"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)" 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.
Recording
"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."
Simple Minds initially declined to record "Don't You (Forget About Me)", as they felt they should only record their own material.
Their guitarist,
Charlie Burchill, said they felt it did not suit them as "we had delusions of being ultra-hip".
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.
Their lead vocalist,
Jim Kerr
James Kerr (born 9 July 1959) is a Scottish musician and lead singer of the rock band Simple Minds. Commercially successful singles released by Simple Minds include " Don't You (Forget About Me)", " Glittering Prize" (1982), " Someone Somewh ...
, said later: "We couldn't give a toss about teenage American schoolkids."
Forsey offered "Don't You (Forget About Me)" to
Bryan Ferry
Bryan Ferry (born 26 September 1945) is an English singer and songwriter. He became known as the frontman of the band Roxy Music and also launched a solo career. His voice has been described as an "elegant, seductive croon". He also established ...
of
Roxy Music
Roxy Music are an English rock music, rock band formed in 1970 by Bryan Ferry (lead vocals/keyboards/principal songwriter) and Graham Simpson (musician), Graham Simpson (bass). By the time the band recorded their Roxy Music (album), first albu ...
, 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." 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. Forsey's frequent collaborator
Billy Idol
William Michael Albert Broad (born 30 November 1955), known professionally as Billy Idol, is an English singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Idol achieved fame in the 1970s on the London punk rock scene as the lead singer of Generation X ...
also declined.
Kerr's wife, the songwriter
Chrissie Hynde of
the Pretenders
The Pretenders are a British rock band formed in March 1978. The original band consisted of founder and main songwriter Chrissie Hynde (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), James Honeyman-Scott (lead guitar, backing vocals, keyboards), Pete Farndon (ba ...
, liked the song and urged him to record it.
Simple Minds agreed to try it after spending a few days with Forsey and becoming friends.
They were impressed by Forsey's work in German experimental music, such as
Amon Düül II, and his work with
Giorgio Moroder
Giovanni Giorgio Moroder (, ; born 26 April 1940) is an Italian composer and music producer. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Father of Disco", Moroder is credited with pioneering Euro disco and electronic dance music. His work ...
, including "
I Feel Love
"I Feel Love" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Donna Summer. Produced and co-written by Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte, it was recorded for Summer's fifth studio album, '' I Remember Yesterday'' (1977). The album concept was to ha ...
" by
Donna Summer
Donna Adrian Gaines (December 31, 1948May 17, 2012), known professionally as Donna Summer, was an American singer and songwriter. She gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s and became known as the "Queen of Disco", while her music ...
.
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.
Burchill added
power chords, and said later: "It was almost a caricature – I associated powerchords with American
AOR. But it worked."
The ''
Financial Times
The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and also published digitally that focuses on business and economic Current affairs (news format), current affairs. Based in London, the paper is owned by a Jap ...
'' wrote that the chords "
elpedturn Forsey's sweet paean to teenage longing into a rousing, stadium-sized anthem".
Simple Minds did not anticipate the song's success.
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."
Release and critical reception
"Don't You (Forget About Me)" was played during the opening and closing credits of ''
The Breakfast Club'' (1985). It was included on the film's soundtrack. "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 in May 1985.
The song reached No. 1 in Canada in June 1985. It is the band's only number-one hit on the US
Top Rock Tracks chart, staying atop that chart for three weeks. The song became Simple Minds' breakout hit,
as well as its biggest American hit.
''
Cashbox'' said that "though the lyric theme is a simple enough declaration, the lead vocals and vivid orchestration make the tune complex and moving".
The song was included on the band's
greatest hits compilation album, ''
Glittering Prize 81/92'' (1992). 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.
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". The song has become iconic, and has been described by AmericanSongwriter.com as "an ‘80s masterpiece" and "an American teen anthem".
Cover versions
In February 2021,
indie folk
Indie folk (also called alternative folk) is an alternative genre of music that arose in the 1990s among musicians from indie rock scenes influenced by folk music.
Characteristics
The staff of '' Paste Magazine'' said in 2020: "No music genre ...
band
Boy & Bear along with Annie Hamilton covered "Don't You (Forget About Me)" for Australian youth radio station
Triple J
Triple J is an Australian government-funded national radio station founded in 1975 as a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). It aims to appeal to young listeners of alternative music, and plays far more Australian conten ...
's ''
Like a Version
''Like a Version'' is a long-running weekly segment on Australian youth radio station Triple J. It involves musicians playing two songs live in the Triple J studio, one of their own songs and then a cover version.
The series was created by pres ...
''. The cover placed 92nd in Triple J's first
Like a Version
''Like a Version'' is a long-running weekly segment on Australian youth radio station Triple J. It involves musicians playing two songs live in the Triple J studio, one of their own songs and then a cover version.
The series was created by pres ...
Hottest 100
The Triple J Hottest 100 is an annual music poll presented by the publicly-funded Australian youth radio station Triple J. Members of the public are invited to vote for their favourite Music of Australia, Australian and alternative music of th ...
.
Billy Idol
William Michael Albert Broad (born 30 November 1955), known professionally as Billy Idol, is an English singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Idol achieved fame in the 1970s on the London punk rock scene as the lead singer of Generation X ...
also covered the song as an add-on track to his ''
Greatest Hits'' album in 2001.
Music video
The music video – filmed inside
Knebworth House,
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and one of the home counties. It borders Bedfordshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Essex to the east, Greater London to the ...
, England – was directed by
Daniel Kleinman. It takes place in a darkened room with a
chandelier
A chandelier () is an ornamental lighting device, typically with spreading branched supports for multiple lights, designed to be hung from the ceiling. Chandeliers are often ornate, and they were originally designed to hold candles, but now inca ...
, a
rocking horse, a
jukebox
A jukebox is a partially automated music-playing device, usually a coin-operated machine, that plays a user-selected song from a self-contained media library. Traditional jukeboxes contain records, compact discs, or digital files, and allow user ...
, 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
YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
on 3 December 2010; as of April 2025, it had been viewed more than 364 million times.
Track listing
7" Vinyl (UK & US)
# "Don't You (Forget About Me)" – 4:20
# "A Brass Band in Africa" – 5:10
12" Vinyl (UK & US)
# "Don't You (Forget About Me)" – 6:32
# "A Brass Band in African Chimes" – 9:22
12" Vinyl (Canada)
# "Don't You (Forget About Me)" (extended version) – 6:32
# "Don't You (Forget About Me)" – 4:20
# "A Brass Band in Africa" – 5:10
1988 3" CD (UK)
# "Don't You (Forget About Me)" – 4:20
# "A Brass Band in African Chimes" – 9:22
1988 CD (US)
# "Don't You (Forget About Me)" (live) – 9:02
# "Bass Line" – 4:37
# "The American" – 3:33
1990 CD (UK)
# "Don't You (Forget About Me)" – 6:35
# "Up on the Catwalk" (extended version) – 7:36
# "A Brass Band in African Chimes" – 9:24
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
Personnel
Simple Minds
*
Jim Kerr
James Kerr (born 9 July 1959) is a Scottish musician and lead singer of the rock band Simple Minds. Commercially successful singles released by Simple Minds include " Don't You (Forget About Me)", " Glittering Prize" (1982), " Someone Somewh ...
– lead vocals
*
Charlie Burchill – guitar, keyboards
*
Mick MacNeil – keyboards
*
Derek Forbes – bass guitar
*
Mel Gaynor – drums, percussion
See also
*
List of number-one singles of 1985 (Canada)
*
List of ''Billboard'' Hot 100 number-one singles of the 1980s
*
List of ''Billboard'' Hot 100 number ones of 1985
*
List of ''Billboard'' Mainstream Rock number-one songs of the 1980s
*
List of Dutch Top 40 number-one singles of 1985
Notes
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Don't You (Forget About Me)
1985 singles
1985 songs
Simple Minds songs
Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles
Cashbox number-one singles
Dutch Top 40 number-one singles
RPM Top Singles number-one singles
Songs written by Keith Forsey
Song recordings produced by Keith Forsey
Songs written for films
Virgin Records singles
A&M Records singles