Simple Minds “Mandela Day” released

Mandela Day Simple Minds

Writer(s): Jim Kerr, Charlie Burchill, Mick MacNeil (see lyrics here) Released: February 6, 1989 First Charted: April 1, 1989 Peak: 17 MR, 12 AU, 1 DF (Click for codes to singles charts.) Sales (in millions): -- US, -- UK, -- world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 13.1 video, -- streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: The Scottish rock band Simple Minds released their debut album, Life in a Day, in 1979. It wasn’t until their sixth album, 1982’s New Gold Dream, that they achieved top-10 status in the UK. They wouldn’t reach that benchmark for three more years in the United States. Hot on the heels of the #1 song “Don’t You Forget About Me” 1985’s Once Upon a Time was the band’s only gold-selling album in the U.S. and far exceeded the chart peak of anything else they released. In the UK, the band continued to find success after 1985, notably achieving their fourth consecutive #1 album in 1989 with Street Fighting Years. The album was preceded by the Ballad of the Streets EP, which featured a cover of Peter Gabriel’s “Biko” alongside original songs “Mandela Day” and “Belfast Child.” It was the most successful of eight top-10 singles in the UK, going all the way to #1. The trio of songs all made strong political statements. “Mandela Day” referenced South African activist Nelson Mandela, who was imprisoned in 1962 for his efforts in fighting against the racial segregation system known as apartheid in South Africa. He was finally freed in 1990 and became the country’s first president and black head of state from 1994 to 1999. While he was still in prison in 1988, a concert celebration in honor of his 70th birthday was held at Wembeley Stadium in London on June 11. The concert, known as the Free Nelson Mandela Concert, was broadcast to 67 countries and an audience of 600 million. The bill included the Bee Gees, Tracy Chapman, Dire Straits, Eurythmics, Peter Gabriel, Whitney Houston, George Michael, Salt-N-Pepa, Simple Minds, Sting, UB40, and Stevie Wonder. The Simple Minds’ set included familiar hits such as “Alive and Kicking,” “Sanctify Yourself,” and “Waterfront” as well as a cover of “Biko” alongside Peter Gabriel and Youssou N’Dour. They also premieried a new song known as “Mandela Day,” written specifically for the event. The song referenced Mandela’s quarter century in prison and celebrated the coming day when he would be free. Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Simple Minds WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 9/3/2022.