Simple Minds have achieved 24 top 40 singles on the UK Singles Chart, including eight top 10 and one number one, and 26 albums on the UK Albums Chart, including 22 top 40 albums, 12 top 10 albums and five number one albums: Sparkle in the Rain (1984), Once Upon a Time (1985), Live in the City of Light (1987), Street Fighting Years (1989), and Glittering Prize 81/92 (1992). They have sold more than 60 million albums worldwide, and were the most commercially successful Scottish band of the 1980s. Simple Minds have also achieved considerable chart success in the United States, Australia, Germany, Spain, Italy and New Zealand. Despite various personnel changes, they continue to record and tour.
In 2014, Simple Minds were awarded the Q Inspiration Award for their contribution to the music industry and an Ivor Novello Award in 2016 for Outstanding Song Collection from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers, and Authors (BASCA). Other notable recognitions include nominations for both the MTV Video Music Award for Best Direction and MTV Video Music Award for Best Art Direction for "Don't You (Forget About Me)" in 1985, nomination for the Brit Award for British Group in 1986 and for the American Music Award for Favorite Pop/Rock Band/Duo/Group in 1987. "Belfast Child" was nominated for the Song of the Year at the Brit Awards 1990.
The nucleus of Simple Minds consists of the two remaining original members, Jim Kerr (vocals) and Charlie Burchill (electric and acoustic guitars, occasional keyboards after 1990, saxophone and violin). The other current band members are Ged Grimes (bass guitar), Cherisse Osei (drums), Sarah Brown (backing vocals), Gordy Goudie (additional guitar and keyboards) and Berenice Scott (keyboards). Notable former members include Mick MacNeil (keyboards), Derek Forbes (bass guitar), Brian McGee and Mel Gaynor (drums).
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simple_Minds
Discography
Life in a Day (1979)
Real to Real Cacophony (1979)
Empires and Dance (1980)
Sons and Fascination/Sister Feelings Call (1981)
New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84) (1982)
Sparkle in the Rain (1984)
Once Upon a Time (1985)
Street Fighting Years (1989)
Real Life (1991)
Good News from the Next World (1995)
Néapolis (1998)
Our Secrets Are the Same (1999/2004)
Neon Lights (2001)
Cry (2002)
Black & White 050505 (2005)
Graffiti Soul (2009)
Big Music (2014)
Acoustic (2016)
Walk Between Worlds (2018)
Direction of the Heart (2022)
Big Sleep
Simple Minds Lyrics
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Where do you go in the Big Sleep
Going out in the Deep Sleep
Is where you're wandering now
So where did you go
When you're in the Big Sleep
Drifting in wildlife
We were on the top and the world was spinning
We were only young in the whirlpool of warning
Communication lost in the thundering rain style
A shelter from the storm in the early beginning
Going out in the Big Sleep, out in the Big Sleep
Could have been years, you know it could have been years
Or only seconds ago
Big Sleep, Deep Sleep
Where are you now?
Now that you're up in Big Sleep
Valuable friend
They saw you leaving this way
We were on the top and the world was spinning
We were only young in the whirlpool of warning
Communication lost in the thundering rain style
A shelter from the storm in the early beginning
Where did you go?
Immaculate friend
For a lifetime I'm grateful
And it's only seconds away
Big Sleep, Deep Sleep
For evermore
If only you could see me
If only you could see me
If only you could see
Forever
Coming home in the Big Sleep
Coming home
The song "Big Sleep" by Simple Minds is a melancholy and introspective piece about loss, memory, and the passage of time. The lyrics evoke a sense of longing for something or someone that is now gone or unreachable, and the title itself refers to the state of being lost in one's own thoughts or dreams. The opening lines of the song ask a series of questions: "So where did you go? / Where do you go in the Big Sleep? / Going out in the Deep Sleep / Is where you're wandering now". These questions seem to reflect the singer's search for meaning or closure, and their uncertainty about whether they will ever find it.
The rest of the song is filled with vivid images and metaphors that further illustrate the sense of disorientation and emotional distance the singer feels. They describe being "on the top" and "young in the whirlpool of warning", but feeling isolated and cut off from others. They mention "communication lost in the thundering rain style", which may refer to the difficulty of talking to someone who is far away or in a different state of mind. The chorus repeats the phrases "Big Sleep" and "Deep Sleep", emphasizing the idea of being lost in one's own thoughts or memories.
Overall, "Big Sleep" is a haunting and contemplative song that explores themes of loss and longing. It asks difficult questions about the nature of memory and the possibility of finding closure, but ultimately suggests that the search itself is worth pursuing.
Line by Line Meaning
So where did you go?
Asking where someone has gone to.
Where do you go in the Big Sleep
Asking where someone goes when in a deep sleep.
Going out in the Deep Sleep
Referring to someone who is losing consciousness due to deep sleep.
Is where you're wandering now
Suggesting that the person is wandering in a dreamlike state.
Drifting in wildlife
Referring to someone who is lost in a dreamlike state.
And still you're wandering now
Describing someone who is still lost in a dreamlike state despite the passage of time.
We were on the top and the world was spinning
Describing a time when they were on top of the world and everything seemed perfect.
We were only young in the whirlpool of warning
Describing a time when they were young and naive in a chaotic situation.
Communication lost in the thundering rain style
Describing the breakdown of communication in a chaotic situation.
A shelter from the storm in the early beginning
Describing a place of safety during a chaotic situation.
Could have been years, you know it could have been years
Suggesting that a long time has passed since the chaotic situation.
Or only seconds ago
Suggesting that despite the passage of time, the memories of the chaotic situation are still fresh.
Where are you now?
Asking about the current location of someone.
Valuable friend
Describing someone who was important and valuable in their life.
They saw you leaving this way
Suggesting that the person has left and may not return.
Immaculate friend
Describing a friend who was perfect.
For a lifetime I'm grateful
Expressing gratitude for the time spent with this friend.
For evermore
Suggesting that the memories of this friend will last forever.
If only you could see me
Expressing a desire for the friend to still be present.
Coming home in the Big Sleep
Suggesting that the only way to see this friend is in dreams.
Coming home
Reference to the idea of someone returning home after a long time away.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: CHARLES BURCHILL, DEREK FORBES, JAMES KERR, NORMAN MICHAEL MC NEIL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind