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."
Wonderland
Simply Red Lyrics
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Pursuing the chases
Our moments were chosen
Her senses, explosion
Take your pulse and read it well
She never said you'd only get one chance
Pay your debt and bleed as well
The end of an era
Our future no clearer
My people no stronger
The blame I lay on her
Wonderland, Wonderland
It's beautiful
Wonderland, wonderland
It's beautiful
Take your pulse and read it well
She never said you'd only get one chance
Pay your debt and bleed as well
You're living in the same circumstances
The end of an era
My future no clearer
Our people no stronger
The blame I lay on her
Wonderland, wonderland
It's beautiful
Wonderland, wonderland
It's beautiful
Fading away, fading away until tomorrow comes
To haunt us all
It's coming again, it's gonna pick up on you
And haunt you always
Wonderland wonderland
Fading away
The song "Wonderland" by Simply Red is a reflection on the fleeting nature of life and the pursuit of happiness. The first two lines of the song set the tone by describing the restless nature of human existence. The chorus, with its repeated phrase of "Wonderland, wonderland, it's beautiful," is an acknowledgment of the beauty that can be found in life, even as it is slipping away. The sense of urgency in the verses is echoed in the refrain, which speaks of the inevitable arrival of tomorrow and the haunting nature of the past.
The imagery in the song seems to suggest that the pursuit of happiness is a kind of chase that ultimately leads nowhere. The explosions of the senses are fleeting moments that cannot be held onto. The end of an era may signal a new beginning, but the future is no clearer. The blame is laid on a woman, who may be simply a symbol of the futility of trying to assign blame for the vagaries of life.
Line by Line Meaning
People, places
We are exploring different places and meeting different people.
Pursuing the chases
We are chasing after something or someone important to us.
Our moments were chosen
We believe that everything that has happened to us has led us to this moment.
Her senses, explosion
She is deeply feeling things to a point where it feels like an explosion inside her.
Take your pulse and read it well
Listen to your heart and understand what it truly wants.
She never said you'd only get one chance
Don't give up, because there's always another chance to succeed.
Pay your debt and bleed as well
Working hard for something you want will require sacrifice.
You're living in the same circumstances
You are in control of your own destiny, and must work hard even if circumstances are tough.
The end of an era
Something meaningful to us has come to an end.
Our future no clearer
We don't know what lies ahead for us.
My people no stronger
The people we care about are struggling.
The blame I lay on her
We blame someone for the way things are.
Wonderland, Wonderland
Our lives may seem chaotic and confusing, but they are beautiful in their own way.
It's beautiful
We find beauty in the midst of chaos.
Fading away, fading away until tomorrow comes
We are slowly losing something that we treasure but we keep in mind that there's always a new day tomorrow.
To haunt us all
The memories of what we have lost will always be with us.
It's coming again, it's gonna pick up on you
Our past mistakes or traumatic events will always haunt us and can resurface at any time.
And haunt you always
The things that we hold on will always find a way to come back to us.
Wonderland, wonderland
Our lives may seem chaotic and confusing, but they are beautiful in their own way.
Fading away
We're letting go of something or someone that we treasure.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Michael Hucknall
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Lowell
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".