For the month of October, I’m selecting a song each day from the decade that has the most meaning to me: the 80s. It was the decade that I grew up in. The period of time where I discovered my love for music — and explored many different genres. For the next 31 days, I’ll highlight a handful of songs that I truly loved and that were representative of the decade. #31DaysOf80sSongs
Simple Minds was one of the steadiest rock bands of the 80s with a late bloom presence in the U.S. Songs like “Waterfront”, “All the Things She Said”, “Promised You a Miracle”, “Up on the Catwalk” and “Sanctify Yourself” had that special beauty of being truly distinct from each other, but all still assuredly part of the Simple Minds sound. For a band that was great at writing rock songs that we’re slightly left of center, it’s ironic that their biggest hit wasn’t even penned by them: the breakthrough anthem “Don’t You (Forget About Me)”. Which is why I think “Alive and Kicking” is actually the true breakthrough Simple Minds track.
“Alive and Kicking” is, by far, my favorite song from the band. Simple Minds’ strength has always been in the composition. With a remarkable consistency, they’ve been just really solid at melding Kerr’s vocals with each instrumental layer. Mel Gaynor’s drums were an underrated rhythmic force to be reckoned with in the 80’s. Never particularly complex, but always powerful and present in the right moments. Michael MacNeil’s synth arrangements shimmered with this unexplainable sense of optimism and hope. On “Alive and Kicking”, those riffs felt like a baptism. But the thing that made the track shine more than other great Simple Minds songs were the crushing guest vocals from Robin Clark, who could also be heard on David Bowie’s “Young Americans”. She brought such a powerful, soulful voice to the table and seemed to blend so naturally with the band’s rock agenda.
“What's it gonna take to make a dream survive?”