Don't You (Forget About Me)

"Don't You (Forget About Me)"
Standard international artwork
Single by Simple Minds
from the album The Breakfast Club (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
B-side "A Brass Band in African Chimes"
Released 20 February 1985 (US)
8 April 1985 (UK)
Format
Recorded 10 July 1984
Genre New wave, synthpop, pop rock
Length 4:20
6:32 (extended version)
Label Virgin
A&M (US)
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) Keith Forsey
Simple Minds singles chronology
"Up on the Catwalk"
(1984)		 "Don't You (Forget About Me)"
(1985)		 "Alive and Kicking"
(1985)
Audio sample
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Music video
"Don't You (Forget About Me)" on YouTube

"Don't You (Forget About Me)" is a 1985 pop song performed by Scottish rock band Simple Minds. It was written and composed by producer Keith Forsey and Steve Schiff, a guitarist and songwriter from the Nina Hagen band. The song is best known for being played during the opening (Forsey's demo) and closing (Simple Minds' recording) credits of the John Hughes film The Breakfast Club.

Recording history

Forsey asked Cy Curnin from The Fixx, Bryan Ferry and Billy Idol to record the song, but all three declined; Idol did later perform a cover of it on his 2001 compilation album Greatest Hits. Schiff then suggested Forsey ask Simple Minds who, after refusing as well, agreed under the encouragement of their label, A&M. According to frontman Jim Kerr, the band was reluctant to record the song as they felt they should only record their own material, relenting after persuasion from Kerr's wife at the time, Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders, and a phone call from Forsey in which he expressed his admiration for the band.[1] According to one account, the band "rearranged and recorded 'Don't You (Forget About Me)' in three hours in a north London studio and promptly forgot about it."[2]

Continuing the rock direction recently taken on Sparkle in the Rain but also glancing back at their melodic synthpop past, it caught the band at their commercial peak and, propelled by the success of The Breakfast Club, became a #1 hit in the U.S.[3] and around the world. It is also the band's only #1 hit on the U.S. Top Rock Tracks chart, staying atop for three weeks. While only reaching #7 in the UK, it stayed on the charts from 1985 to 1987, one of the longest time spans for any single in the history of the chart.

The song did not appear on the band's subsequent album Once Upon a Time, but it did appear on the 1992 best-of Glittering Prize 81/92. It soon became a fixture of the band's live sets - with an extended audience participation section during its inclusion on the 2015 tour to promote the band's Big Music album.[4]

Two versions were created for release. A short version, 4:23 in duration, appeared on the single and the original motion picture soundtrack album of The Breakfast Club. A longer version, 6:32 in duration, was released as a 12" single. This version contains longer breakdowns and drum fills, a second appearance of the bridge and a longer ending.

John Leland from Spin wrote that "'Don't You Forget About Me,' a romantic and melancholy dance track, therefore cuts ice both in the living room and on the dance floor."[5]

Music video

The music video, directed by Daniel Kleinman, takes place on a dancing floor in a dark room with a chandelier, a rocking horse, a jukebox, and television sets displaying scenes from The Breakfast Club. The room gets increasingly cluttered with random objects as the video progresses, up until the last minute. The video was published on YouTube on 3 December 2010; as of 1 September 2018, it had been viewed almost 108 million times.[6]

Track listing

7": Virgin / VS749 (UK)

Side one
  1. "Don't You (Forget About Me)" - 4:20
Side two
  1. "A Brass Band in Africa" - 5:10

7": A&M Records / AM-2703 (US)

Side one
  1. "Don't You (Forget About Me)" - 4:20
Side two
  1. "A Brass Band in Africa" - 5:10

12": Virgin / VS749-12 (UK)

Side one
  1. "Don't You (Forget About Me)" - 6:32
Side two
  1. "A Brass Band in African Chimes" - 9:22

12": A&M Records / SP-12125 (US)

Side one
  1. "Don't You (Forget About Me) (long version)" - 6:32
Side two
  1. "A Brass Band in African Chimes" - 9:22

1988 3" CD: Virgin / CDT2 (UK)

  1. "Don't You (Forget About Me)" - 6:32
  2. "A Brass Band in African Chimes" - 9:22

1988 CD: A&M Records / 75021 2375 2 (US)

  1. "Don't You (Forget About Me) (live)" - 9:02
  2. "Bass Line" - 4:37
  3. "The American" - 3:33

1990 CD: Virgin / THEME10 (UK)

  1. "Don't You (Forget About Me)" - 6:35
  2. "Up On The Catwalk (extended version)" - 7:36
  3. "A Brass Band in African Chimes" - 9:24

Charts and certifications

Personnel

See also

References

  1. ↑ Simpson, Dave (15 November 2016). "Simple Minds: how we made Don't You (Forget About Me)". theguardian.com. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  2. ↑ "A History of Simple Minds". The Official Glasgow Barrowland & Barras Market Site. Retrieved 15 September 2011.
  3. 1 2 "Simple Minds Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
  4. ↑ Simpson, Dave (April 2015). "The Guardian". The Guardian (2). Retrieved 11 April 2015.
  5. ↑ Leland, John (June 1985). "Singles". Spin. 1 (2): 37. Retrieved 15 September 2011.
  6. ↑ SimpleMindsVEVO (3 December 2010), Simple Minds - Don't You (Forget About Me), retrieved 1 September 2018
  7. ↑ bulion. "Forum - ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts - CHART POSITIONS PRE 1989". ARIA. Australian-charts.com. Archived from the original on 20 October 2013. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
  8. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Simple Minds – Don't You (Forget About Me)" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
  9. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Simple Minds – Don't You (Forget About Me)" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
  10. ↑ "Radio 2 Top 30" (in Dutch). Top 30. Archived from the original on 31 March 2016. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
  11. ↑ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 0530." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
  12. ↑ "CHART NUMBER 1485 – Saturday, June 08, 1985". Archived from the original on 7 November 2006. Retrieved 8 January 2017. . CHUM.
  13. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Simple Minds – Don't You (Forget About Me)" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
  14. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Simple Minds – Don't You (Forget About Me)". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
  15. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Don't You (Forget About Me)". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
  16. ↑ "Hit Parade Italia". HitParadeItalia (in Italian). Retrieved 27 November 2016.
  17. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 22, 1985" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40 Retrieved 27 November 2016.
  18. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Simple Minds – Don't You (Forget About Me)" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
  19. ↑ "Charts.nz – Simple Minds – Don't You (Forget About Me)". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
  20. ↑ "South African Rock Lists Website SA Charts 1965 – 1989 Acts S". The South African Rock Encyclopedia. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
  21. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Simple Minds – Don't You (Forget About Me)". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
  22. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Simple Minds – Don't You (Forget About Me)". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
  23. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
  24. ↑ "Simple Minds Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
  25. ↑ "Simple Minds Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
  26. ↑ "CASH BOX Top 100 Singles – Week ending MAY 18, 1985". Archived from the original on 1 October 2012. Retrieved 8 January 2017. . Cash Box magazine.
  27. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
  28. ↑ "Italiancharts.com – Simple Minds – Don't You (Forget About Me)". Top Digital Download. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
  29. ↑ "Simple Minds - Chart History". Rock Digital Songs. for Simple Minds. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
  30. ↑ "Forum – ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts – Top 100 End of Year AMR Charts - 1980s". Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 28 August 2014. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
  31. ↑ "Jahreshitparade Singles 1985". Ö3 Austria Top 40 (in German). Retrieved 27 November 2016.
  32. ↑ "Ultratop Jaaroverzichten 1985". Ultratop 50 (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 10 June 2014. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
  33. ↑ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 0619." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
  34. ↑ "Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts 1985". GfK Entertainment Charts (in German). Retrieved 27 November 2016.
  35. ↑ "Hit Parade Italia - I singoli più venduti del 1985". FIMI (in Italian). Retrieved 27 November 2016.
  36. ↑ "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1985". Dutch Top 40 (in Dutch). Retrieved 27 November 2016.
  37. ↑ "Dutch Charts Jaaroverzichten Single 1985". Single Top 100 (in Dutch). Retrieved 27 November 2016.
  38. ↑ "The Official NZ Music Charts - End of Year Charts 1985". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
  39. ↑ "SWISS YEAR-END CHARTS 1985". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
  40. ↑ "Top Pop Singles" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 97 no. 52. New York, NY, USA. 28 December 1985. p. T-21. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
  41. ↑ "Top Dance Sales Singles" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 97 no. 52. New York, NY, USA. 28 December 1985. p. T-23. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
  42. ↑ "Top Rock Tracks" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 97 no. 52. New York, NY, USA. 28 December 1985. p. T-30. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
  43. ↑ "The CASH BOX Year-End Charts: 1985". Archived from the original on 30 September 2012. Retrieved 7 May 2014. . Cash Box magazine.
  44. 1 2 "Canadian single certifications – Simple Minds – Don't You Forget About Me". Music Canada. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
  45. ↑ "British single certifications – Simple Minds – Don't You Forget About Me". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 27 November 2016. Select singles in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type Don't You Forget About Me in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
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