‘Once Upon A Time’: Simple Minds’ Powerful Mainstream Breakthrough
With the UK and Europe hooked, the US also fell in love with the passionate Scottish band in the mid-80s.
Mass success looked increasingly attainable for Simple Minds during the early-to-mid 1980s, with albums such as New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84) and Sparkle In The Rain reaping significant chart returns in the U.K. and Europe. However, the Scottish quintet took it to the next level with 1985’s Once Upon A Time: a powerful and confident rock record which provided a well-deserved mainstream breakthrough in the U.S.
Ironically, the song which brokered its success didn’t actually appear on the album. Indeed, Jim Kerr and company were reluctant to record “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” until its co-writer and producer Keith Forsey’s enthusiasm won them over. His instinct proved unerringly accurate, for the band’s dynamic recording of the song shot to No. 1 in the U.S. following its inclusion in the soundtrack for John Hughes’ film The Breakfast Club: then a box office smash and now widely regarded as one of the best teen films of all time.
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With hindsight, the timing couldn’t have been better for Simple Minds. The Glasgow group had worked up what it believed to be its best set of songs to date for its next album, Once Upon A Time, and the success of “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” secured the services of producers Jimmy Iovine and Bob Clearmountain: a dream team with a collective CV including seminal titles such as Bruce Springsteen’s Born To Run and Dire Straits’ Making Movies.
As expected, Iovine and Clearmountain added a punchy, radio-friendly sheen to Once Upon A Time (and an organic crispness which prevents it from dating) but then they had some excellent material to work with. Indeed, just about every song could have been a single, with even the deeper cuts such as “Oh Jungleland,” the Police-esque slow-burner “I Wish You Were Here” and the hypnotic titular song sounding every bit as arena-ready as the album’s quartet of singles.
Ultimately, though, it was Once Upon A Time’s spin-off singles which secured its longevity. Still regulars in Simple Minds’ live set to this day, “Sanctify Yourself,” “All The Things She Said” and the celebratory “Ghost Dancing” all saw action in the U.K. and U.S. Top 30 singles charts, but the irresistible Top 10 hit “Alive And Kicking” (featuring a sublime vocal contribution from former David Bowie alumnus Robin Scott) remains the album’s flagship hit – and one of Simple Minds’ most instantly recognizable tracks.
The collective weight of its four hits made all the difference for Once Upon A Time. First released in October 1985, it topped the U.K. charts and peaked at No. 10 on the Billboard 200 during a 16-week run in the chart’s Top 20. It also was promoted by a world tour lasting 15 months, which kept Simple Minds’ name in the press and ensured their next album, Street Fighting Years, would become one of the most hotly-anticipated releases of the late 80s.
“Once Upon A Time still feels very complete to me,” Jim Kerr said, reflecting on the album in an interview on Simple Minds’ official website. “I don’t think I’d change anything on it. Some might say ‘Don’t You (Forget About Me)’ should have been included on it and when you think about it, leaving it off is rather an eccentric thing to do. But it’s still very complete – the artwork, everything about it is bang on.”
