"Your Mirror" is a song by British soul and pop band Simply Red. Written by Mick Hucknall, it was released in July 1992 as the fifth single from their fourth album, Stars (1991), and reached number 17 on the UK Singles Chart. The song was later included on the band's compilation albums, Greatest Hits in 1996, Simply Red 25: The Greatest Hits in 2008 (on which an alternative recording with a prominent guitar solo is featured) and Song Book 1985–2010 in 2013.

"Your Mirror"
Single by Simply Red
from the album Stars
Released13 July 1992 (1992-07-13)[1]
GenrePop, pop rock[2]
Length4:08
Songwriter(s)Mick Hucknall
Producer(s)Stewart Levine, Mick Hucknall
Simply Red singles chronology
"Thrill Me"
(1992)
"Your Mirror"
(1992)
"Fairground"
(1995)
Music video
"Your Mirror" on YouTube

Critical reception edit

Rik Ambelle from Crawley News complimented the song as "haunting".[3] Dave Tianene from Milwaukee Sentinel described it as "a sort of inner dialogue of a man torn between idealism and cynicism, done in Temptations ballad style."[4] Robbert Tilli from Music & Media felt that it showcases Hucknall's "talent for writing soulful pop."[5] In an retrospective review, Pop Rescue found that it's "stronger" than the previous songs on the Stars album, "with its bass and piano hooks", adding further that the singer "takes a harder lyrical and vocal approach, almost menacing at times."[6] Johnny Dee from Smash Hits declared it as a "great tune", and "dreamy and wafty".[7] Another editor, Polly Birkbeck, said it's "a droning slowie with a chorus of birdies chirping all through it."[8]

Track listings edit

  • YZ689 7-inch
  1. "Your Mirror"
  2. "Your Mirror" (live)
  • YZ689C cassette
  1. "Your Mirror"
  2. "Your Mirror" (live)
  • YZ689CD holographic disc
  1. "Your Mirror"
  2. "Sad Old Red" (live in Hamburg, Feb 23, 1992)
  3. "She’s Got It Bad" (live in Hamburg, Feb 24, 1992)
  • YZ689CDX limited-edition holographic disc
  1. "Your Mirror" (live in Hamburg, Feb 23, 1992)
  2. "More" (live in Hamburg, Feb 23, 1992)
  3. "Something Got Me Started" (live in Hamburg, Feb 23, 1992)

Charts edit

Chart (1992) Peak
position
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[9] 52
France (SNEP) 65
Germany (Official German Charts) 59
Ireland (IRMA)[10] 28
UK Singles (OCC)[11] 17

References edit

  1. ^ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. 11 July 1992. p. 19.
  2. ^ "Your Mirror - Simply Red | Song Info | AllMusic". AllMusic.
  3. ^ "Hot Wire". Crawley News. 30 October 1991. page 39.
  4. ^ Tianene, Dave (25 October 1991). "Simply Red gambles and wins". Milwaukee Sentinel.
  5. ^ Tilli, Robert (12 October 1991). "Spotlight: Simply Red" (PDF). Music & Media. p. 24. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  6. ^ "Review: "Stars" by Simply Red (CD, 1991)". Pop Rescue. 16 October 2015. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  7. ^ Dee, Johnny (8 July 1992). "New Singles". Smash Hits. No. 355. p. 51. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  8. ^ Birkbeck, Polly (16 October 1991). "Review: LPs". Smash Hits. p. 43. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  9. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100" (PDF). Music & Media. 8 August 1992. p. 17. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  10. ^ "The Irish Charts – All there is to know > Search results for 'Your Mirror' (from irishcharts.ie)". Imgur.com (original source published by Fireball Media). Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  11. ^ Official Charts Company info OfficialCharts.com. Retrieved 2 September 2009.