#1(US) 30 years ago today!

"Don't You (Forget About Me)" is a 1985 song performed by the band Simple Minds. The song is best known for being played during the opening and closing credits of the John Hughes film The Breakfast Club. It was written by producer Keith Forsey and Steve Schiff (guitarist and songwriter from the Nina Hagen band).

Forsey asked Cy Curnin from The Fixx, Bryan Ferry and Billy Idol to record the song, but all three declined; Idol later performed a cover of it on his 2001 compilation album Greatest Hits. Schiff then suggested Forsey ask Simple Minds who, after refusing as well, agreed under the encouragement of their label, A&M. According to one account, the band "rearranged and recorded 'Don’t You (Forget About Me)' in three hours in a north London studio and promptly forgot about it."

Continuing the rock direction recently taken on Sparkle in the Rain but also glancing back at their melodic synthpop past, it caught the band at their commercial peak and, propelled by the success of The Breakfast Club, became a number-one hit in the U.S. and around the world. It is the band's only number-one hit on the U.S. Top Rock Tracks chart, staying atop for three weeks. While only reaching number seven in the UK, it stayed on the charts from 1985 to 1987, one of the longest time spans for any single in the history of the chart.

The song did not appear on the band's subsequent album Once Upon a Time but appeared on the 1992 best-of Glittering Prize 81/92. It has since been a fixture of the band's live sets - with an extended audience participation section during its inclusion on the 2015 tour to promote the band's Big Music album. 

Two versions were created for release. A short version of 4:23 appeared on the single and the original motion picture soundtrack album of The Breakfast Club. A longer version of 6:32 was released on 12" single. This version contains longer breakdowns and drum fills, a second appearance of the bridge and a longer ending.

John Leland from Spin wrote that "'Don't You Forget About Me,' a romantic and melancholy dance track, therefore cuts ice both in the living room and on the dance floor."

Molly Ringwald who starred in The Breakfast Club recorded her own version of the song on her 2013 album Except Sometimes.

SIDE A:
Don't You (Forget About Me) (Long Version) 6:32
Lyrics By [Words], Music By – Keith Forsey, Steve Schiff
Producer – Keith Forsey

SIDE B:
A Brass Band In African Chimes 9:25
Producer – Steve Lillywhite
Written-By – Simple Minds

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: A&M Records ‎– SP-12125
Format: Vinyl, 12", Single, 45 RPM 
Country: US
Released: 1985
Genre: Electronic
Style: New wave, Synth-pop

NOTES:
track A: Original version appears on the original motion picture soundtrack "THE BREAKFAST CLUB"

VINYL RESTORATION BY: DjPaulT
DOWNLOADED FROM: burningtheground.net