Music, Fashion, Culture - Set List

Tuesday, February 11, 2020

Simple Minds - Don't You Forget About Me

Simple Minds formed in Glasgow, Scotland in 1977.

Genres considered - Post Punk, Art Rock, New Wave, Pop Rock, Synth-Pop, Alternative Rock

Simple Minds personnel -

Original members - Jim Kerr (vocals), Charlie Burchill (electric and acoustic guitar, occasional keyboard, saxophone, violin)

Current members - Ged Grimes (bass guitar), Cherisse Osei (drums), Sarah Brown (backing vocals), Gordy Goudie (additional guitar and keyboards)

Point of interest - Sarah Brown has also performed with Duran Duran.

The list of former members is lengthy.

From roots to the present day, refer to Wikipedia.

Simple Minds is best known for "Don't You (Forget About Me)" from the classic 1985 film, The Breakfast Club

Simple Minds have achieved 5 albums charting No. 1 on UK Albums chart.  They have sold over 60 million albums.  Their discography is impressive, including 19 albums.  Life in a Day was the band's debut album (1979) and reached No. 30 on the UK Albums Chart.  Walk Between Worlds is the most recent album (2018).  The next Simple Minds album is due in 2021.  

In 2016, the band was honored with the Ivor Novello Award for Outstanding Song Collection.

Simple Minds won a Q Award in 1990 and 2014.  The band has been nominated for numerous awards, including MTV VMA, American Music Awards, Brit Awards, and many more.

(Wikipedia)

Let's go back to "Don't You (Forget About Me)" -

Simple Minds originally declined to record the song as scored by producer, Keith Forsey and Steve Schiff.  The band preferred to record original material.  They eventually agreed but after recording (within 3 hours), they passed in interest believing the song would be a "throwaway" on a soundtrack to a "forgettable movie." (Wikipedia)

No. 1 on U.S. Top Rock Tracks
No. 7 in the UK

Certified Gold in Canada and Italy
Certified Platinum in Canada and the UK

"...some of the band members had realized they had recorded something with genuine commercial potential..."

(Wikipedia)

Genuine commercial potential indeed


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