Simple Minds’ Once Upon a Time released

Once Upon a Time Simple Minds

Released: October 21, 1985 Peak: 10 US, 11 UK, 3 CN, 7 AU Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): 0.50 US, 0.90 UK, 2.49 world (includes US + UK) Genre: new wave

Tracks: Song Title (date of single release, chart peaks) Once Upon a Time 40 All the Things She Said Ghost Dancing Alive and Kicking Oh Jungleland (18 DF) I Wish You Were Here Sanctify Yourself Come a Long Way Don’t You Forget About Me * Total Running Time: 40:12 The Players: Jim Kerr (vocals) Charlie Burchill (guitar) Mick MacNeil (keyboards) John Giblin (bass) Mel Gaynor (drums) Robin Clark (backing vocals)

Rating: 4.093 out of 5.00 (average of 21 ratings)

About the Album Simple Minds had been around since 1979, releasing seven albums. They’d found success in the UK, reaching #3 with 1982’s New Gold Dream and #1 with 1984’s Sparkle in the Rain. Those two albums charted in the U.S., but neither cracked the top 60. However, the band’s fortunes changed in America after their chart-topping song “Don’t You Forget About Me” from 1985’s The Breakfast Club soundtrack. Before the close of the year, the band followed up that success with their seventh studio album, 1985’s Once Upon a Time. The album “captured the heart-wrenching excitement found in bands such as U2.” AM Part of the success was attributable to Jimmy Iovine, who produced the album. He’d previously worked with Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Nicks, and U2. He pushed for a more guitar-driven sound and for “more energetic vocals” WK from Jim Kerr. The band’s heavy synth-pop beats had relaxed a bit and Charlie Burchill’s charming playing style was most noticeable.” AM “This album was one of their best, most likely leading the pack in the band’s album roster, because it exuded raw energy and solid composition not entirely captured on previous albums.” AM The “bombastic pop rock sound” WK resulted in a trio of top-40 hits for the band in the U.S.: the “arena-friendly” WK Alive and Kicking (#3), Sanctify Yourself (#14), and All the Things She Said (#28). All three also reached the top 10 in the UK and on the Billboard album rock chart in the U.S. Notes A deluxe edition added a second disc of B-sides and rarities, including “Don’t You Forget About Me.” The Songs Here’s a breakdown of some of the individual songs.

Don’t You Forget About Me Simple Minds

Writer(s): Keith Forsey, Steve Schiff (see lyrics here) Recorded: November 1984 Released: 2/20/1985 (single), The Breakfast Club (soundtrack, 1985), Glittering Prize (compilation, 1992), The Best (compilation, 2001), Celebrate: The Greatest Hits (compilation, 2013), Once Upon a Time (super deluxe edition, 2015), 40: The Best of 1979-2019 (compilation, 2019) B-Side: “A Brass Band in African Chimes” First Charted: 2/23/1985 Peak: 11 BB, 12 CB, 11 GR, 12RR 36 AC, 13 AR, 1 CO, 7 UK, 11 CN, 6 AU, 1 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- US, 2.05 UK, 2.78 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): 1.0 radio, 453.29 video, 1329.90 streaming

Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Song: The Scottish new wave rock band Simple Minds formed in 1977 and found popularity in the UK where they hit #1 with their 1984 album Sparkle in the Rain. That same year, they landed their fourth top-20 hit in the UK. However, they had yet to dent the United States’ Billboard Hot 100. That changed in 1985 with “Don’t You (Forget About Me).” The song, featured in the hit movie The Breakfast Club, soared to #1 in the US and gave Simple Minds their first top-10 hit in the UK. It wasn’t written by the band, but by producer Keith Forsey and Steve Schiff, who was a guitarist and songwriter with the Nina Hagen band. Forsey also wrote the #1 hit “Flashdance…What a Feelin’” for the 1983 movie Flashdance and would later write “Shakedown” for Bob Seger, a #1 song from Beverly Hills Cop II. SF Forsey and Schiff’s original demo opens the movie while Simple Minds’ version closes things out. WK-DF There’s some dispute as to whether the song was written for Simple Minds or for Bryan Ferry. In any event, both said no. Simple Minds thought they should only record material they had written. The song was also rejected by Billy Idol and Cy Curnin of the Fixx. WK-DF The record company suggested Corey Hart, but Forsey didn’t think he was right for the song. Simple Minds eventually agreed to record the song, although there are varied stories as to why. One version says that Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders persuaded Jim Kerr, the lead singer of the band and her then-husband, after Forsey called her. WK-DF Another account says John Hughes, the director of The Breakfast Club, screened the film for the band. SF Either way, the band still initially thought it would be “a throwaway song on the soundtrack to a forgettable movie.” WK-DF Once they recorded it, however, some of the band members now thought the song had “genuine commercial potential.” WK-DF

Alive and Kicking Simple Minds

Writer(s): Jim Kerr, Charlie Burchill, Mick MacNeil Released: 9/30/1985 (single), Once Upon a Time (1985), Glittering Prize (compilation, 1992), The Best (compilation, 2001), Celebrate: The Greatest Hits (compilation, 2013), 40: The Best of 1979-2019 (compilation, 2019) B-Side: “Up on the Catwalk” (live) First Charted: 10/12/1985 Peak: 3 BB, 3 CB, 2 RR, 2 AR, 3 CO, 6 UK, 3 CN, 21 AU, 4 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- US, 0.60 UK Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 261.18 streaming

Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Song: While Simple Minds had charted six UK top-40 hits, they had never hit the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States until “Don’t You Forget About Me” in 1985. That song assured the band would, indeed, not be forgotten as it was a #1 hit and endured as an iconic song of the ‘80s. However, it was anyone’s guess if they’d be able to follow it up with any kind of success stateside. Audiences got the answer fairly quickly as Simple Minds released a new album by year’s end to capitalize on their new-found fame. The band proved they would not be relegated to one-hit wonder status with the single “Alive and Kicking,” a #3 hit in the U.S. The song was “shaped and formed as the natural successor of ‘Don’t You Forget About Me’ and was always the contender to be the first taster from Once Upon a Time.” SM

Sanctify Yourself Simple Minds

Writer(s): Jim Kerr, Charlie Burchill, Mick MacNeil Released: 1/20/1986 (single), Once Upon a Time (1985), Glittering Prize (compilation, 1992), The Best (compilation, 2001), Celebrate: The Greatest Hits (compilation, 2013), 40: The Best of 1979-2019 (compilation, 2019) B Side: “Sanctify Yourself” (instrumental) First Charted: 12/25/1985 Peak: 14 BB, 10 CB, 12 RR, 3 AR, 3 CO, 10 UK, 17 CN, 46 AU, 9 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- US, 0.09 UK Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 15.84 streaming About the Song “Sanctify Yourself,” the second single from Once Upon a Time, gave Simple Minds their third top-10 hit in the UK and third top-20 hit in the U.S. At one point, “Oh Jungleland” was considered as the second single. SM Cash Box said the song “finds the friendly, warm sound of Simple Minds in full bloom.” WK-SY Jim Kerr said, “It came from Jimmy Iovine, who produced us. We had the riff for that. We all like gospel music and we’re big fans of Sly & the Family Stone as well. They were quite an influence on that song.” WK-SY

All the Things She Said Simple Minds

Writer(s): Jim Kerr, Charlie Burchill, Mick MacNeil Released: March 1986 (single) B Side: “Don’t You Forget About Me” (live) First Charted: 3/22/1986 Peak: 28 BB, 28 CB, 25 RR, 9 AR, 4 CO, 9 UK, 65 CN, 46 AU, 15 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- US, 0.13 UK Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 33.11 streaming About the Song The third single from Once Upon a Time gave Simple Minds their fourth UK top-10 and fourth top-40 hit in the U.S. It featured American singer Robin Clark on backing vocals. WK-AS The song was based on an article about Polish political prisoners in the Soviet Union. Jim Kerr said, “There was an interview with wives of guys that had been away for a long time, taken away, and some of the beautiful quotations that the women had used became sort of the background for that song.” WK-AS

Ghost Dancing Simple Minds

Writer(s): Jim Kerr, Charlie Burchill, Mick MacNeil Released: 11/3/1986 (single), Once Upon a Time (1985), Glittering Prize (compilation, 1992), The Best (compilation, 2001), Celebrate: The Greatest Hits (compilation, 2013) B Side: “Oh Jungleland” (instrumental) First Charted: 11/15/1986 Peak: 13 CO, 13 UK, 72 AU, 17 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 5.64 streaming About the Song The fourth single from Once Upon a Time gave Simple Minds a fourth trip to the UK top-20 for the album’s singles, but the song failed to chart in the U.S., breaking their streak of four consecutive top-40 hits. On a Simple Minds fan page, Priptona says the song that made her a “fully-fledged Simple Minds diehard” PW was “Ghost Dancing. She says “it was the lyrics that did it. It’s loaded with imagery.” PW She also notes how the song is “politically charged” PW and “proper rock music” PW marked by “Charlie’s opening riff…Jim’s dystopian opening lyrics” PW and “slightly aggressive” PW vocal and “those big Mel Gaynor drums.” PW

Resources/References: AM AllMusic.com review by MacKenzie Wilson PW Priptona’s Simple Minds Space “Why I Love Ghost Dancing” SM SimpleMinds.org: singles discography SF Songfacts page for “Don’t You Forget About Me” WK Wikipedia page for Once Upon a Time WK-DF Wikipedia page for “Don’t You Forget About Me” WK-AK Wikipedia page for “Alive and Kicking” WK-SY Wikipedia page for “Sanctify Yourself” WK-AS Wikipedia page for “All the Things She Said” Related DMDB Pages: First posted 7/9/2010; last updated 11/7/2026.