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Don't You (Forget About Me)

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"Don't You (Forget About Me)" is a song by the Scottish rock band Simple Minds, released as a single in 1985. It was written and composed by the record producer Keith Forsey and the guitarist Steve Schiff for the film The Breakfast Club (1985). Simple Minds initially declined to record it, preferring to record their own material, but accepted after several other acts also declined.

"Don't You (Forget About Me)"
Single by Simple Minds
from the album The Breakfast Club (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
B-side"A Brass Band in African Chimes"
ReleasedFebruary 1985 (US)
9 April 1985 (UK)[1]
RecordedNovember 1984[2][3]
Genre
Length4:20 (original version)
6:32 (extended version)
LabelVirgin
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
"Don't You (Forget About Me)"
Music video
"Don't You (Forget About Me)" on YouTube

"Don't You (Forget About Me)" became a breakout hit for Simple Minds, an iconic song and a 1980s anthem. The single reached No. 1 in the United States and Canada, becoming Simple Minds' biggest hit in the United States. It also reached No. 7 on the UK Singles Chart and reached the top ten in charts around the world.

Background and recording

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"Don't You (Forget About Me)" was written by Steve Schiff and Keith Forsey for the film The Breakfast Club (1985). Forsey and Schiff were inspired by a scene in which an introvert and a school bully bond while no one else is watching. Forsey said, "It was: don't forget, when we're back in the classroom, you're not just a bad guy and we've got other things in common."[9]

Simple Minds initially declined to record "Don't You (Forget About Me)", as they felt they should only record their own material.[10][11] Their guitarist, Charlie Burchill, said they felt it did not suit them as "we had delusions of being ultra-hip".[12] Their manager, Bruce Findlay, believed it would be successful in the United States. He arranged a private screening of The Breakfast Club in an effort to change their minds, but they still declined.[11] Their lead vocalist, Jim Kerr, said later: "We couldn't give a toss about teenage American schoolkids."[12]

Forsey offered "Don't You (Forget About Me)" to Bryan Ferry of Roxy Music, who declined as he was working on his album Boys and Girls (1985). Ferry said later: "It was just bad timing ... Keith Forsey sent me a demo of the song and it sounded like a hit to me."[13] The record label, A&M, suggested Corey Hart, who had a hit at the time with "Sunglasses at Night", but Forsey did not think he was the right singer.[14] Frequent Forsey collaborator Billy Idol also declined,[15] but would later record a version featured on his Greatest Hits album.

Kerr's wife, the songwriter Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders, liked the song and urged him to record it.[12] Simple Minds agreed to try it after spending a few days with Forsey and becoming friends.[12] They were impressed by Forsey's work in German experimental music, such as Amon Düül II, and his work with Giorgio Moroder, including "I Feel Love" by Donna Summer.[12]

Kerr added the "hey hey hey" to the introduction and the "la la la" to the ending, intending to write new lyrics, but Forsey insisted on keeping them.[11][12] Burchill added power chords, and said later: "It was almost a caricature – I associated powerchords with American AOR. But it worked."[12] The Financial Times wrote that the chords "[helped] turn Forsey's sweet paean to teenage longing into a rousing, stadium-sized anthem".[11]

Simple Minds did not anticipate the song's success.[10] In 2016, Burchill said: "When I listen to it now, it’s obviously a brilliant, well-crafted pop song. I’m embarrassed we dissed it so much."[12]

Release and critical reception

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"Don't You (Forget About Me)" was played during the opening and closing credits of The Breakfast Club (1985).[16] It was included on the film's soundtrack.[17][18] "Don't You (Forget About Me)" was released as a single in February 1985 in the United States and reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100[19] in May 1985.[20] The song reached No. 1 in Canada in June 1985.[21] It is the band's only number-one hit on the US Top Rock Tracks chart, staying atop that chart for three weeks.[22] The song became Simple Minds' breakout hit,[10] as well as its biggest American hit.[10][19]

Cashbox said that "though the lyric theme is a simple enough declaration, the lead vocals and vivid orchestration make the tune complex and moving".[23] The song was included on the band's greatest hits compilation album, Glittering Prize 81/92 (1992).[24] It soon became a fixture of the band's live sets,[25] with an extended audience participation section during its inclusion on the 2015 tour to promote the band's Big Music album.[26]

John Leland of Spin described the song as "a romantic and melancholy dance track" that "cuts ice both in the living room and on the dance floor".[27] The song has become iconic,[28][29] and has been described by AmericanSongwriter.com as "an ‘80s masterpiece" and "an American teen anthem".[30]

Cover versions

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In February 2021, indie folk band Boy & Bear along with Annie Hamilton covered Don't You (Forget About Me) for Australian youth radio station Triple J's Like a Version.[31] The cover placed 92nd in Triple J's first Like a Version Hottest 100.[32]

Music video

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The music video – filmed inside Knebworth House, Hertfordshire – was directed by Daniel Kleinman.[33] It takes place in a darkened 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 until the last minute. The video was published on YouTube on 3 December 2010; as of September 2024, it had been viewed more than 342 million times.[34]

Track listing

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7" Vinyl (UK & US)

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  1. "Don't You (Forget About Me)" – 4:20
  2. "A Brass Band in Africa" – 5:10

12" Vinyl (UK & US)

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

12" Vinyl (Canada)

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  1. "Don't You (Forget About Me)" (extended version) – 6:32
  2. "Don't You (Forget About Me)" – 4:20
  3. "A Brass Band in Africa" – 5:10

1988 3" CD (UK)

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  1. "Don't You (Forget About Me)" – 4:20
  2. "A Brass Band in African Chimes" – 9:22

1988 CD (US)

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

1990 CD (UK)

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  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

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[77] Platinum 100,000^
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[78] Gold 45,000‡
Germany (BVMI)[79] Gold 250,000‡
Italy (FIMI)[80] Platinum 70,000‡
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[81]
2001 remastered version 		Platinum 60,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[82]
1985 physical release 		Silver 250,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[83]
2004 digital release 		2× Platinum 1,200,000‡

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Personnel

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Simple Minds

See also

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Notes

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References

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  1. ^ "Music Week" (PDF). p. 14.
  2. ^ "Don't You (Forget About Me) No 1 on U.S. Billboard Charts". Simpleminds.com. 20 May 1985. Retrieved 27 June 2019.
  3. ^ "Here's Why Simple Minds Almost Didn't Make Don't You (Forget About Me)". Grunge. 18 May 2021.
  4. ^ a b Sun, Michael (14 November 2018). "From Sixteen Candles to Love, Simon: how teen soundtracks have evolved". Double J. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  5. ^ Billboard Staff (19 October 2023). "The 500 Best Pop Songs: Staff List". Billboard. Retrieved 11 February 2024. The soaring and shimmering new wave love song that was a smash from its opening "HEY, HEY, HEY, HEY!"s...
  6. ^ "Covering the Hits: "Don't You (Forget About Me)" (Simple Minds)". CoverMeSongs.com. 16 October 2020.
  7. ^ Parker, Dylan (4 September 2022). "The Breakfast Club's "Don't You" is Absurdly Beloved Except Maybe by the Band Who Sang It". TheThings.com.
  8. ^ Breihan, Tom (2 October 2020). "The Number Ones: Simple Minds' "Don't You (Forget About Me)". Stereogum. Retrieved 31 July 2023. The band finds some gorgeous middle ground between icy synthpop and U2-style proselytizing.
  9. ^ Hann, Michael (10 November 2022). "The power of music in John Hughes films". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
  10. ^ a b c d Ryan, Jim. "Jim Kerr Of Simple Minds On Story Behind 'Don't You (Forget About Me)' And New Simple Minds Music". Forbes.
  11. ^ a b c d "Life of a Song: Don't You (Forgat About Me)". Financial Times. 17 June 2023.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h Simpson, Dave (15 November 2016). "Simple Minds: how we made 'Don't You (Forget About Me)'". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  13. ^ "Bryan Ferry: 'I did a lot of whistling on my paper round as a lad'". The Guardian. 28 April 2022. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
  14. ^ "Keith Forsey". Modern Drummer. Retrieved 27 June 2019.
  15. ^ Ryan, Jim. "Jim Kerr Of Simple Minds On Story Behind 'Don't You (Forget About Me)' And New Simple Minds Music". Forbes.
  16. ^ "The song Simple Minds didn't want to record for The Breakfast Club soundtrack". 97.1fm The Drive - WDRV Chicago. 26 January 2022.
  17. ^ "The Breakfast Club [Original Soundtrack] - Original Soundtrack & Release Info". AllMusic.
  18. ^ Gross, Jason (27 September 2022). "Greatest Lists S1 #11 "Don't You (Forget About Me)" by Simple Minds".
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  25. ^ Foster, Nathan (20 September 2020). "11 Best Simple Minds Songs".
  26. ^ Simpson, Dave (April 2015). "Simple Minds review – still the edgy futurists, beneath the stadium style". The Guardian. No. 2. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
  27. ^ Leland, John (June 1985). "Singles". Spin. Vol. 1, no. 2. p. 37. Retrieved 15 September 2011.
  28. ^ Gormley, Jesse (18 May 2021). "Here's Why Simple Minds Almost Didn't Make Don't You (Forget About Me)". Grunge.
  29. ^ "Simple Minds' iconic song underscores campaign to keep sick kids connected". The Drum.
  30. ^ Walthall, Catherine (21 July 2020). "Behind The Song: Simple Minds, "Don't You (Forget About Me)"". American Songwriter.
  31. ^ Bracken, Claire (5 February 2021). "Boy & Bear cover Simple Minds 'Don't You (Forget About Me)' for Like A Version [2021]". 'Don't You (Forget About Me)' for Like A Version [2021] - triple j. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  32. ^ "Full List 1-100". Countdown | Hottest 100 of Like A Version | triple j. 15 July 2023. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  33. ^ Davies, Alan (23 April 2020). "Movie The Breakfast Club's links to Knebworth House". The Comet. Archived from the original on 27 April 2020. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
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  35. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 275. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
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  40. ^ Pennanen, Timo (2021). "Simple Minds". Sisältää hitin – Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021 (PDF) (in Finnish) (2nd ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 234. ISBN 978-952-7460-01-6.
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  74. ^ "1985 The Year in Music & Video – Top Rock Tracks". Billboard. Vol. 97, no. 52. 28 December 1985. p. T-30. ISSN 0006-2510 – via Google Books.
  75. ^ "The Cash Box Year-End Charts: 1985 – Top 100 Pop Singles". Cash Box. 28 December 1985. Archived from the original on 30 September 2012. Retrieved 7 May 2014.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
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  80. ^ "Italian single certifications – Simple Minds – Don't You Forget About Me" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 8 November 2021. Select "2021" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Type "Don't You Forget About Me" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli" under "Sezione".
  81. ^ "Spanish single certifications – Simple Minds – Don't You (Forget About Me) (2001 Remastered Versi)". El portal de Música. Productores de Música de España. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
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