The second half of the 1980s was distinguished by a focus on bold, synthetic music. It was unusual to hear too many tracks that focused entirely on the old-school qualities of sharp songwriting, subtle instrumental backing, and impassioned performances.
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That’s why “Holding Back the Years,” the touching ballad delivered by the British group Simply Red, carved out such a unique niche. The song went scorched-earth on both sides of the Atlantic in 1986, and still holds a place as one of the most authentically soulful tracks of the decade.
From One Band to the Next
Mick Hucknall has not only been the voice of Simply Red throughout the band’s career, but he’s also served as the band’s chief songwriter and overall driving force in shaping their artistic direction. The famously crimson-haired Brit and his group seemed to burst onto the scene from nowhere, at least to American audiences, when “Holding Back the Years” struck it big.
In actuality, Hucknall had already spent several years in a different band before forming Simply Red. That group, The Frantic Elevators, toiled in relative anonymity, as they only had the opportunity to release a few singles during the course of their existence. One of those singles was an early version of “Holding Back the Years.”
Although his previous band had emerged within the post-punk movement of the late ’70s and early ’80s, Hucknall wanted to try something different with Simply Red. The fact their first single (“Money’s Too Tight to Mention”) was a cover of an R&B song said a lot about the direction they’d take, a smart move considering Hucknall’s booming, soulful vocal style.
“Years” of Success
A great soul singer can always use a torch song to show off his vocal skills. It just so happened Hucknall already possessed one in “Holding Back the Years.” The song was one of the first he ever wrote. It dealt with his ambivalence about growing up, as well as the sadness of growing up without a mother (she left Hucknall’s family when he was just 3 years old).
To spruce up the song a bit and set it apart from the earlier version, Hucknall, who shared the songwriting credit with former Frantic Elevators member Neil Moss (even though Moss didn’t contribute to its creation), added the I’ll keep holding on refrain. A trumpet solo by Tim Kellett provided the just-right instrumental touch.
“Holding Back the Years” benefited from a rare example of a record company giving a song a second chance. When first released as a single in 1985, it did little. But Elektra Records gave it another go a year later, and that’s when it caught fire.
What is “Holding Back the Years” About?
“Holding Back the Years” finds the narrator in an anguished state, regretting all that’s come before him, yet afraid of what might still come. Holding back the years, he begins. Thinking of the fear I’ve had so long. Hucknall’s youthful family life, with an absent mother and overprotective father, sneaks into the lyrics: Strangled by the wishes of pater / Hoping for the arms of mater.
On the one hand, what lies ahead of him might be preferable to the life he’s living: Chance for me to escape from all I’ve known / Holding back the years / ‘Cause nothing here has grown. But he struggles to believe in a brighter future, considering the heartbreak he’s already endured: And nothing had the chance to be good / Nothing ever could.
“Holding Back the Years” succeeds not just because of Mick Hucknall’s sterling vocal performance, but also because the personal touch in the lyrics renders the heartbreak so palpable. It was a rare feat on the radio in 1986. These days, it simply sounds like a timeless classic.
Photo by Fryderyk Gabowicz/picture alliance via Getty Images
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