Mick Hucknall

As he releases new album, Time, Simply Red's lead singer looks back on nearly four decades in music

- NICK REILLY

The new album is called Time. With that title in mind, is this you looking back on your storied career?

No, but I said to my manager it’s the story of a boy from the northwest of the British Isles, who learned how to live in the world. I’m kind of reflecting on who I am. Because the thing about music is that you can write about yourself, but then when somebody hears it and they like it, they can think it’s about them, too. That’s what’s really nice about music.

There’s a song on the album called ‘Let Your Hair Down’. Do you think we’ve all got a bit too uptight and serious?