Don't You (Forget About Me)

The story of *Don't You (Forget About Me)* is fascinating, not only for how it sounded, but for the entire journey it took to reach the hands of Simple Minds. Originally, the song was intended for other artists. Keith Forsey, one of its composers, first offered it to Bryan Ferry, who was busy with his album *Boys and Girls* in 1985. It was then considered for Corey Hart, known for his hit *Sunglasses at Night*, but Forsey did not believe he was the right voice. Even Billy Idol, a frequent collaborator of Forsey’s, turned it down. The Scottish band Simple Minds, at first, were also unconvinced. They felt they should only perform their own material and that the song did not fit their "ultra-hip" image. Their manager, Bruce Findlay, saw its potential, especially in the United States, and showed them a private screening of the film *The Breakfast Club* (1985) in an attempt to persuade them. Despite this, the band remained reluctant, with vocalist Jim Kerr admitting that, at first, they did not care much for the American teenage audience. It was Kerr’s wife, Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders, who urged them to record it.

After spending a few days with Keith Forsey and learning more about his work, influenced by German experimental music like Amon Düül II and his collaboration with Giorgio Moroder on tracks such as *I Feel Love* by Donna Summer, Simple Minds decided to give it a chance. During the recording session in November 1984, Jim Kerr added the iconic "hey hey hey" at the beginning and the "la la la" at the end, intending to write new lyrics, but Forsey insisted on keeping them. Guitarist Charlie Burchill contributed the powerful chords, describing the experience as almost a caricature of American AOR music, yet acknowledging that it worked. The song, released as a single in February 1985, became a massive hit, reaching number 1 in the United States and Canada, and number 7 in the United Kingdom. Despite its enormous impact, the band did not anticipate such a reception; Burchill, years later, would admit that, while he now considers it a well-crafted pop song, at the time they had dismissed it quite a bit.