All You Good Friends Explained

All You Good Friends
Cover:All You Good Friends.jpg
Type:single
Artist:Kevin Simm
Genre:Pop
Length:3:07
Label:Universal
Chronology:Kevin Simm
Prev Title:Brand New
Prev Year:2008
All You Good Friends
Year:2016
Next Title:Wildfire
Next Year:2016

"All You Good Friends" is a song by former Liberty X member and The Voice UK series 5 winner Kevin Simm. It was released as his debut solo single on 9 April 2016 and peaked at number 24 on the UK Singles Chart. It was his first single to make the top 40 since "A Night to Remember" reached number six in 2005 with his former band Liberty X.[1]

Background

Simm earned the right to release the single, an original song, after winning the fifth series of The Voice UK. He told the Official Charts Company after his victory that he was lucky that the song he released was one that he really likes and that he could relate to the lyrics. He had risen to fame originally as part of the pop group Liberty X (previously known as Liberty), which was made up of the runners up from the first series of the talent show Popstars. With the group, he released thirteen singles, eight of which reached the top 10, including their biggest hit in 2002, the number-one single "Just a Little".[2]

After their split in 2007, Simm released several solo singles but none of those impacted the charts. He entered The Voice in 2016, performing Sia's "Chandelier" in his blind audition.[3] In the final, he beat Jolan to the crown and gave Kaiser Chiefs' frontman his second consecutive win as coach.[4]

Production

After his victory on The Voice, Simm was awarded with a record contract with Universal Music TV and, for the first time in the history of the show, the track was released within minutes of the final to download and stream. The song was co-written by Steve Hart, Phil Bentley and Jamie Hartman, and produced by Peter-John Vettesse, who had previously worked with Sia and James Bay. The BBC announced that 20p from each digital download and 50% of Universal's streaming receipts would be donated to Comic Relief.[5]

Chart performance

"All You Good Friends" went straight into the UK Singles Chart at its peak position of number 24, spending a single week in the chart on the week ending 21 April 2016.[6] The song also reached number two on its debut on The Big Top 40, broadcast across commercial radio stations in the UK, only finishing behind Drake's chart-topping "One Dance".[7]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Copsey . Rob . The Official biggest selling Children In Need singles revealed . Official Charts Company . 7 November 2017 . 13 October 2020.
  2. Web site: Loughrey . Clarisse . The Voice UK: Liberty X singer Kevin Simm auditions in a second stab at fame . https://web.archive.org/web/20201108171939/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/voice-uk-liberty-x-singer-kevin-simm-auditions-second-stab-fame-a6843101.html . 2020-11-08 . limited . live . The Independent . 30 January 2016 . 13 October 2020.
  3. Web site: White . Jack . The Voice UK winner Kevin Simm interview: "It felt like a really big gamble" . Official Charts Company . 13 April 2016 . 13 October 2020.
  4. Web site: Warner . Sam . The Voice UK 2016: Kevin Simm is named the winner after a strong performance in the final . Digital Spy . 9 April 2016 . 13 October 2020.
  5. Web site: Big News about the Winner’s Single . British Broadcasting Corporation . 8 April 2016 . 13 October 2020.
  6. Web site: All You Good Friends - full Official Charts history . Official Charts Company . 13 October 2020.
  7. Web site: WATCH: Kevin Simm's Live Performance Of His Top 5 Hit 'All You Good Friends' . Big Top 40 . 13 October 2020.