Blue (Simply Red album)

Blue is the sixth studio album by British band Simply Red. It was released by East West Records on 19 May 1998 in the United Kingdom. Initially conceived as a cover album,[1] it features production from lead singer Mick Hucknall as well as Andy Wright, Gota Yashiki, Stevie J, and Joe "Jake" Carter. Hucknall, Wright, and Yashiki are the only musicians featured in the Blue CD booklet's photography; this is a first for a Simply Red album, as all prior albums featured photos of the various band members credited.

Blue
Studio album by Simply Red
Released	19 May 1998
Genre	Rock soul dance-pop
Length	46:59
Label	East West
Producer	Andy Wright Gota Yashiki Mick Hucknall Stevie J
Simply Red chronology
Life (1995) Blue (1998) Love and the Russian Winter (1999)
Singles from Blue
"Night Nurse" Released: 1997 "Say You Love Me" Released: May 1998 "The Air That I Breathe" Released: 1998 "Ghetto Girl" Released: 1998 "Mellow My Mind" Released: 1998 "To Be Free" Released: 1998

The album includes five cover versions: "Mellow My Mind" from the 1975 Neil Young album Tonight's the Night; two versions of the frequently covered "The Air That I Breathe", written by Albert Hammond and Mike Hazlewood; the Gregory Isaacs hit "Night Nurse"; and "Ghetto Girl" by Dennis Brown, from whom the band would cover another song in 2003. New versions of previously recorded Simply Red songs also appear here: "Come Get Me Angel" is a rewritten version of the 1996 single "Angel", and "Broken Man" was first released as a B-side in 1987. "The Air That I Breathe Reprise" samples "Jack and Diane" by John Mellencamp. "So Jungiful", found on the Japanese edition of the album, is a jungle remix of "So Beautiful" from the band's previous album, Life.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]

Allmusic editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine found that Blue "is weak on original material. However, Mick Hucknall makes up for the deficits by assembling a good collection of outside material [...] Initially, Blue was going to be a covers album, and judging by these numbers [...] it would have been a great, sultry listen. Instead, he's followed through on an album that accentuates his weaknesses as a writer. Granted, he can oversing on occasion, but if Blue does anything, it proves that his voice is his greatest talent and that he should dedicate himself to material that serves it well."[1]

Track listing

Standard version

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Mellow My Mind"	Neil Young	Andy Wright Gota Yashiki Mick Hucknall	3:55
2.	"Blue"	Hucknall	Wright Yashiki Hucknall	4:38
3.	"Say You Love Me"	Hucknall	Wright Yashiki Hucknall	3:43
4.	"To Be Free"	Hucknall	Wright Yashiki Hucknall	4:04
5.	"The Air That I Breathe"	Albert Hammond Mike Hazlewood	Wright Yashiki Hucknall	4:24
6.	"Someday in My Life"	Hucknall	Wright Yashiki Hucknall	4:03
7.	"The Air That I Breathe Reprise"	Hammond Hazlewood William Turpin Steven Jordan	Jordan Joe "Jake" Carter^[a]	4:35
8.	"Night Nurse"	Gregory Isaacs Sylvester Weise	Hucknall	3:57
9.	"Broken Man"	Hucknall	Wright Yashiki Hucknall	3:34
10.	"Come Get Me Angel"	Carolyn Franklin Sonny Sanders Hucknall	Wright Yashiki Hucknall	4:02
11.	"Ghetto Girl"	Dennis Brown	Hucknall	3:31
12.	"Love Has Said Goodbye Again"	Hucknall	Hucknall	3:14
13.	"High Fives"	Hucknall	Hucknall	2:49

Japan bonus track

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
14.	"So Jungiful"	Hucknall	Hucknall	4:46

2008 Special Edition bonus tracks

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
14.	"Ghetto Girl" (Blood & Fire Sound System Mix)	Brown	Hucknall Blood & Fire Sound System^[a]	3:31
15.	"To Be Free" (Livin' Joy A-Hanetta Mix)	Hucknall	Wright Yashiki Hucknall Livin' Joy^[a]	4:04
16.	"Love Has Said Goodbye Again" (Rae & Christian Mix)	Hucknall	Hucknall Rae & Christian^[a]	3:14
17.	"So Jungiful"	Hucknall	Hucknall	4:46
18.	"Tu Sei Dentro Di Me"	Hucknall	Wright Yashiki Hucknall	4:03

Notes

• ^a signifies an additional producer

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1998) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA)[2] 38 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[3] 1 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[4] 4 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[5] 3 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[6] 25 French Albums (SNEP)[7] 21 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[8] 1 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[9] 13 Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[10] 17 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[11] 5 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[12] 3 UK Albums (OCC)[13] 1 US Billboard 200[14] 145

Year-end charts Chart (1998) Position Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[15] 8 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[16] 93 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[17] 40 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[18] 16 UK Albums (OCC)[19] 23

Certifications and sales

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Austria (IFPI Austria)[20]	Platinum	50,000^*
Belgium (BEA)[21]	Gold	25,000^*
Denmark (IFPI Denmark)[22]	Platinum	50,000^^
Germany (BVMI)[23]	Gold	250,000^^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[24]	Gold	7,500^^
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[25]	Gold	50,000^^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[26]	Gold	25,000^^
United Kingdom (BPI)[27]	2× Platinum	600,000^^
Summaries
Europe (IFPI)[28]	Platinum	1,000,000^*
Worldwide	N/A	1,200,000 [29]
^* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

1. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Blue". AllMusic. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
2. "Australiancharts.com – Simply Red – Blue". Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
3. "Austriancharts.at – Simply Red – Blue" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
4. "Ultratop.be – Simply Red – Blue" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
5. "Ultratop.be – Simply Red – Blue" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
6. "Dutchcharts.nl – Simply Red – Blue" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
7. "Lescharts.com – Simply Red – Blue". Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
8. "Offiziellecharts.de – Simply Red – Blue" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
9. "Charts.nz – Simply Red – Blue". Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
10. "Norwegiancharts.com – Simply Red – Blue". Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
11. "Swedishcharts.com – Simply Red – Blue". Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
12. "Swisscharts.com – Simply Red – Blue". Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
13. "Simply Red | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
14. "Simply Red Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
15. "Jahreshitparade Alben 2001". austriancharts.at (in German). Archived from the original on 19 August 2019. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
16. "Jaaroverzichten 1998". Ultratop. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
17. "Rapports Annuels 1998". Ultratop. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
18. "Longplayer Jahrescharts 1998". offiziellecharts.de (in German). Retrieved 16 October 2020.
19. "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 1998". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
20. "Austrian album certifications – Simply Red – Blue" (in German). IFPI Austria.
21. "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – albums 1998". Ultratop. Hung Medien.
22. "Simply Red - Platinum in Denmark" (PDF). Music & Media. 24 October 1998. p. 6. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
23. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Simply Red; 'Blue')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
24. "New Zealand album certifications – Simply Red – Blue". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
25. Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. p. 948. ISBN 8480486392.
26. "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Simply Red; 'Blue')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
27. "British album certifications – Simply Red – Blue". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type Blue in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
28. "IFPI Platinum Europe Awards – 1998". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
29. Pride, Dominic (6 June 1998). Global Music Pulse. Billboard.