"Something Got Me Started" is a song by British

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest att ...

and

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' ( ...

band

Simply Red Simply Red are a British soul and pop band formed in Manchester in 1985. The lead vocalist of the band is singer and songwriter Mick Hucknall, who, by the time the band initially disbanded in 2010, was the only original member left. Since t ...

, released as the first single from their fourth album, ''

Stars A star is an astronomical object comprising a luminous spheroid of plasma held together by its gravity. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked eye at night, but their immense distances from Earth ma ...

'' (1991). It was released in several forms — a 7-inch single, a 12-inch single, and a CD version, which includes a remix by Perfecto (

Paul Oakenfold Paul Mark Oakenfold (born 30 August 1963), formerly known mononymously as Oakenfold, is an English record producer, remixer and trance DJ. He has provided over 100 remixes for over 100 artists including U2, Moby, Madonna, Britney Spears, Mas ...

and

Steve Osborne Stephen John "Steve" Osborne (born 1963) is a British record producer, living in Bath, England. He has worked with a wide variety of musicians, including Suede, the B-52s, A-ha, New Order, Elbow, U2, Happy Mondays, Placebo, Gregory Porter, Do ...

). The song became successful around the world, peaking at number 11 in the United Kingdom and charting within the top 10 in New Zealand and several European countries; on the

Eurochart Hot 100 The European Hot 100 Singles was compiled by '' Billboard'' and ''Music & Media'' magazine from March 1984 until December 2010. The chart was based on national singles sales charts in 17 European countries: Austria, Belgium (two charts separately ...

, the single reached number nine in November 1991. It was less successful than the band's previous hits in North America, peaking at number 11 in Canada and number 23 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100. "Something Got Me Started" was included on the band's compilation albums, ''

Greatest Hits A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be crea ...

'' in 1996, '' Simply Red 25: The Greatest Hits'' in 2008 and '' Song Book 1985–2010'' in 2013.

Development and composition

Simply Red had achieved considerable commercial and critical success from the mid-1980s onwards with their own

blue-eyed soul Blue-eyed soul (also called white soul) is rhythm and blues (R&B) and soul music performed by white artists. The term was coined in the mid-1960s, to describe white artists whose sound was similar to that of the predominantly-black Motown and Stax ...

style that saw them repeatedly reach the top 10 around the world. Despite the 1989 album '' A New Flame'' selling over two million copies in the UK alone, frontman

Mick Hucknall Michael James Hucknall (born 8 June 1960) is an English singer and songwriter. Hucknall achieved international fame in the 1980s as the lead singer and songwriter of the soul-influenced pop band Simply Red, with whom he enjoyed a 25-year career ...

was keen to develop the sound of the band further. The same year ''A New Flame'' was released, a number of dance-orientated records had started to infiltrate the UK singles chart, most notably the songs from the group

Soul II Soul Soul II Soul are a British musical collective formed in London in 1988. They are best known for their two major hits; 1989's UK number five and US number eleven " Keep On Movin'", and its follow-up, the UK number one and US number four " Back to ...

. In 2005, when interviewed for the ''

Classic Albums ''Classic Albums'' is a British documentary series about pop, rock and heavy metal albums that are considered the best or most distinctive of a well-known band or musician or that exemplify a stage in the history of music. Format The TV serie ...

'' episode on the making of the ''

'' album, Hucknall commented that he wanted a programmed drum sound that didn't sound synthetic. This led him to working with new musicians, including musician Gota Yashiki whose expertise with drum programming effectively replaced founder drummer

Chris Joyce Chris Joyce (born 11 October 1957, Manchester, England) is known for being drummer with various groups, and with Simply Red in the 1980s. Coming from Chorlton, Manchester, he adopted the hippie lifestyle. His most remote band was Fast Breeder, ...

. Producer Stewart Levine also introduced Hucknall to Heitor Pereira which changed the guitar sound on the record, putting more emphasis on rhythm than melody. An early version of the song "Something Got Me Started" was premiered in a March 1990 concert in

Didsbury Didsbury is a suburban area of Manchester, England, on the north bank of the River Mersey, south of Manchester city centre. The population at the 2011 census was 26,788. Within the boundaries of the historic county of Lancashire, there are ...

, Manchester, whilst the group were promoting '' A New Flame'' (later released on the VHS/Laserdisc ''Let Me Take You Home'').

Release

Released on 9 September 1991, nearly a month before the album itself, "Something Got Me Started" reached number 11 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

, and a number of remixes by artists like Steve 'Silk' Hurley and

helped it to achieve success on both the UK and European dance charts. "Something Got Me Started" was later re-recorded for the 2005 album '' Simplified'', and re-released as a single in January 2006. The song has remained in Simply Red's live set lists since it was first premiered in 1990 and is often played as a final encore.

Critical reception

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Music ...

editor Jon O'Brien opined that the "funky piano-led" song and "

" justify the ''Stars'' album's multi-platinum success.

Larry Flick Larry Flick is an American journalist, former dance music columnist, single reviewer, and Senior Talent Editor for ''Billboard'' magazine, where he worked for 14 years. Now he produces and hosts Sirius XM radio shows. Flick started in the music ...

from ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large adverti ...

'' stated that the track "maintains the Brit-eyed soul of previous hits", noting that

"turns in an unusually restrained vocal, which adds depth and maturity to an already potent track." Ellen Fagan for CultureSonar noted that Simply Red "charges out of the proverbial gate with great impact. The dizzyingly beautiful video entices the eye with lithe, dancing silhouettes, a European backdrop, and delicious '80s overdrive. Another "love gone wrong" song with some lyrics but counters that with an upbeat tempo, powerful harmonies and a "call and answer" format of "I'd give it all up for you/(yes I would)" that builds in an irresistible crescendo." Swedish newspaper ''

Expressen ''Expressen'' (''The Express'') is one of two nationwide evening newspapers in Sweden, the other being '' Aftonbladet''. ''Expressen'' was founded in 1944; its symbol is a wasp and its slogans are "it stings" or "''Expressen'' to your rescue". ...

'' described the song as "bouncy". Dave Sholin from the ''

Gavin Report The ''Gavin Report'' was a San Francisco-based radio industry trade publication. The publication was founded by radio performer Bill Gavin in 1958. Its Top 40 listings were used for many years by programmers to decide content of programs. The p ...

'' commented, "Red hot from the moment they reached America's shores, the Mick Hucknall-led Simply Red outfit forged an intensely loyal following." He added that reminiscent of their 1986 hit, " Money's (Too Tight Too Mention)", "this uptempo groove is too strong to ignore." Pan-European magazine ''

Music & Media ''Music & Media'' was a pan-European magazine for radio, music and entertainment. It was published for the first time in 1984 as ''Eurotipsheet'', but in 1986 it changed name to ''Music & Media''. It was originally based in Amsterdam, but later ...

'' said the song is "state of the art

. Mick Hucknall's star is still shining bright on this Money's Too Tight Too Mention type of song." A reviewer from ''

People Magazine ''People'' is an American weekly magazine that specializes in celebrity news and human-interest stories. It is published by Dotdash Meredith, a subsidiary of IAC. With a readership of 46.6 million adults in 2009, ''People'' had the lar ...

'' noted its "peppy lite funk". Pop Rescue stated that the vocal melody here, sat alongside the funky bass and piano, "really gives this a light, upbeat feeling." Al Walentis from ''

Reading Eagle The ''Reading Eagle'' is the major daily newspaper in Reading, Pennsylvania. A family-owned newspaper until the spring of 2019, its reported circulation is 37,000 (daily) and 50,000 (Sundays). It serves the Reading and Berks County region of ...

'' called it "brassy". Richard Paton from ''

Toledo Blade ''The Blade'', also known as the ''Toledo Blade'', is a newspaper in Toledo, Ohio published daily online and printed Thursday and Sunday by Block Communications. The newspaper was first published on December 19, 1835. Overview The first issue ...

'' viewed it as a "soulful groove". Johnny Dee from ''

Smash Hits ''Smash Hits'' was a British music magazine aimed at young adults, originally published by EMAP. It ran from 1978 to 2006, and, after initially appearing monthly, was issued fortnightly during most of that time. The name survived as a brand ...

'' deemed it as "superb".

Music video

The official

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing devic ...

for the song was directed by British film and music video director

Andy Morahan Andrew Douglas Morahan (born 11 August 1958) is a British commercial, film and music video director. He is the son of director Christopher Morahan and the half-brother of actress Hattie Morahan. Married to Joanna Lewis, he has two children. ...

who later directed videos for the Simply Red songs "

Fake Fake may refer to: * Deception, an act or a statement intended to deceive ** Charlatan, a person who practices deception to obtain money or other advantages ** Counterfeit, a reproduction of an item, intended to deceive ** Cover-up, an attempt to ...

" and "Home" in

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

. It was partly shot in

Seville Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Penins ...

, Spain. The video features Hucknall dancing indoors and in the street, silhouettes of the band playing and a central female character who is seen in a number of city locations and riding on the back of a scooter.

''Simplified'' version

"Something Got Me Started" was one of the eight previously released Simply Red songs re-recorded for the 2005 album '' Simplified''. It also became the second single release from the album, as a

double A-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company ...

with a new

cover Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of copy ...

of the

Leon Russell Leon Russell (born Claude Russell Bridges; April 2, 1942 – November 13, 2016) was an American musician and songwriter who was involved with numerous bestselling records during his 60-year career that spanned multiple genres, including rock and ...

song "

A Song for You "A Song for You" is a song written and originally recorded by rock singer and pianist Leon Russell for his first solo album '' Leon Russell'', which was released in 1970 on Shelter Records. A slow, pained plea for forgiveness and understand ...

Track listings

* 7-inch, cassette, and mini-CD single # "Something Got Me Started" # " A New Flame" * UK 12-inch single :A1. "Something Got Me Started" (Perfecto mix) :B1. "Something Got Me Started" (instrumental) :B2. "A New Flame" * US 12-inch single :A1. "Something Got Me Started" (Hurley's house remix) – 5:56 :A2. "Something Got Me Started" (Hurley's dub) – 5:44 :B1. "Something Got Me Started" (

E-Smoove Eric Miller (born in Chicago, Illinois) is an American house music DJ, record producer and remixer. As E-Smoove, he worked for a number of years with Steve "Silk" Hurley and Maurice Joshua, before he hit the U.S. Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart in ...

's Late Night mix) – 5:00 :B2. "Something Got Me Started" (Smoove dub mix) – 5:44 * UK CD single # "Something Got Me Started" # "

Come on in My Kitchen "Come On in My Kitchen" is a blues song by Robert Johnson. Music writer Elijah Wald has described it as "a hypnotic lament" and "his first unquestionable masterpiece". A sometime traveling companion and fellow musician, Johnny Shines, recalled t ...

" # "A New Flame" # "Something Got Me Started" (Perfecto mix) * US CD single # "Something Got Me Started" – 4:00 # "Come on in My Kitchen" – 1:30 # "

If You Don't Know Me by Now "If You Don't Know Me by Now" is a song written by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, and recorded by the Philadelphia soul musical group Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes. It became their first hit after being released as a single in September 1972, topp ...

" – 3:24 # "Something Got Me Started" (Perfecto mix) – 5:13

Credits and personnel

Credits are lifted from the ''Stars'' album booklet. Studios * Recorded at Condulmer Recording Studio (

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

, Italy) * Mixed at

Conway Studios Conway may refer to: Places United States * Conway, Arkansas * Conway County, Arkansas * Lake Conway, Arkansas * Conway, Florida * Conway, Iowa * Conway, Kansas * Conway, Louisiana * Conway, Massachusetts * Conway, Michigan * Conway Towns ...

(Los Angeles) * Mastered at

Bernie Grundman Bernie Grundman is an American audio engineer. He is most known for his mastering work and his studio, Bernie Grundman Mastering, which he opened in 1984 in Hollywood. The studio, which includes engineers Chris Bellman, Patricia Sullivan, and Mi ...

Mastering (Los Angeles) Simply Red *

– words, vocals, backing vocals, co-production *

Fritz McIntyre Fritz Gerald McIntyre (2 September 1958 – 23 August 2021) was a British musician, most famous for his tenure as keyboard player in the original line-up of Simply Red. Early life McIntyre was born in Birmingham in 1958. His father was not ...

– words, music, additional vocals, keyboards * Tim Kellett – keyboards * Heitor Pereira – guitars *

Ian Kirkham Ian Kirkham (born 9 March 1963 in Preston, Lancashire''The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock and Roll'' - 3rd Edition) is an English saxophonist, best known for his playing with Simply Red from 1986 until the band retired in 2010. He reprised h ...

– saxophone * Gota Yashiki – drums, percussion, programs * Shaun Ward – bass guitar Other personnel *

Stewart Levine Stewart Levine (born 1946) is an American record producer. He has worked with such artists as The Crusaders, Minnie Riperton, Lionel Richie, Simply Red, Hugh Masekela, Dr. John, Randy Crawford, B.B. King, Huey Lewis and the News, Patti LaBelle ...

– production * Daren Klein – mixing, engineering * Sandro Franchin – assistant engineering * Marnie Riley – assistant mix engineering * Bernie Grundman – mastering

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

{{Authority control 1991 singles 1991 songs East West Records singles Music videos directed by Andy Morahan Music videos shot in Spain Simply Red songs Song recordings produced by Stewart Levine Songs written by Fritz McIntyre Songs written by Mick Hucknall