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)
This Earth That You Walk Upon
Simple Minds Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
What's your nation
Sense of order
Sense of speed
Earth that you walk upon
Shakes his hand
Turns away
Turns his back and walks away
Earth that you walk upon
What's your name
What's your nation
Sense of order
Sense of speed
Earth that you walk upon
Passing on and on
Earth that you walk upon
Screaming edge of light
Shines so shines so hard
Earth that you walk upon
Turning on
The song "This Earth That You Walk Upon" by Simple Minds is a powerful commentary on the current state of the world where people are detached from each other and their surroundings. The lyrics are short and repetitive, but they drive home the message that people are disconnected from the Earth and from each other. The first verse asks the listener about their name and nation, which are the basic identifiers of one's identity. The second line talks about the sense of order and speed, which indicates the fast-paced life that we lead today.
The chorus talks about the Earth that we walk upon, which is a metaphor for our physical, existential, and spiritual surroundings. The line "shakes his hand, turns away, turns his back and walks away" highlights the lack of empathy and concern for our fellow beings. The second verse is a repetition of the first one, but the chorus is modified slightly to reflect the fleeting nature of life. The third verse talks about the "screaming edge of light," which indicates the harshness of the world today, and how it shines so hard, piercing through our very existence. The line "turning on" perhaps refers to the realization of one's own mortality or the need to connect with others.
Overall, "This Earth That You Walk Upon" is an introspective and contemplative song that urges us to look within ourselves and around us to find meaning and purpose. It is a call to embrace our shared humanity and realize that we are all connected by the Earth that we walk upon.
Line by Line Meaning
What's your name
Asking for the person's identification
What's your nation
Asking for the person's nationality
Sense of order
Asking if the person values order and structure
Sense of speed
Asking if the person values quickness and velocity
Earth that you walk upon
Referring to the planet we inhabit
Shakes his hand
Greeting someone with a handshake
Turns away
Leaving or ignoring the other person
Turns his back and walks away
Leaving the person completely
Earth that you walk upon
Referring to the planet we inhabit
Earth that you walk upon
Referring to the planet we inhabit
Passing on and on
Continuously moving forward on the Earth's surface
Screaming edge of light
A very bright and intense light
Shines so shines so hard
The light is shining with great intensity
Earth that you walk upon
Referring to the planet we inhabit
Turning on
Something is being switched on or activated on the Earth's surface
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BRIAN MCGEE, MICHAEL JOSEPH MACNEIL, DEREK FORBES, JAMES KERR, CHARLES BURCHILL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind