After only one week since the previous post in this series, we have a new post in this series. On May 18, 1985, “Don't You (Forget About Me)” (video up top) by by the Scottish rock band Simple Minds reached Number One on the USA’s Billboard “Hot 100”. Like last week’s song, this one was also on a movie soundtrack, this one for the 1985 movie The Breakfast Club—this time, it's a movie I actually saw and liked. This song was released on February 20, 1985, shortly after the movie opened. The song would be the band’s biggest hit, and their only Number One, in the USA.
I remember both the movie and the song from 1985, though I may have seen the movie on cable. At that same time, I was watching a lot of MTV, and that’s where I saw the music video (which was directed by Daniel Kleinman). I liked both at the time, but the song has been more enduring for me: I’m not sure when I last saw the movie—or even if I ever watched it again—but I’ve heard the song a lot over the past 40 years. That’s not unusual, of course, and pop music usually has been a more enduring part of my life than pop movies have been.
The only Simple Minds album I bought was their 1985 album Once Upon a Time, which featured the single “Alive And Kicking”, which I quite liked. It was their next single after “Don't You (Forget About Me)”. While their first US hit wasn’t on the original Once Upon a Time album, it was included in a deluxe version in 2015. I left that 1985 album behind when I moved to New Zealand, but I actually don’t remember listening to the album all that much as time went on. However, I still sometimes hear “Don't You (Forget About Me)” on the radio.
“Don't You (Forget About Me)” ultimately reached Number 6 in Australia, Number One and Canada (Platinum), Number 3 in New Zealand (4x Platinum), Number 7 in the UK (Silver), and Number One on the USA’s Billboard “Hot 100” and on their “Mainstream Rock” chart, and also reached Number One on the USA’s Cash Box “Top 100 Singles” chart. The song was not certified in the USA.
Complete chart information for the soundtrack album for The Breakfast Club wasn’t included in the Wikipedia article, however, it does mention that it hit Number 17 on the “Billboard 200” chart.
This series will return next week—wait, what? Three weeks in a row?!! Yes. The series continues on May 25 with the next Number One from 1985.
Previously in the “Weekend Diversion – 1985” series:
Weekend Diversion: 1985, Part 1 – February 2, 2025
Weekend Diversion: 1985, Part 2 – February 16, 2025
Weekend Diversion: 1985, Part 3 – March 12, 2025
Weekend Diversion: 1985, Part 4 – March 30, 2025
Weekend Diversion: 1985, Part 5 – April 13, 2025
Weekend Diversion: 1985, Part 6 – May 11, 2025
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