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Don’t You Forget About Me: The Accidental 80’s Anthem

As part of Radio 2 Loves The 80s, Jo Whiley tells the story of the breakout song from the cult American ‘brat pack’ movie The Breakfast Club.

As part of Radio 2 Loves The 80s, Jo Whiley tells the story of the breakout song from the cult American ‘brat pack’ movie The Breakfast Club. Back in 1985 Don’t You Forget About Me became one of the most iconic 80’s anthems ever! Recorded for the film by the then little known Scottish rock band Simple Minds, the song reached No 1 in the US Billboard Hot 100 and several other countries, catapulting the group to international stardom. Despite not writing the track and, at first, being reluctant to cover it (it was apparently turned down by Roxy Music, Corey Hart and Billy Idol) the band eventually relented and recorded it. Now, 40 years on, as it surpasses 1 billion streams on Spotify, we hear from frontman Jim Kerr and guitarist Charlie Burchill about how they went from hating the song to embracing it - even adding the distinctive ‘Hey, hey, Hey, Hey!’ lines that audiences in packed stadia across the globe still chant today. The programme also includes contributions from musicians K.T Tunstall and Billy Idol.

Release date:

28 minutes

On radio

Next Sunday 00:00

Broadcast

  • Next Sunday 00:00