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."
Turn It Up
Simply Red Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It don't ever stop
No no no no
Turn it up, makes me so proud
I believe in this feeling
Well you've lost all the things
That sharing could bring
But violence and flames
And torches and chains
Are fueling
These new northern lights
Like prisoners working
On infertile land
Took eight years
To find out the score
If you're sick then you're lonely
Out of work then you're hungry
The sentence is four years more
Turn it up, turn it so loud
It don't ever stop
No no no no
Turn it up, makes me so proud
I believe in this feeling
Turn it up, turn it up
Right up, right up
Who says poverty and race
Can be kept in their place
By keeping it
All underground
And ruling the country
Are unfaithful husbands
Who spank little boys
Gagged and bound
There's got to be a better way
For you and for me
To turn this hypocrisy round
The growth of a nation
Cannot be achieved
By keeping
The downtrodden down
Turn it up, turn it so loud
It don't ever stop
No no no no
Turn it up, makes me so proud
I believe in this feeling
Turn it up, turn it up
Right up, right up
The song “Turn It Up” by Simply Red is a commentary on the socio-political conditions in Britain in the late 1980s; it shows the frustration of the common people who were struggling to survive while the elites enjoyed their luxury. The lyrics suggest that the government and the ruling class were indifferent to the plight of the common people, and they were more interested in maintaining the status quo to protect their own interests.
The first stanza is an invitation to turn up the volume of the music, which symbolizes the people’s desire to speak out and be heard. It’s an expression of the frustration and anger that had been brewing for a long time. The second stanza describes the situation in the country where the rich were getting richer, and the poor were getting poorer. The lyrics talk about the violence and flames that were engulfing the country, and how the ruling class was using force to suppress the people.
The third and fourth stanzas of the song talk about the need for change and how it’s imperative to break the cycle of poverty and discrimination. The lyrics show the band’s frustration with the government and the ruling class and their call for a better way. The song suggests that if the country wants to grow, it needs to empower the people, not suppress them.
Line by Line Meaning
Turn it up, turn it so loud
Increase the volume of the music to a high level
It don't ever stop
The music should play continuously without stopping
No no no no
Reinforcing that the music should not stop
Turn it up, makes me so proud
The artist takes pride in the music being played loudly
I believe in this feeling
The artist is moved by the emotions invoked by the music
Well you've lost all the things
All the positive changes that could have been achieved have been lost
That sharing could bring
Cooperation and generosity could have brought positive change
Thought you were doing right
The approach taken was intended to be correct
But violence and flames
However, violent and fiery means are now being employed
And torches and chains
These means include tools of oppression, such as torches and chains
Are fueling
These means are further driving
These new northern lights
Social unrest and rebellion, represented here as 'northern lights'
Like prisoners working
People are working tirelessly but unproductively, like prisoners
On infertile land
People's efforts are being wasted on unproductive or futile endeavors
Took eight years
This has been going on for a long time
To find out the score
Attempting to understand the underlying issues and opposition
If you're sick then you're lonely
People who are sick are also often socially isolated
Out of work then you're hungry
Lack of employment can lead to lack of basic needs, such as hunger
The sentence is four years more
This cycle of negative outcomes and circumstances will last for a long time yet
Who says poverty and race
There are those who deny the existence of racial and financial inequality
Can be kept in their place
Trying to suppress or ignore these issues is not a solution
By keeping it
By keeping these problems hidden or ignored
All underground
These inequalities remain hidden, unacknowledged and unaddressed
And ruling the country
The ruling class has a responsibility to address these issues
Are unfaithful husbands
People in positions of power have betrayed the public's trust
Who spank little boys
People in power have abused and oppressed the vulnerable and weak
Gagged and bound
Such people are silenced and oppressed, with no voice or agency
There's got to be a better way
The situation is unacceptable and change is necessary
For you and for me
There must be a solution that addresses the needs of everyone
To turn this hypocrisy round
The situation of injustice, inequality and oppression must be fundamentally changed
The growth of a nation
The well-being of any country
Cannot be achieved
Cannot be accomplished
By keeping
By maintaining
The downtrodden down
By keeping the marginalized and oppressed in their current state
Turn it up, turn it up
The music should continue playing at a high volume
Right up, right up
Play the music loudly and unapologetically
Lyrics © Red Brick Music Publishing, BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Peermusic Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Reservoir Media Management, Inc., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BEAU ALEXANDER DOZIER, SHAWNTAE HARRIS, DAMON JARED REINAGLE
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".