View source for Too Blind to See It (Kym Sims song)

{{Short description|1991 single by Kym Sims}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2022}}
{{Infobox song
| name       = Too Blind to See It
| cover      = Too_Blind_To_See_It_(Kym_Sims_song).jpg
| alt        =
| type       = single
| artist     = [[Kym Sims]]
| album      = [[Too Blind to See It]]
| released   = 1991
| recorded   =
| studio     =
| venue      =
| genre      =
* [[Electronic dance music|Dance]]
* [[House music|house]]<ref name="larryflick">{{cite magazine|first=Larry|last=Flick|url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/90s/1991/BB-1991-07-06.pdf|title=Single Reviews|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|date=July 6, 1991|accessdate=February 13, 2020|page=63|author-link=Larry Flick}}</ref>
| length     = 3:32 <small>(Hurley's "No Rap" House Mix)</small>
| label      =
* [[Atco Records|ATCO]]
* [[East West Records|EastWest]]
| writer     = [[Steve "Silk" Hurley]]
| producer   = Steve "Silk" Hurley
| prev_title =
| prev_year  =
| next_title = [[Take My Advice]]
| next_year  = 1992
| misc       = {{External music video|{{YouTube|LWVjMctV5Yw|"Too Blind to See It"}}}}
}}
"'''Too Blind to See It'''" is a song by American singer and songwriter [[Kym Sims]], written and produced by [[Steve "Silk" Hurley]]. It was released in 1991 by [[Atco Records|ATCO]] and [[East West Records|EastWest]] as the first single from her eponymous [[Too Blind to See It|debut album]] (1992). It contains a sample of speaking ("Let me tell you something, ain't no man in the world") by Rochelle Fleming from the group 1st Choice, from the song "Let No Man Put Asunder" ([[Salsoul Records]]). "Too Blind to See It" peaked at number 38 on the US [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] and number one on the ''Billboard'' [[Hot Dance Club Play]] chart. Internationally, it reached the top 10 in Denmark, Finland, and the United Kingdom. A music video was produced for the single's promotion.
==Background and release==
In August 1991, the independent I.D. label first released the single in America. It was subsequently picked up by [[Atco Records]] and released in the UK. Sims was asked to demo the song more than a year before she recorded it commercially. In a 1991 interview, she says, "I guess they must have decided to give it to someone else, but they came back eventually."<ref>{{cite magazine|url= https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1991/MW-1991-12-14.pdf |title= Chart News |magazine= [[Record Mirror]] |date= December 14, 1991 |page= 1 |accessdate= October 4, 2020}}</ref>
==Lyrics==
The lyrics are from the perspective of a woman ending her relationship with a cheating partner. She describes being in denial, but eventually admits her partner's infidelity. As intimated in the title and the refrain, she was "too blind to see it."
==Critical reception==
[[Larry Flick]] from ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' stated in his review that producer/songwriter [[Steve "Silk" Hurley]] "once again reaffirms his position as [[Chicago]]'s finest on this wriggling, [[Contemporary R&B|R&B]]-inflected [[House music|houser]]", noting that newcomer Sims "exudes the confidence and range of a seasoned pro, while remixer [[Maurice Joshua]] drops another of his deep underground workouts."<ref name="larryflick"/> Chris Heim from the ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'' named it "a slick, upbeat little dance tune".<ref>Heim, Chris (May 29, 1992). "Concert line". p. Section 7 M. ''[[Chicago Tribune]]''.</ref> In 1995, Mark Roland from ''[[Melody Maker]]'' asked, "Which one of you can truly say that you didn't dance around your handbag in gay abandon to her faultless 1992 house hit, 'Too Blind to See It'?"<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Mark|last=Roland|url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/nothingelseon/53663051973/|title=Singles|magazine=[[Melody Maker]]|date=May 4, 1996|page=60|access-date=May 19, 2024}}</ref> In a retrospective review, Pop Rescue called the song "infectious", adding that "laden with those catchy [[Italo house|italia-house]] pianos, and fast beats, her vocals cut through them perfectly as she sings about a love lost."<ref>{{cite web|title=Review: "Too Blind To See It" by Kym Sims (CD, 1992)|publisher=Pop Rescue|date=November 1, 2014|accessdate=April 3, 2020|url=https://poprescue.com/2014/10/01/pop-rescue-review-blind-see-kym-sims-cd-1992/}}</ref> Richard Riccio from the ''[[St. Petersburg Times]]'' wrote, "Best of all is the perfect balance she walks between dance floor drama and overdone diva kitsch, especially on the incredible stomp anthem, 'Too Blind to See It'."<ref>Riccio, Richard (July 24, 1992). "Burning Down Chicago House". ''[[St. Petersburg Times]]''.</ref>
==Chart performance==
In the UK, "Too Blind to See It" peaked at number five on the [[UK Singles Chart]] on the week of January 11, 1992, its sixth week on the chart.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/27286/kym-sims/|title=Kym Sims - full Official Chart History - Official Charts Company|publisher=|accessdate=March 26, 2017}}</ref> It reached number one on the ''[[Music Week]]'' Dance Singles chart and was certified silver by the [[British Phonographic Industry]]. Due to its success in the UK, Sims performed it on the British [[UK Singles Chart|music chart]] TV show ''[[Top of the Pops]]'' twice.
"Too Blind to See It" peaked at number six in Finland, number eight in Denmark, number eleven in Luxembourg, and number 14 in Belgium. On the [[Eurochart Hot 100]], it reached number 22. The song topped the charts in Zimbabwe, peaked at number five on the ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' [[Dance Club Songs|Hot Dance Club Play]] chart in the US, and number sixteen in Australia.
==Track listings==
* '''7-inch, Germany'''
#"Too Blind to See It" (Hurley's "No Rap" House Mix) – 3:59
#"Too Blind to See It" (Hurley's House Mix) – 5:00
* '''12-inch single, US'''
#"Too Blind to See It" (Original Mix) – 3:46
#"Too Blind to See It" (Maurice's Super Dub Mix) – 7:06
#"Too Blind to See It" (Hurley's House Mix) – 4:57
#"Too Blind to See It" (Hurley's Dub Mix) – 6:42
* '''12-inch single, UK'''
#"Too Blind to See It" (Hurley's House Mix) – 5:00
#"Too Blind to See It" (Slam Atlantis Mix) – 6:15
#"Too Blind to See It" (Original Soul Mix) – 3:52
#"Too Blind to See It" (Hurley's House Dub) – 6:26
#"Too Blind to See It" (Slam Dub Mix) – 6:15
* '''CD single, UK and Europe'''
#"Too Blind to See It" (Hurley's "No Rap" House Mix) – 3:32
#"Too Blind to See It" (Hurley's House Mix) – 5:04
#"Too Blind to See It" (Original Soul Mix) – 3:53
#"Too Blind to See It" (Hurley's House Dub) – 6:25
==Charts==
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|-
! scope="col"| Chart (1991-1992)
! scope="col"| Peak<br>position
|-
! scope="row"|Australia ([[ARIA Charts|ARIA]])<ref>{{cite web|url=https://imgur.com/a/baRepjn|title=ARIA chart history 1988 to 2022, received from ARIA in 2022|publisher=ARIA|via=Imgur.com|access-date=December 2,  2023}}  N.B. The High Point number in the NAT column represents the release's peak on the national chart.</ref>
| 161
|-
! scope="row"{{singlechart|Flanders|14|artist=Kym Sims|song=Too Blind to See It|accessdate=2018-04-05}}
|-
! scope="row"|Denmark ([[IFPI Denmark|IFPI]])<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Music-and-Media/90s/1992/MM-1992-02-29.pdf|title=Top 10 Sales in Europe|magazine=[[Music & Media]]|volume=9|issue=9|date=February 19, 1992|page=34|accessdate=March 21, 2018}}</ref>
| 8
|-
! scope="row"|Europe ([[Eurochart Hot 100]])<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Music-and-Media/90s/1992/MM-1992-02-01.pdf|title=Eurochart Hot 100|magazine=[[Music & Media]]|volume=9|issue=5|date=February 1, 1992|page=17|accessdate=March 6, 2018}}</ref>
| 22
|-
! scope="row"|Europe ([[European Dance Radio Chart|European Dance Radio]])<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/90s/1992/MM-1992-02-01.pdf|title=European Dance Radio|magazine=[[Music & Media]]|volume=9|issue=5|date=February 1, 1992|page=21|accessdate=October 29, 2021}}</ref>
| 2
|-
! scope="row"|Finland ([[The Official Finnish Charts|Suomen virallinen lista]])<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Music-and-Media/90s/1992/MM-1992-02-01.pdf|title=Top 10 Sales in Europe|magazine=[[Music & Media]]|volume=9|issue=5|date=February 1, 1992|page=18|accessdate=April 29, 2018}}</ref>
| 6
|-
! scope="row"|Ireland ([[Irish Recorded Music Association|IRMA]])
| 20
|-
!scope="row"|Luxembourg ([[Radio Luxembourg]])<ref>[http://www.umdmusic.com/default.asp?Lang=English&Chart=F&ChDate=19911215&ChMode=N Radio Luxembourg Singles, 22 December 1991]</ref>
| 11
|-
! scope="row"|Netherlands ([[Dutch Top 40]])<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.top40.nl/kym-sims/kym-sims-too-blind-to-see-it-12358|title=Kym Sims - Too Blind To See It|language=Dutch|publisher=Top40.nl|accessdate=March 12, 2018}}</ref>
| 28
|-
! scope="row"|Netherlands ([[Single Top 100]])<ref name=ned>{{cite web|url=http://www.dutchcharts.nl/showitem.asp?interpret=Kym+Sims&titel=Too+Blind+To+See+It&cat=s|title=Kym Sims - Too Blind To See It|language=Dutch|publisher=Dutchcharts.nl|accessdate=March 12, 2018}}</ref>
| 28
|-
! scope="row"|New Zealand ([[Recorded Music NZ]])
| 45
|-
! scope="row"|Sweden ([[Sverigetopplistan]])
| 21
|-
! scope="row"|[[UK Singles Chart|UK Singles]] ([[Official Charts Company|OCC]])
| 5
|-
! scope="row"|UK Dance (''[[Music Week]]'')<ref>{{cite magazine|url= https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1991/MW-1991-12-07.pdf |title= Top 60 Dance Singles |magazine= [[Music Week]] |date= December 7, 1991 |page= 22 |accessdate= September 28, 2020}}</ref>
| 1
|-
! scope="row"|[[Record Mirror Club Chart|UK Club Chart]] (''[[Record Mirror]]'')<ref>{{cite magazine|url= https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1991/MW-1991-12-14.pdf |title= The Club Chart |magazine= [[Record Mirror]] |date= December 14, 1991 |page= 8 |accessdate= October 4, 2020}}</ref>
| 1
|-
! scope="row"|US ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' [[Hot 100]]<ref>{{cite book |title=  Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, 14th Edition: 1955-2012 |last=Whitburn |first=Joel |authorlink=Joel Whitburn |year=2013 |publisher=Record Research |page=769}}</ref>
| 38
|-
! scope="row"|US [[Hot Dance Club Play]] (''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'')
| 5
|-
! scope="row"|Zimbabwe (ZIMA)<ref>* Zimbabwe. Kimberley, C. ''Zimbabwe: singles chart book''. Harare: C. Kimberley, 2000</ref>
| 1
|}
==Release history==
{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
!scope="col"|Region
!scope="col"|Date
!scope="col"|Format(s)
!scope="col"|Label(s)
!scope="col"|{{abbr|Ref.|Reference}}
|-
!scope="row"|United States
|1991
|{{hlist|12-inch vinyl|cassette}}
|[[Atco Records|ATCO]]
|
|-
!scope="row"|United Kingdom
|November 25, 1991
|{{hlist|7-inch vinyl|12-inch vinyl|CD|cassette}}
|{{hlist|ATCO|[[East West Records|EastWest]]}}
|<ref>{{cite magazine|title=New Releases: Singles|magazine=[[Music Week]]|page=21|date=November 23, 1991}}</ref>
|}
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Steve "Silk" Hurley}}
[[Category:1991 songs]]
[[Category:1991 debut singles]]
[[Category:Atco Records singles]]
[[Category:East West Records singles]]
[[Category:Electro songs]]
[[Category:Electronic songs]]
[[Category:House music songs]]
[[Category:Songs written by Steve "Silk" Hurley]]
[[Category:Music Week number-one dance singles]]
[[Category:Number-one singles in Zimbabwe]]
{{1990s-Dance-song-stub}}