Street Fighting Years |
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Released: May 2, 1989 Peak: 70 US, 11 UK, 24 CN, 11 AU, 11 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- US, 0.60 UK, 2.44 world (includes US + UK) Genre: new wave |
Tracks:Song Title (date of single release, chart peaks)
* CD release bonus track
Total Running Time: 61:13 The Players:
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Rating: 3.775 out of 5.00 (average of 21 ratings) Awards:(Click on award to learn more).
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About the AlbumSimple Minds built a following in the U.K. during the early ‘80s, but didn’t have their U.S. breakthrough until 1985’s #1 pop hit “Don’t You Forget about Me.” Before the year was out, the band followed that up with their most successful album to date, the top 10, gold-selling Once Upon a Time. Then, other than an interim live album, the group disappeared from the scene for four years.The band was now officially a trio, comprised of founding members Jim Kerr and Charlie Burchill, as well as Mick MacNeil, who’d joined in 1978. Mel Gaynor, who’d drummed with the band since 1982, was demoted to a session player after disagreements with producer Trevor Horn. John Giblin, who’d joined the band on bass in 1985, left during the sessions. Horn maintained the “arena rock sense of scale and drama which the band had developed since the mid’1980s,” WK but added “soundtrack atmospherics and a new incorporation of acoustic and Celtic-folk music-related ingredients.” WK The new approach made for a “decidedly, noncommercial follow-up. Street Fighting Years is a moody, dark affair. The music is yearning and most of the songs are politically charged lyrically.” TD Kerr noted that “every song seemed to be about conflict.” WK The lyrics covered topics such as “the Poll Tax, the Soweto townships, the Berlin Wall, and the stationing of nuclear submarines on the Scottish coast.” WK It made for mixed reviews. Rolling Stone’s Mark Coleman said the album “stands as an unfortunate example of politicized rock at its most simple-minded.” WK On the other side, though, Q magazine’s David Sinclair said the band “had finally produced a record to justify their reputation.” WK “Noteworthy tracks include a version of the Peter Gabriel classic Biko and the soaring Mandela Day.” TD “The title track takes some dramatic turns that give the gentle melody added thrust. Take a Step Back pulsates and Wall of Love rocks with conviction. Slower tracks like the brooding Let It All Come Down and a spirited run through the traditional Belfast Child are well done.” TD The latter was the lead single in the UK and went to #1, as did the album. In the U.S., however, the album was a commercial failure. This Is Your Land, with a guest spot from Lou Reed, was released as the lead single in America. It made the album rock and mainstream rock charts, but failed to dent the Billboard Hot 100. Overall, “Street Fighting Years is an artistic and elegant album that might lack immediate choruses but draws in the listener.” TD “It might not have satisfied the band’s newly won fans, but Street Fighting Years is an interesting, enjoyable album with some truly lovely moments.” TD |
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Belfast ChildSimple Minds |
Writer(s): traditional (music); Jim Kerr, Charlie Burchill, Mick MacNeil (lyrics) Released: 2/6/1989 *, Street Fighting Years (1989), Glittering Prize (compilation, 1992), The Best (compilation, 2001), Celebrate: The Greatest Hits (compilation, 2013), 40: The Best of 1979-2019 (compilation, 2019) First Charted: 2/18/1989 * Peak: 12 UK *, 12 AU *, 6 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- US, 0.20 UK * Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 73.52 streaming * for Ballad of the Streets EP, which featured “Belfast Child,” “Mandela Day,” and “Biko” |
Awards:(Click on award to learn more).
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About the Song:Simple Minds’ 1989 Street Fighting Years was preceded by the EP Ballad of the Streets, which featured three songs from the album – “Belfast Child,” “Mandela Day,” and a cover of Peter Gabriel’s “Biko.”“Belfast Child” was the lead track on the protest-themed EP. Jim Kerr was inspired to write the song after the Enniskillen bombing. He heard the melody of the traditional song “She Moved Through the Fair” a few days later and wrote lyrics about his feelings. He said, “I’m trying to relate to people in Northern Ireland who lost loved ones. I’m trying to talk about the madness, the sadness and the emptiness.” WK-BC AllMusic.com’s Dave Thompson described the song as “an epic, heartstring-tugging song. The piece gains even more power in its second half, when the drums and guitar kick in, and the arrangement billows out with instrumentation.” WK-BC |
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Mandela DaySimple Minds |
Writer(s): Jim Kerr, Charlie Burchill, Mick MacNeil (see lyrics here) Released: 2/6/1989 *, Street Fighting Years (1989), Glittering Prize (compilation, 1992), The Best (compilation, 2001), Celebrate: The Greatest Hits (compilation, 2013), 40: The Best of 1979-2019 (compilation, 2019) First Charted: 2/18/1989 *, 4/1/1989 Peak: 12 17 MR, UK *, 12 AU *, 1 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- US, 0.20 UK * Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 13.10 video, 43.25 streaming * for Ballad of the Streets EP, which featured “Belfast Child,” “Mandela Day,” and “Biko” |
Awards:(Click on award to learn more).
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About the Song:In 1989, Simple Minds released Street Fighting Years, their fourth consecutive #1 album in the UK. 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 Wembley 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 premiered the new song “Mandela Day,” written specifically for the event. WK-MD The song referenced Mandela’s quarter century in prison and celebrated the coming day when he would be free. |
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BikoSimple Minds |
Writer(s): Peter Gabriel Released: 2/6/1989 *, Street Fighting Years (1989), The Best (compilation, 2001), Celebrate: The Greatest Hits (compilation, 2013) First Charted: 2/18/1989 * Peak: 12 UK *, 12 AU *, 1 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- US, 0.20 UK * Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, -- streaming * for Ballad of the Streets EP, which featured “Belfast Child,” “Mandela Day,” and “Biko” |
Awards:(Click on award to learn more).
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About the Song:Peter Gabriel wrote and recorded this song for his 1980 album Peter Gabriel III. It is an anti-apartheid protest song inspired by Bantu Stephen Biko, a black South African anti-apartheid activist who was arrested in 1977 and died in police custody. Read more about Peter Gabriel’s version here.In 1989, Simple Minds recorded the song for their Street Fighting Years album. It was released as part of the Ballad of the Streets EP which preceded the album. The EP also included the protest songs “Belfast Child” and “Mandela Day.” |
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This Is Your LandSimple Minds with Lou Reed |
Writer(s): Jim Kerr, Charlie Burchill, Mick MacNeil Released: 4/10/1989 (single), Street Fighting Years (1989), The Best (compilation, 2001), Celebrate: The Greatest Hits (compilation, 2013), 40: The Best of 1979-2019 (compilation, 2019) B-Sides: “Saturday Girl,” “Year of the Dragon” First Charted: 4/22/1989 Peak: 37 AR, 12 MR, 13 UK, 40 CN, 38 AU, 9 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 2.99 streaming About the Song“This Is Your Land” was released as the second single from Street Fighting Years. It gave Simple Minds yet another top-20 hit in the UK. In the U.S., it failed to make the Billboard Hot 100, but did reach the album rock and modern rock charts.Q magazine’s David Sinclair said, “The utterly beguiling melody of ‘This Is Your Land,’ featuring a deadpan Lou Reed, cloaks a sting rebuke on the issue of the environment while gently leading the listener up towards the panoramic splendor of the instrumental coda.” WK-TL |
Take a Step BackSimple Minds |
Writer(s): Jim Kerr, Charlie Burchill, Mick MacNeil Released: Street Fighting Years (1989) First Charted: 6/24/1989 Peak: 14 MR, 32 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 0.88 streaming About the SongIn the UK “Kick It In” and “Let It All Come Down” were released as singles. Neither charted in the U.S., but “Take a Step Back,” which wasn’t a single, did become a top-20 hit on the modern rock chart in the U.S.
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Kick It InSimple Minds |
Writer(s): Jim Kerr, Charlie Burchill, Mick MacNeil Released: 7/17/1989 (single), Street Fighting Years (1989), The Best (compilation, 2001), Celebrate: The Greatest Hits (compilation, 2013) B-Sides: “Waterfront” (’89 remix), “Big Sleep” (live), “Kick It In” (unauthorized mix) First Charted: 7/23/1989 Peak: 15 UK, 94 AU, 31 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 1.12 streaming About the Song“Kick It In” was the third single released from Street Fighting Years and the album’s third song to reach the top-20 I the UK. However, it failed to chart in the U.S., even on the album rock and alternative rock charts.
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Let It All Come DownSimple Minds |
Writer(s): Jim Kerr, Charlie Burchill, Mick MacNeil, John Giblin Released: 11/27/1989 (single), Street Fighting Years (1989), The Best (compilation, 2001), Celebrate: The Greatest Hits (compilation, 2013) B-Sides: “Sign ‘O’ the Times,” “Jerusalem” First Charted: 12/9/1989 Peak: 18 UK, 77 AU, 29 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 1.19 streaming About the SongThe fourth single from Street Fighting Years was also the fourth trip into the top-20 on the UK charts for songs from the album. Like previous single “Kick It In,” it failed to chart in the U.S. The song was part of the Amsterdam EP which featured a cover of Prince’s “Sign ‘O’ the Times.”
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Resources/References:
Related DMDB Pages:
First posted 7/9/2010; last updated 11/7/2026. |
