ;)
@drea14.8
Yesssss😍👌🏾👌🏾❤️
@jeffreydahmer1376
I Love Mick so much
@martinbrady79
One of his best🇮🇪❤🇮🇪
@Frauenhaus
Still one of my SR favourites in 2023. Thank you for having been here in Kiel Sailing City.
@cartr4236
this ones my favourite, its so underrated
@MariaSantosAraujo
Move me baby, move me! 🎷🎷🔥🔥🔥💖