#5 - Don't You (Forget About Me)

Artist: Simple Minds
Album: The Breakfast Club Soundtrack
Video: From YouTube.

Brat Pack anthems back-to-back!  Love it.  The song's actual title is simply "Don't You", although nobody calls it that.  The "Forget About Me" portion is parenthetical.

"Don't You (Forget About Me)" is one of the 80's signature songs, and its lofty position on this countdown is well deserved.  It was a #1 smash on the Billboard Hot 100.  This is a classic goodbye song for graduation parties, kind of an upbeat yearbook K.I.T. message.

A karaoke favorite, the most fun parts to sing are the nonsense sounds, the "hey hey hey hey", the "whoo whoo whoa", and of course the "la la la la" coda.  The latter was birthed because lead singer Jim Kerr was tired of trying to add new lyrics.  Co-writer Keith Forsey had a tough time finding a band to record this song for the soundtrack, and Simple Minds only agreed to it reluctantly.

Of course, "Don't You (Forget About Me)" plays over the closing credits of "The Breakfast Club", one of director's John Hughes' greatest films.  It features five teenagers forced to spend a Saturday together in detention: a princess (Molly Ringwald), a jock (Emilio Estevez), a brain (Anthony Michael Hall), a basket case (Ally Sheedy), and a criminal (Judd Nelson).  Ringwald and Hall were the only Brat Packers who did not appear in St. Elmo's Fire.

The most memorable image from the video is Jim Kerr dancing in a large room with a checkerboard floor and a chandelier high above.  The space is filled with a variety of unique objects, including trains, a stuffed bear, various toys, and a jukebox.  There are surprisingly few clips from the Breakfast Club, only appearing sparingly on a number of TV screens that fill the room.