“If You Don't Know Me By Now” by Simply Red

Simply Red took "If You Don't Know Me by Now" all the way to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1989, and of all the acts who have had a go at the song, the English pop and soul band's version is the one that stands out. It came to them with deep Philadelphia roots: Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff first meant it for Labelle, who never cut it, then handed it to Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, whose 1972 single with Teddy Pendergrass singing lead became that group's first hit.

On the Hot 100, that original had stopped at No. 3. Nearly two decades later, Simply Red went two places better.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.