Simple Minds
Simple Minds are a Scottish pop and rock band that achieved their greatest worldwide popularity from the mid-80s to the early 90s, still playing to a massive fan-following today. The group, from the South Side of Glasgow, has produced a set of critically acclaimed albums in the early 80s. It also has secured a string of successful hit singles, the best known being their #1 worldwide hit single "Don't You (Forget About Me)", from the soundtrack of the John Hughes movie The Breakfast Club and their worldwide hit single "Alive and Kicking". Read Full BioSimple Minds are a Scottish pop and rock band that achieved their greatest worldwide popularity from the mid-80s to the early 90s, still playing to a massive fan-following today. The group, from the South Side of Glasgow, has produced a set of critically acclaimed albums in the early 80s. It also has secured a string of successful hit singles, the best known being their #1 worldwide hit single "Don't You (Forget About Me)", from the soundtrack of the John Hughes movie The Breakfast Club and their worldwide hit single "Alive and Kicking". The band has sold more than 40 million albums since 1979, breaking to the U.K. Top 40 chart a full 24 times.
Founding members Jim Kerr (vocals) and Charlie Burchill (guitar, keyboards), along with drummer Mel Gaynor, are the core of the band. It also currently features Andy Gillespie on keyboards and Ged Grimes on bass guitar. Formed in late 1977 from the ashes of punk rock group Johnny & the Self Abusers (which had only created one single), Simple Minds initially signed to Arista, who recorded and released their first three albums. As the the Self-Abusers, they had had a very raw and unpolished sound, playing their first gig in a Glasgow bar on Easter Monday in 1977. “When we were onstage it was mayhem,” Kerr later said. “No one could play a note. It was just white noise... took us about six months to become serious about it.”
The musical changes Simple Minds went through in these first three albums shows how diverse their song range is. Tracks to compare would be "Chelsea Girl", their first single with hints of Johnny and the Self Abusers that was inspired by Andy Warhol's pop art, and "I Travel", an almost disco sounding track, with "Someone", a loose yet energetic rock track that could have fit alongside the power pop bands at the Top of the Pops. The group grew major influence from the glam rock and post-punk ethos around them, particularly from the band's hero David Bowie.
Virgin Records saw the potential in the band and in 1981 signed them up. The first Virgin Records release, Sons And Fascination/Sister Feelings Call, was a double album. Yet it was later released as two single albums: Sons and Fascination and Sister Feelings Call. Their fan-base in the U.K. grew, but they couldn't quite break into the mainstream yet. In September 1981, founding drummer Brian McGee left the band, to be replaced by Gaynor.
They first found notable success with New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84), which is still regarded as their best album by some fans. Moving into a more melodic rock sound, Billboard magazine later called the release "a creative peak", and the 1982 album gave Simple Minds a top three U.K. chart slot. Irish rock group U2 took major influence from the band, particularly the aforementioned album, and they became often compared as friendly rivals from about this point on.
Soon afterwards, the band garnered great commercial success in Europe and their native U.K. since then (in the 80s and early 90s they sold 30 million albums worldwide). In the United States, however, they had a hard time reaching the popular pop audience. They finally smashed into the States with "Don't You (Forget About Me)", a new wave gem that was used in the soundtrack to the John Hughes coming-of-age film The Breakfast Club and went to number one. Ironically it is one of few songs recorded by the band that they didn't write themselves. Producer and composer Keith Forsey was such a devoted fan of the band and so fixated on the notion of them recording his tune that he flew to London to persuade them to do so, with them acceding mostly based on their budding personal friendship with Foresey.
In 1985, the arena rock fueled album Once Upon a Time yielded a string of worldwide hit singles such as "Alive and Kicking", "Sanctify Yourself", and "Ghostdancing" All this ead to playing bigger arenas and supporting Amnesty International with donations from record sales. "Alive and Kicking" in particular became something of a signature song of the band, it reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S. and garnered airplay all over Europe
Still, the pressures of touring and recording took their toll. Frontman Kerr later remarked, "Looking back now, at the end of the '80s, one of the things we didn’t have was endless energy. That was 13 years of nonstop recording, writing, rehearsing, touring. The wheels were staring to come off". Though the popularity of the band waned, with personnel changes leading to fan division, they kept on with their arena-ready sound and managed sporadic chart success. Critical reviews also favored the band.
Jim Kerr and Charlie Burchill remain the core of the band to this day, with Andy Gillespie (keyboards), Mel Gaynor (drums) and Eddie Duffy (bass) supporting. Other members of the band are Michael MacNeil (keyboards), Derek Forbes (Bass), and John Giblin (Bass). They have maintained a strong fan-base world-wide, and their somewhat more recent album Black and White 050505 received critical acclaim on its release in September 2005, although it did not secure a release in the U.S.
The band embarked on a U.K.-wide arena tour towards the end of 2008 to celebrate 30 years as a band. This was considered a great success. Their latest studio album, Graffiti Soul, was released on 25 May 2009. With praise appearing in publications such as Mojo magazine and the All Music Guide, the release became something of a comeback album, with it reaching the top 40 album charts in several nations. Fans also acclaimed the work.
Group frontman Jim Kerr is notable outside of the music arena today for his opening of a Hotel Villa Angela in Taormina, Sicily and his public support for the Celtic FC football team. He also was famously married to rock star Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders in 1984 (divorced 1992). They have one child, Yasmin Paris Kerr (1985). He was subsequently married to actress Patsy Kensit in 1992 (divorced, 1996) with whom he had a son, James Kerr (born, 1993).
Discography:
Life in a Day - 1979
Reel to Real Cacophony - 1979
Empires and Dance - 1980
Sons And Fascination/Sister Feelings Call - 1981
Sons and Fascination - 1981
Sister Feelings Call - 1981
Celebration - 1982
New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84) - 1982
Sparkle in the Rain - 1984
Once Upon a Time - 1985
Live in the City of Light - 1987
Street Fighting Years - 1989
Real Life - 1991
Glittering Prize 81/92 - 1992
Good News From the Next World - 1995
Neapolis - 1998
Neon Lights - 2001
The Best of Simple Minds - 2001
Cry - 2002
Early Gold - 2003
Black and White 050505 - 2005
Black and White Live - 2006
Graffiti Soul - 2009
Icon - 2013
Big Music - 2014
Acoustic - 2016
Walk Between Worlds - 2018
Founding members Jim Kerr (vocals) and Charlie Burchill (guitar, keyboards), along with drummer Mel Gaynor, are the core of the band. It also currently features Andy Gillespie on keyboards and Ged Grimes on bass guitar. Formed in late 1977 from the ashes of punk rock group Johnny & the Self Abusers (which had only created one single), Simple Minds initially signed to Arista, who recorded and released their first three albums. As the the Self-Abusers, they had had a very raw and unpolished sound, playing their first gig in a Glasgow bar on Easter Monday in 1977. “When we were onstage it was mayhem,” Kerr later said. “No one could play a note. It was just white noise... took us about six months to become serious about it.”
The musical changes Simple Minds went through in these first three albums shows how diverse their song range is. Tracks to compare would be "Chelsea Girl", their first single with hints of Johnny and the Self Abusers that was inspired by Andy Warhol's pop art, and "I Travel", an almost disco sounding track, with "Someone", a loose yet energetic rock track that could have fit alongside the power pop bands at the Top of the Pops. The group grew major influence from the glam rock and post-punk ethos around them, particularly from the band's hero David Bowie.
Virgin Records saw the potential in the band and in 1981 signed them up. The first Virgin Records release, Sons And Fascination/Sister Feelings Call, was a double album. Yet it was later released as two single albums: Sons and Fascination and Sister Feelings Call. Their fan-base in the U.K. grew, but they couldn't quite break into the mainstream yet. In September 1981, founding drummer Brian McGee left the band, to be replaced by Gaynor.
They first found notable success with New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84), which is still regarded as their best album by some fans. Moving into a more melodic rock sound, Billboard magazine later called the release "a creative peak", and the 1982 album gave Simple Minds a top three U.K. chart slot. Irish rock group U2 took major influence from the band, particularly the aforementioned album, and they became often compared as friendly rivals from about this point on.
Soon afterwards, the band garnered great commercial success in Europe and their native U.K. since then (in the 80s and early 90s they sold 30 million albums worldwide). In the United States, however, they had a hard time reaching the popular pop audience. They finally smashed into the States with "Don't You (Forget About Me)", a new wave gem that was used in the soundtrack to the John Hughes coming-of-age film The Breakfast Club and went to number one. Ironically it is one of few songs recorded by the band that they didn't write themselves. Producer and composer Keith Forsey was such a devoted fan of the band and so fixated on the notion of them recording his tune that he flew to London to persuade them to do so, with them acceding mostly based on their budding personal friendship with Foresey.
In 1985, the arena rock fueled album Once Upon a Time yielded a string of worldwide hit singles such as "Alive and Kicking", "Sanctify Yourself", and "Ghostdancing" All this ead to playing bigger arenas and supporting Amnesty International with donations from record sales. "Alive and Kicking" in particular became something of a signature song of the band, it reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S. and garnered airplay all over Europe
Still, the pressures of touring and recording took their toll. Frontman Kerr later remarked, "Looking back now, at the end of the '80s, one of the things we didn’t have was endless energy. That was 13 years of nonstop recording, writing, rehearsing, touring. The wheels were staring to come off". Though the popularity of the band waned, with personnel changes leading to fan division, they kept on with their arena-ready sound and managed sporadic chart success. Critical reviews also favored the band.
Jim Kerr and Charlie Burchill remain the core of the band to this day, with Andy Gillespie (keyboards), Mel Gaynor (drums) and Eddie Duffy (bass) supporting. Other members of the band are Michael MacNeil (keyboards), Derek Forbes (Bass), and John Giblin (Bass). They have maintained a strong fan-base world-wide, and their somewhat more recent album Black and White 050505 received critical acclaim on its release in September 2005, although it did not secure a release in the U.S.
The band embarked on a U.K.-wide arena tour towards the end of 2008 to celebrate 30 years as a band. This was considered a great success. Their latest studio album, Graffiti Soul, was released on 25 May 2009. With praise appearing in publications such as Mojo magazine and the All Music Guide, the release became something of a comeback album, with it reaching the top 40 album charts in several nations. Fans also acclaimed the work.
Group frontman Jim Kerr is notable outside of the music arena today for his opening of a Hotel Villa Angela in Taormina, Sicily and his public support for the Celtic FC football team. He also was famously married to rock star Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders in 1984 (divorced 1992). They have one child, Yasmin Paris Kerr (1985). He was subsequently married to actress Patsy Kensit in 1992 (divorced, 1996) with whom he had a son, James Kerr (born, 1993).
Discography:
Life in a Day - 1979
Reel to Real Cacophony - 1979
Empires and Dance - 1980
Sons And Fascination/Sister Feelings Call - 1981
Sons and Fascination - 1981
Sister Feelings Call - 1981
Celebration - 1982
New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84) - 1982
Sparkle in the Rain - 1984
Once Upon a Time - 1985
Live in the City of Light - 1987
Street Fighting Years - 1989
Real Life - 1991
Glittering Prize 81/92 - 1992
Good News From the Next World - 1995
Neapolis - 1998
Neon Lights - 2001
The Best of Simple Minds - 2001
Cry - 2002
Early Gold - 2003
Black and White 050505 - 2005
Black and White Live - 2006
Graffiti Soul - 2009
Icon - 2013
Big Music - 2014
Acoustic - 2016
Walk Between Worlds - 2018
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Don't You
Simple Minds Lyrics
Hey, hey, hey, hey
Ooh, woah
Won't you come see about me?
I'll be alone, dancing, you know it, baby
Tell me your troubles and doubts
Giving everything inside and out and
Love's strange, so real in the dark
Think of the tender things that we were working on
Slow change may pull us apart
When the light gets into your heart, baby
Don't you, forget about me
Don't, don't, don't, don't
Don't you, forget about me
Will you stand above me?
Look my way, never love me
Rain keeps falling, rain keeps falling
Down, down, down
Will you recognize me?
Call my name or walk on by
Rain keeps falling, rain keeps falling
Down, down, down, down
Hey, hey, hey, hey
Ooh, woah
Don't you try and pretend
It's my feeling we'll win in the end
I won't harm you or touch your defenses
Vanity and security, ah
Don't you forget about me
I'll be alone, dancing, you know it, baby
Going to take you apart
I'll put us back together at heart, baby
Don't you, forget about me
Don't, don't, don't, don't
Don't you, forget about me
As you walk on by
Will you call my name?
As you walk on by
Will you call my name?
When you walk away
Or will you walk away?
Will you walk on by?
Come on, call my name
Will you call my name?
I say
La, la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la, la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la, la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la
When you walk on by
And you call my name
When you walk on by
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave
Written by: Keith Forsey, Steve W. Schiff
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on specific lyrics, highlight them
Jonathan Midire
I'm nearly 50 and proud that I was one of the millions of teenagers around the world who first witnessed music like this during the 80s. Everything about the 80s was just awesome.
Ingo Bund
@Latit. e Longit.
Yes, you're right. But all these things you've said, didn't really reach and worry me personally in my teenage years in the 80s. Even though i lived 1.5 yrs quite close to that 1st Gulf region war in Bahrain in the Persian Gulf betw. '83-'85, but we've had no worries or threat there at all. The only thing that really scared me in the 80s was Chernobyl, a 1000mls of air line dist. away. We should take care of what to eat, especially mushrooms were very contaminated, esp. in southern Germany. Also when it was raining. I'll never forget these pics from those liquidators on that roof.
And yes, when my parents visited NY in the late 70s, they've even had shooting holes in their hotel room door, still have the pics.
I guess u r from the US, right?
And last but not least...
I STAND WITH UKRAINE!
That worries me very much too, not an attack, he wouldn't try (would be his end as well)..but those threatened & massacred people, esp. these very innocent kids...just so discusting!
Ingo Bund
@Justine Mohar
It was also the featured soundtrack of the fantastic movie - The Breakfast Club -
So..that was really it now! Over & out.
Ingo Bund
@Justine Mohar
U r absolutely right. I feel a bit sorry 4 u.....
We've had an awesome time, listening to that kinda music in our youth. When u wrote this, i was exactly your age, when this one bashed so hard into my head...and i STILL love it. It's a timeless masterpiece!
Francis Clause
65 years young and still jamming to these great songs!!! Thank You!!!!
KimInMexico
64 Now myself, and I wouldn’t be listening to anything else. It’s really a shame about where music has gone, so it isn’t even listenable. My kids moved out in the early 90s when it was still tolerable and once they went, I never listened to stations that played anything new. I will never forget the day I walked into our little market in this tiny town, and they had the radio on in English. It was some rap song that had lyrics, that, had they had come out of my mouth, my mother would’ve slapped my me silly! They don’t speak English here, but once I told the girl at the counter, she immediately went back to the storage part of the place and turned on some Mexican music. She had no idea what was being said, but I did, and she saw the look on my face. She knew there was something wrong but she didn’t know what. I translated for her. Now she does. They may play other English stations, but they never played that one anymore. I am the only non-born here Mexican in town, but a number of people do know some English. There is nothing like the music that you and I grew up with, and I never get tired of listening to it. I am also fan of 50s and Motown, but our music rocks, and that’s not just a play on words. Wishing you and your family all the best!
Iron Eagle
Right on you Neo Maxi Zoom Dweebie!
Etherical
Stop making me feel old.. 😂 👍
Tom Nicholl
Right on
Helena França
Yea, me too... 62, Young