FEATURE:
Groovelines
Corinne Bailey Rae - Put Your Records On
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THE remarkable…
Corinne Bailey Rae’s eponymous debut album turns twenty on 24th February. Its standout second single, Put Your Records On, is twenty on 20th February. A song that is still widely played to this day, I wanted to spotlight this gem ahead of its anniversary. Reaching number two in the U.K., it was this instant hit. A song that still sounds wonderful twenty years later. Written by Bailey Rae, John Beck, and Steve Chrisanthou, it is a world away from her most recent work. If you listen to her 2023 album, Black Rainbows, it is quite a departure. However, it is natural for artists to evolve. I can remember there was a lot of excitement around. In 2006, Leeds artist Corinne Bailey Rae was tipped for big things. With the release of the instantly infectious Put Your Records On, there was a great deal of discussion around her sound. Maybe different to what was around in 2006, it was something much needed. The BBC spoke with this rising artist:
“Corinne's soulful voice has been compared to some of the great female singers of all time, including Billie Holiday and even Tina Turner!
She says: "I sometimes feel embarrassed because I wouldn't really associate myself with people who are as great as that. But I think it's nice to be compared to people who are successful and have individual-sounding voices and have a more intimate style which is a style I like to perform in.
"I guess you just hope that one day people will recognise your voice for just you."
Despite the fact that much of her work now takes her to London and travelling all over the world (the video for Put Your Records On was filmed in South Africa), Corinne is keen to remain based in her home town.
"I really feel part of a community here, especially a musical community. I've played at the Wardrobe and the HiFi Club so may times and so many of my friends are graduates of the music college and people who've come here to seek their fortune and work and write music and all that...
"So much of what I've done has been influenced by the people around me, so I want to stick around here."
Having such diverse and popular music acts like Corinne and the Kaiser Chiefs flying the flag for the Leeds can only be positive for already thriving live music scene.
Corinne agrees: "It's amazing to see bands like the Kaiser Chiefs do so well. No one could have predicted it. It's amazing to know that you could start off in your home town and become an international band and a household name in just a year's time.
"I think it gives a lot of hope to bands on the local scene to stay here and to put some time into the scene and develop their own sound."
The single is released on Monday 20 February and Corinne will be paying special attention to the following Sunday's chart. That Sunday is a special date in her calendar for more reasons than one - she'll be hoping for a high chart position as a birthday treat”.
With an amazing B-side in the form of Another Rainy Day, I think that Put Your Records On is a classic. One of those songs that seemed to define an age. Even if Corinne Bailey Rae might have put some distance between herself and that song, it is still a fan favourite. One that is very important. I will move to this review of Put Your Record On. I remember when it came out and I was instantly intrigued. I followed Bailey Rae and have been a fan ever since. Her eponymous album one of the standouts from 2006. Black Rainbows one of my favourites from 2023:
“As it opens, the guitar and bass parts through the first verse and pre-chorus seem almost insultingly simplistic. The trite lyric “The more things seem to change / The more they stay the same,” while applicable to the song, did little to encourage me. Though the doe-eyed delicateness of her delivery was oddly engaging, I was ready to switch it off, likely forever.
Then the first hook-laden chorus jumped out at me and, well, I was hooked. The production pops and soars, but still gently, with Bailey Rae’s voice finding fresh potency and an entirely different personality.
“Girl, put your records on / Tell me your favorite song”
…and then, reaching an unexpected new octave..
“You go ahead, let your hair down”
Even once the song returns again to the comparatively smooth, peaceful verse, I remained sold for good.
As the second chorus nears I’m now anxiously awaiting it, and notice for the first time how it’s ushered in with the short snap of a snare drum fill and the gathering swell of horns and backing voices present to colorfully fill out the sound.
While the tune moves to a pretty, extended bridge, I could barely wait for one more chorus. And the third one delivers even more, beginning with an enticing two-beat mini breakdown, followed by the lovely reward of Bailey Rae’s multi-tracked vocal improvisations extending and ascending over the now fully enlivened mix.
When, finally, over chimes and tickled keyboard, she whispers the closing line – “Ooh, you’re gonna find yourself somewhere, somehow” – I’ve gotta say, I truly believed her”.
Put Your Records On earned a GRAMMY nomination for Song of the Year and Record of the Year in 2007. There have been occasions since when Put Your Records On has been mentioned and Corinne Bailey Rae has talked about its legacy. I want to quickly include a section from a Radio Utd and their chat with Bailey Rae around the release of Black Rainbows. Anyone who has not heard Put Your Records On needs to play it:
“Brie Haynes: So I do want to know what it was like writing an album that was so different from your previous works? Especially in the sense that it’s pro-Black.
Corinne Bailey Rae: It was really different. The main difference is obviously the subject matter and the sounds’ different. And the sound is in response to the subjects I guess. You know, with erasure, it just felt like an aggressive guitar song. I wanted it to be like, 50s film soundtracks that then gets interrupted. Transit Queen really reminded me of those 90s Riot Grrrl posters when I saw her 50s photographs. But I thought it was a side project for all the time I was making it. So I felt really free. I thought, it doesn’t have to be like anything I’ve done before. It’s me and I’m spreading my wings. I’ll call it something—it won’t even have my name on. So that felt really good, and then I guess as it’s come out, I felt more responsibility to claim it as my own and show that this has been my interest and obsession for the last seven years. I think there’s a throughline between what I’ve done before and you know, even “Put Your Records On”, which is kind of my most popular and lightest song, still has that emphasis on self-acceptance and a Black self-acceptance. It’s kind of a big heart of the story. When I’m singing “plum red lipstick, Black hair kinking”, it links back to “gotta love that afro hair-do, go ahead let your hair down.” They link, they make sense to me. As well as, you know, I was in an indie band when I was a teen so that all makes sense to me”.
Put Your Records On has gained a whole new life. Its legacy is incredible. This article from 2024 highlights how this incredible song reached a new sales peak. It continues to reach new audiences. A magnificent song that still sounds uplifting, I wonder if anyone will write about it on its twentieth anniversary. Maybe Corinne Bailey Rae will write some words about it:
“Corinne Bailey Rae has achieved a new certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Her 2006 breakout single, “Put Your Records On,” has been upped to 3x multi-platinum by the RIAA, selling more than three million equivalent units.
The relaxing groove, produced by Steve Chrisanthou and Jimmy Hogarth, has more than 735 million streams on Spotify; it’s her most streamed song from its self-titled parent album (more on that later).
Bottom of Form
Meanwhile, the official video has surpassed 57 million views on YouTube.
“Put Your Records On” appears on the English singer/songwriter’s debut album, Corinne Bailey Rae, released June 20, 2006.
The acclaimed single achieved top 10 placements on Billboard charts, reaching No. 6 on Adult Contemporary and No. 8 on Smooth Jazz Airplay, respectively. It also peaked at No. 64 on the Billboard Hot 100.
In 2007, at the 49th Grammy Awards, “Put Your Records On” was nominated for Record of the Year and Song of the Year. Bailey Rae was also among the Best New Artist nominees that year”.
In 2019, U.S. artist Madison Beer covered Put Your Records On. Putting her own spin on it, GRAMMY covered this as part of the Reimagined series. It is evident that Put Your Records On ahs reached a new generation. There is something in the lyrics and messages that seems to connect with people. The third song on her eponymous 2006 debut album, there is so much to admire and love about this track. I still hear it played on the radio all the time. Always popular with listeners:
“The next installment of ReImagined, featuring rising vocal powerhouse Madison Beer serving up a powerful cover of British R&B/neo-soul songstress Corinne Bailey Rae's "Put Your Records On," is officially here!
You can watch the L.A.-based, New York-born singer take on the GRAMMY-nominated 2006 feel-good bop. "Put Your Records On" was Bailey Rae's second single, which charted in both the U.K. and U.S., from her self-titled debut album. The uplifting track was nominated for Record Of The Year and Song Of The Year at the 49th GRAMMY Awards, where she also got a nod for Best New Artist.
Beer has a debut album of her own on the way this year to follow up her 2018 EP, As She Pleases. She released the LP's catchy lead single "Dear Society" in May. The 20-year-old is one to watch—back when she was just 13, Justin Bieber discovered her YouTube covers of icons like Etta James, tweeting about her to his huge fan base and helping connect her with a record deal”.
In March, Corinne Bailey Rae puts out her debut picture book that shares the same title as her most famous song. PUT YOUR RECORDS ON looks like it is the start of a new side of her career. I did not know about the picture book. We can learn more about the book on Bailey Rae’s official website. I know that it will be a big success:
“Corinne Bailey Rae, Grammy® Award-winning singer, songwriter and musician, will publish her debut children's picture book with Rocky Pond Books, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers. Inspired by her award-winning hit song and featuring magical illustrations by Gillian Eilidh O'Mara, PUT YOUR RECORDS ON celebrates the emotional resonance of music and the power of song to transform any moment-and to comfort, hold, and accompany us like a trusted friend.
In this story we watch a young Bea's world expand when her great aunt Portia introduces her to her cherished record collection, hidden away in the attic. Together, the two listen, dance, and laugh through a range of songs, leaving Bea excited to continue learning about herself and her world through music. The book is slated for release March 3, 2026 with an announced first printing of 150,000.
Corinne Bailey Rae said, "When I was a child, music helped me find myself. Through songs I discovered that others felt what I felt. Playing music grew my confidence and writing and performing my own music allowed me to fully express myself. I want every child to know that they have music in their heart and a voice that should be heard."
Lauri Hornik, President & Publisher, Rocky Pond Books added, "Corinne Bailey Rae is a singular talent, including now as a picture book author - her lovely story speaks volumes about the importance of both music and family to comfort and inspire”.
On 20th February, the gorgeous Put Your Records On turns twenty. Even though Corinne Bailey Rae has released four studio albums, and Black Rainbows is markedly different from her 2006 debut, there is still a lot of love for that album and its second single. Put Your Records On is one of the defining songs of the 2000s. It introduced Bailey Rae to the world. Still this divine record twenty years later. Corinne Bailey Rae’s Put Your Records On is…
A truly stunning song.