The classic Simply Red track ‘Holding Back The Years‘ was the first song featured on this week’s episode of Pose — Season 1, Episode 8, “Mother of the Year” — the very emotional season finale of the eight-episode hit show.
The song was heard as Elektra is working at the peep show, and throughout the montage of her day until she is visited by Blanca.
‘Holding Back The Years‘ is the track the British soul pop band is the most known for. It was released in 1985 on the band’s best-selling debut album Picture Book, hit the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and number two in the UK. It also charted in seven other countries, and was nominated for a Grammy Award.
Mick Hucknall, the band’s lead singer wrote the song about his mother leaving the family when he was only three years old, and how it affected him in later life. So, you see, it is a touching and sad song that was utterly perfect for last night’s powerful Pose episode.
Simply Red were together for many years — from their debut in 1985 right through until 2010, when they broke up. After a five year hiatus, however, they reformed in 2015 and have been fairly active since then, releasing one new album and putting on several successful tours.
Watch and listen to Simply Red’s ‘Holding Back The Years‘ from Pose in the official music video below.
That video has Hucknall in a Whitby hotel, and then walking around the town and out into the English countryside thinking about his relationship with his mother, and what he missed after she had gone.
As I said, last night was the final episode of the first season of Pose. But, it has been so well-received by critics and fans that it has already been renewed for a second season. That will air in 2019.
Meanwhile, listen to some of the other incredible music featured on the first season of Pose — Janet Jackson’s ‘Let’s Wait Awhile‘, Debbie Gibson’s ‘Only In My Dreams‘, 10cc’s ‘I’m Not In Love’, Captain Sensible’s ‘Wot’ and, of course, the quintessential gay anthem ‘It’s Raining Men‘.