Don't You (Forget About Me)

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"Don't You (Forget About Me)"

Single by Simple Minds
from the album The Breakfast Club soundtrack
Released	1985 (US) 8 April 1985 (UK)
Format	12", 7"
Recorded	1984
Genre	Pop
Length	4:19
Label	A&M
Writer(s)	Keith Forsey and Steve Schiff
Chart positions
#1 (US Billboard Hot 100) #7 (UK singles chart)

"Don't You (Forget About Me)" is a song written for the soundtrack of the 1985 John Hughes movie The Breakfast Club. The songwriters were disco producer Keith Forsey, (who won an Oscar for "Flashdance... What a Feeling") and Steve Schiff (edgy post punk guitarist songwriter from the Nina Hagen band.)

Forsey asked both Bryan Ferry and Billy Idol to record the song, but both declined; Idol would later perform a cover of it on his 2001 greatest hits compilation. Schiff then suggested Forsey ask the Scottish New Wave band Simple Minds, who initially refused as well, but then 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." [1]

Propelled by the success of The Breakfast Club, the song became the band's only number-one U.S. hit (though, by all accounts, Simple Minds did not much care for it). The song was not included on Simple Minds' subsequent Once Upon a Time album, finally appearing on the 1992 best-of Glittering Prize 81/92.

[edit] Other appearances

The song has been covered by numerous musicians including, ironically, Billy Idol, Tears for Fears, Life of Agony, Bouncing Souls, as well as Rufio on the Punk Goes 80's album. Yellowcard played a version of "Don't You (Forget About Me)" as a live twentieth anniversary tribute to The Breakfast Club at the 2005 MTV Movie Awards. The song was also featured in the movie American Pie, as well as in episodes of South Park ("Asspen"), Futurama ("The Luck of the Fryrish"), Ghost Whisperer ("A Vicious Cycle") and Family Guy ("Let's Go to the Hop").