The Right Thing (song)

This article is about the song by Simply Red. For the song by Moby, see Destroyed (Moby album).

"The Right Thing" is a song by the British soul and pop band Simply Red, released as the first single from their second album, Men and Women (1987). The song reached #11 on the UK charts in early 1987 and #27 on the US Billboard Hot 100.

"The Right Thing"
Single by Simply Red
from the album Men and Women
B-side	"There's A Love"
Released	2 February 1987[1]
Recorded	1986
Genre	Blue-eyed soul, funk
Length	4:18
Label	Elektra
Songwriter(s)	Mick Hucknall
Producer(s)	Alex Sadkin
Simply Red singles chronology
"Open Up the Red Box" (1986) "The Right Thing" (1987) "Infidelity" (1987)
Music video
"The Right Thing” on YouTube

Critical reception

Wayne Hussey of Smash Hits panned "The Right Thing", stating he "detest[ed] this kind of white soul" and criticising Hucknall's "red hair".^[2]

Music video

The official music video for the song was directed by Andy Morahan.^[3]

Charts

Weekly charts Weekly chart performance for "The Right Thing" Chart (1987) Peak position Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[4] 4 Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[5] 17 Italy Airplay (Music & Media)[6] 13 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[7] 4 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[8] 5 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[9] 9 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[10] 10 UK Singles (OCC)[11] 11 US Billboard Hot 100[12] 27 West Germany (GfK)[13] 27

Year-end charts 1987 year-end chart performance for "The Right Thing" Chart (1987) Position Belgium (Ultratop Flanders)[14] 43 European Top 100 Singles (Music & Media)[15] 56 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[16] 50 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[17] 53