The Breakfast Club is one of the best films to come out of the 80’s and it’s also one of the most poignant films of a generation. It’s one of those films that as time goes on, it will always be highly regarded and looked upon with acclaim. The story, the script, the performances in the movie are all stunning. As much as those elements make up a truly great film, the soundtrack that accompanied it was just as important, especially the song “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” by Simple Minds.
While scoring the film, Keith Forsey and Steve Schiff wrote the song with the band Simple Minds in mind to perform the song. Originally the band turned down the opportunity to record the song so it was then offered to Roxy Music’s Bryan Ferry as well as Billy Idol but, they too declined. According to Simple Minds singer Jim Kerr, the band didn’t want to do the song based on the feeling that “they should only record their own material. “We are Simple Minds – we don’t do songs that sound like Simple Minds. We are Simple Minds. We do our own songs.” After much persuasion from their record label as well as The Pretenders singer Chrissie Hynde (who was also married to Jim Kerr at the time), Simple Minds finally agreed.
This song was played twice in the film (the beginning and end) and it’s played such a pivitol role in the message of the film. It’s also worth noting that the band opted not to include the song on their album Once Upon A Time, which they were working on at the same time. Thus making it exclusive to the soundtrack. However in 1992, it did appear on the bands best of.
Simple Minds- Don’t You (Forget About Me):
