"Night Nurse" is a song by Jamaican reggae artist Gregory Isaacs, released as a single in 1982 after signing to Island Records. It is the title track of his 1982 album of the same name, which was a top 40 hit on the UK Albums Chart. At the time, "Night Nurse" was hugely popular in the clubs and received heavy radio play.[2] The song was later used in adverts for a GlaxoSmithKline cold and flu remedy of the same name on British TV and radio.[3] A cover version in 1997 by Sly and Robbie featuring Simply Red became a hit single in the UK.
| "Night Nurse" | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Single by Gregory Isaacs | |
| from the album Night Nurse | |
| Released | 1982 |
| Genre | |
| Length | 7:00 |
| Label | Mango, Island |
| Songwriter(s) | Gregory Isaacs, Sylvester Weise |
| Producer(s) | Gregory Isaacs, Flabba Holt |
BBC Radio 1 disc jockey Chris Goldfinger picked "Night Nurse" as one of his favourites in 1996, adding, "Gregory has a unique voice and singing style. I love the lyrics. Gregory is always my all-time favourite."[4]
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[5] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
Sly and Robbie version
edit| "Night Nurse" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Sly and Robbie featuring Simply Red | ||||
| from the album Friends and Blue | ||||
| Released | September 1997[6] | |||
| Genre | Reggae | |||
| Length | 3:54 | |||
| Label | EastWest | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Gregory Isaacs, Sylvester Weise | |||
| Producer(s) | Sly Dunbar, Robbie Shakespeare | |||
| Sly and Robbie singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Simply Red singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Night Nurse" on YouTube | ||||
"Night Nurse" was covered by Jamaican duo Sly and Robbie featuring English band Simply Red. It was released as a single in 1997 and appears on Sly and Robbie's album, Friends (1997), as well as Simply Red's sixth album, Blue (1998). The song reached No. 13 on the UK Singles Chart in September 1997, and remained on the chart for 8 weeks.[7] It is Sly and Robbie's second biggest hit in the United Kingdom, after 1987's "Boops (Here to Go)" at No. 12. It also became Simply Red's sixteenth non-consecutive top 20 hit in the UK.
The song also reached No. 44 in New Zealand,[8] and No. 84 in Germany.[9]
Critical reception
editGene Armstrong from Arizona Daily Star described the cover as "a hip-hop interpration", "with heady strings striating the percolating reggae riddims."[10] J.D. Considine from The Baltimore Sun felt it finds Hucknall "assuming the soulful reggae cadences" of "Night Nurse".[11] Larry Flick from Billboard wrote that he "presents a great rendition of Gregory Isaacs' gem [...], the first single from Sly & Robbie's latest set, Friends." He added, "Still steeped in Isaacs' vivid lyrical imagery (the track still plays like a classic love story that never made it to the screen), the song will be opened up to newer, younger audiences by Hucknall's pop influence. Dedicated Isaacs fans will also appreciate the authenticity Sly & Robbie impose on the track, as well as the various updated slants."[12] Pan-European magazine Music & Media commented, "Although the production is very much a state of the art high tech job, they have managed to retain the rootsy feel that made the original so great in the first place."[13]
Track listings
edit- UK/Europe CD1 single
- "Night Nurse" (Radio Mix) - 3:54
- "Night Nurse" (Dub with Vocal Mix) - 3:53
- "Night Nurse" (Jah Wobble Radio Mix) - 3:46
- "Night Nurse" (Jah Wobble 12" Mix) - 8:22
- UK CD2 single
- "Night Nurse" (Sly and Robbie Radio Mix) - 3:53
- "Night Nurse" (Sly and Robbie Dub Mix) - 3:53
- "Night Nurse" (On-U Sound 12" Mix) - 4:57
- "Night Nurse" (On-U Sound Dub the Patient Mix) - 4:56
- "Night Nurse" (Groove Corporation Intellectual Beauty Mix) - 6:43
- "Night Nurse" (Groove Corporation Zionic Man Mix) - 6:44
- "Night Nurse" (Delano Dancehall Mix) - 4:42
Charts
edit| Chart (1997) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[14] | 35 |
| Germany (Official German Charts) | 84 |
| Italy (Musica e dischi)[15] | 23 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) | 44 |
| Scotland (OCC) | 31 |
| UK Singles (OCC) | 13 |
References
edit- ^ Bradley, Larry (4 November 2014). "The 1980s: Gregory Isaacs - "Night Nurse". The Alternative Jukebox. Cassell. p. 140. ISBN 978-1-84403-789-6.
- ^ "Our Top 25 Caribbean Recording Artiste of All Time". DaMajority. 5 October 2018.
- ^ "GSK - Night Nurse".
- ^ "Jock On His Box" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). 8 June 1996. p. 5. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
- ^ "British single certifications – Gregory Isaacs – Night Nurse". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
- ^ "Simply Red official site".
- ^ "SLY & ROBBIE FEATURING SIMPLY RED | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com.
- ^ "charts.org.nz - Sly And Robbie feat. Simply Red - Night Nurse". charts.nz.
- ^ "Offizielle Deutsche Charts - Offizielle Deutsche Charts". Offiziellecharts.de.
- ^ Armstrong, Gene (13 June 1998). "Tracks". p. D. Arizona Daily Star.
- ^ Considine, J.D. (12 June 1998). "New On Record". The Baltimore Sun. p. Scene 7. Retrieved 8 January 2023 – via Gainesville Sun.
- ^ Flick, Larry (25 April 1998). "Reviews & Previews: Singles" (PDF). Billboard. p. 69. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
- ^ "Airborne" (PDF). Music & Media. 20 September 1997. p. 19. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
- ^ "Music & Media: Eurochart Hot 100" (PDF). Music & Media. 4 October 1997. p. 13. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
- ^ "Classifiche". Musica e dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 6 June 2022. Set "Tipo" on "Singoli". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Sly & Robbie".