Simple Minds New Gold Dream released

New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84) Simple Minds

Released: September 17, 1982 Peak: 69 US, 3 UK, 57 CN, 8 AU Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- US, 0.30 UK Genre: new wave

Tracks: Song Title (date of single release, chart peaks) Someone, Somewhere in Summertime Colours Fly and Catherine Wheel Promised You a Miracle Big Sleep Somebody Up There Likes You New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84) (24 CO) Glittering Prize Hunter and the Hunted King Is White and in the Crowd Total Running Time: 46:02 The Players: Jim Kerr (vocals) Charlie Burchill (guitar) Michael MacNeil (keyboards) Derek Forbes (bass) Mel Gaynor, Mike Ogletre, Kenny Hyslop (drums, percussion)

Rating: 4.081 out of 5.00 (average of 25 ratings) Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Album Simple Minds became “one of Scotland’s finest imports” AM with this album. It is “a strong synth-reared release” AM that delves into “the darker side of the band’s musicianship.” AM “They were still honing their artistic rowdiness, and Kerr’s pursuing vocals were still hiding.” AM However, “the album illustrates just how capable and diverse a songwriting unit Simple Minds was” RD by “combining a warm romanticism with their blend of new wave pop.” RD A Commercial Breakthrough It “was a turning point for the band as they gained critical and commercial success in the UK and Europe.” WK The “material alludes to their forthcoming pop-stadium sound which hurled them into rock mainstream during the latter part of the ‘80s.” AM The Band “Jim Kerr’s vocals blend seamlessly into the lush sonic landscapes of Michael MacNeil’s keyboard and Charlie Burchill’s signature guitar work, but it is the diversity of the rhythms that creates the album’s solid foundation. At a time when live drums were frequently replaced by programmed beats, Simple Minds took the unusual step of using three separate drummers across the nine-track album. Combined with Derek Forbes’ bass, the effect provided a relentlessly fresh percussive framework on which Kerr, Burchill, and MacNeil built the delicate, swirling, and vibrant songs.” RD The Hits “The dance-oriented tracks like Promised You a Miracle and Glittering Prize are lushly layered in deep electronic beats.” AM Both songs “encapsulate Simple Minds’ ability to craft dazzling and sophisticated pop anthems.” RD And Other Highlights “Simple Minds’ skill of tapping into internal emotion is profound on songs such as Someone, Somewhere in Summertime and the album’s title track.” AM “Hunter and the Hunted provides some of the band’s densest combinations of atmosphere and melody, and complemented by Kerr’s most evocative lyrics the track stands tall as the album’s highlight.” RD Here’s a breakdown of some of the individual songs.

Promised You a Miracle Simple Minds

Writer(s): Jim Kerr, Charlie Burchill, Derek Forbes, Mick MacNeil Recorded: February 12-14, 1982 at the Town House in London Released: 4/2/1982 (single), New Gold Dream (1982), Glittering Prize (compilation, 1992), The Best (compilation, 2001), Early Gold (compilation, 2003), Celebrate: The Greatest Hits (compilation, 2013), 40: The Best of 1979-2019 (compilation, 2019) B-Side: “Theme for Great Cities” First Charted: 4/10/1982 Peak: 5 CO, 13 UK, 10 AU, 19 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 22.29 streaming

Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Song: “The Simple Minds sound came together on New Gold Dream – a work of grand possibilities, best expressed on the single ‘Promised You a Miracle.’ That title says it all.” TC The song definitely opened up the band to grand possibilities, giving them not their first real taste of UK chart success. It was their first of 24 top-40 hits in the UK. Kerr considered it to be the band’s “first attempt to craft a song specifically for radio listeners.” WK-PM It has been characterized as their “bridging point between the atmospheric and echo-laden prog-pop sound of their previous album…and the stadium pop-rock of the band’s later years, due to the clean production of the band’s new producer Peter Walsh.” WK-PM The Guardian’s Dave Simpson called the song a “showcase of early-80s optimism.” WK-PM

Glittering Prize Simple Minds

Writer(s): Jim Kerr, Charlie Burchill, Derek Forbes, Mick MacNeil Recorded: April to July 1982 Released: 8/20/1982 (single) , New Gold Dream (1982), Glittering Prize (compilation, 1992), The Best (compilation, 2001), Early Gold (compilation, 2003), Celebrate: The Greatest Hits (compilation, 2013), 40: The Best of 1979-2019 (compilation, 2019) B-Side: “Glittering Prize Theme” First Charted: 8/28/1982 Peak: 11 CO, 16 UK, 9 AU Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 10.64 streaming About the Song New Gold Dream proved to be Simple Minds’ breakthrough album, at least in the UK, where it reached #3 and gave the band their first top-20 hits with the singles “Promised You a Miracle” and “Glittering Prize.” The band were reportedly not fond of the latter song initially but later said that it grew on them. WK-GP Jim Kerr explained that the song is “about getting a glimpse of something and going out on a chase for it against all the odds. If you’re after something, or something’s really beckoning, just go for it. The glittering prize could be a girl, or a dream.” WK-GP

Someone, Somewhere in Summertime Simple Minds

Writer(s): Charlie Burchill, Derek Forbes, Jim Kerr, Michael MacNeil Released: 11/5/1982 (single), New Gold Dream (1982), Glittering Prize (compilation, 1992), The Best (compilation, 2001), Early Gold (compilation, 2003), Celebrate: The Greatest Hits (compilation, 2013), 40: The Best of 1979-2019 (compilation, 2019) Peak: 14 CO, 36 UK, 51 AU, 22 DF First Charted: 11/13/1982 Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 49.50 streaming About the Song The third single from New Gold Dream gave Simple Minds their third UK top-40 hit. While the song was “a new wave track in the same genre as the band’s previous two singles, ‘Someone, Somewhere in Summertime’ is noticeably different in terms of melodic effect.” WK-SS It is viewed as “taking a gentler and more delicate turn that…evokes a yearning nature.” WK-SS AllMusic.com’s Dave Thompson described it as an “introspective” song with “a dreamy atmosphere.” WK-SS “Charlie Burchill’s Edge-like guitar descended across Mick McNeil’s textured keyboards, creating a ravishing sense of wonder.” WK-SS Jim Kerr said of the song that its “songwriting craft…gives the feeling that we’d arrived – that we’d reached some kind of maturity.” WK-SS

Resources/References: AM AllMusic.com review by MacKenzie Wilson TC Toby Creswell (2005). 1001 Songs: The Great Songs of All Time. Thunder’s Mouth Press: New York, NY. Page 685. RD Robert Dimery (2006). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. Quintet Publishing Limited: New York, NY. Page 491. WK Wikipedia page for New Gold Dream SM SimpleMinds.org: singles discography WK-PM Wikipedia page for “Promised You a Miracle” WK-GP Wikipedia page for “Glittering Prize” WK-SS Wikipedia page for “Someone, Somewhere in Summertime” Related DMDB Pages: First posted 7/9/2010; last updated 11/7/2026.