Scottish new wave rockers Simple Minds are responsible for one of the most iconic moments in cinema, thanks to the prominent placement of their song “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” on the soundtrack of the seminal 1985 John Hughes’ coming-of-age movie The Breakfast Club. At the end of the movie, when Judd Nelson’s troubled character John Bender raises his fist in solidarity with his fellow high-school misfits, the image freezes and the Simple Minds song kicks in, it’s the perfect embodiment of the emotional power of ’80s teen movies.
Formed in 1977, Simple Minds had other big hits during the ’80s, including “Alive and Kicking,” “Promised You a Miracle,” “Love Song” and “Belfast Child,” although “Don’t You” remains the band’s best-known song in the U.S. Led by founding members Jim Kerr and Charlie Burchill, alongside various backing musicians, the band has toured and recorded consistently for the past four decades, most recently releasing their 18th studio album, Walk Between Worlds (which Paste Magazine called “a wonderful collection of dramatic, thoughtful songs”), this past February. Their music retains the expansive, cinematic quality on display in The Breakfast Club, inspiring fist pumps from movie characters and concert-goers alike.
