"Guaranteed" is a song by English

jazz-funk Jazz-funk is a subgenre of jazz music characterized by a strong back beat, electrified sounds, and analog synthesizers. The integration of funk, soul, and R&B music and styles into jazz resulted in the creation of a genre that ranges from ...

band

Level 42 Level 42 are an English jazz-funk band formed on the Isle of Wight in 1979. They had a number of UK and worldwide hits during the 1980s and 1990s. Their highest-charting single in the UK was " Lessons in Love", which reached number three on th ...

. It was released in August 1991 by

RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic R ...

as part of the band's album '' Guaranteed'' (1991). This was the band's first single of the 1990s, following their previous single, "

Take Care of Yourself "Take Care of Yourself" is a song by English jazz-funk band Level 42, released on the compilation album '' Level Best'' in 1989. It was the last song recorded with guitarist Alan Murphy, who died on 19 October 1989, three days after the single w ...

," released two years earlier.

Background

The song was written by Mark King, Mike Lindup, Gary Husband, and Wally Badarou, who was also the producer and a secondary composer and musician for the group. The guitar parts were performed by

Allan Holdsworth Allan Holdsworth (6 August 1946 – 15 April 2017) was a British jazz and rock music, rock guitarist, violinist and composer. He contributed to numerous bands, including Soft Machine, U.K. (band), U.K., The Tony Williams Lifetime, Pierre Moerl ...

, the band's guitarist at the time. Mark King provided lead vocals on the verses, with a duet featuring Mike Lindup’s

falsetto Falsetto ( , ; Italian language, Italian diminutive of , "false") is the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave. It is produced by the vibration of the ...

on the chorus. The song follows a similar structure to "Two Hearts Collide," released in 1988 on the album '' Staring at the Sun''.

Music video

This song has two different music videos, both directed by "The Mill." Each version features the band performing the song in two distinct settings: the first version is set outdoors in the mountains, while the second takes place in a white room. The second version also includes some scenes from the first. Both versions feature

Jakko Jakszyk Michael "Jakko" Jakszyk ( , born Michael Lee Curran, 8 June 1958) is an English musician, record producer, and actor. He has released several solo albums as a singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. He is best known as lead singer and se ...

on guitar, as guitarist Allan Holdsworth left the group after the album was completed.

Reception

It was the most successful track from the ''Guaranteed'' album, reaching the top 20 in the UK and achieving chart success in Europe as well.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

{{Authority control 1991 singles 1991 songs Level 42 songs Songs written by Mark King (musician) Songs written by Mike Lindup Songs written by Wally Badarou Songs written by Gary Husband RCA Records singles